Donation honours memory of two longtime Ontario politicians

Jamie Grossman

Jamie Grossman promised himself that if he ever came into a large sum of money, he would make a donation to honour the memory of his father and his grandfather, both longtime Ontario politicians.

He got the opportunity in 2010, after Yellow Media (Yellow Pages Group) purchased his online advertising business called Uptrend Media Inc.

“My father, Larry, and my grandfather, Allan, affectionately referred to as Zuzzy, were both cabinet ministers and members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the downtown Toronto riding of St. Andrew and its successor St. Andrew-St. Patrick, for 32 consecutive years,” Grossman, 41, said in an interview.

They were also both groundbreakers in Ontario politics. “Zuzzy was the second Jewish Canadian cabinet minister in Ontario and the first Tory. He held the riding for 20 years. When he retired in 1975, my father, who was then 32 years old, left his law practice, ran for election, and won the seat that my grandfather was exiting, for another 12 years,” he recalled.

The two men were also active supporters of Doctors Hospital on College Street in the Kensington area, where many members of the Jewish community lived from the 1940s into the 1970s, and the hospital was an integral landmark of their community.

Shortly after he became an MPP, Larry Grossman got involved in the political fight of his life when he challenged his own government on its decision to close Doctors Hospital. In February 1976, the hospital took the province to court and was successful in its challenge, and it continued to operate as an acute care facility until 1998. 

“Larry was very effective politically and got the government’s attention [and it did] not appeal the decision, agreeing the Doctors Hospital was an important community resource and should be re-built. Ultimately, government approval was received to re-build,” said Brian McFarlane, president and CEO of Kensington Health.

The Doctors Hospital was demolished in 1999, then rebuilt as Kensington Health, a non-profit corporation that offers ambulatory and long-term health services. Its board launched a $5-million capital campaign for the project, and Jamie Grossman saw an opportunity to honour his family.

“Throughout [their] entire connection, what my father and my grandfather before him had done to help the Doctors Hospital build and thrive in the community inspired me to provide a meaningful contribution and reconnect with what they were so passionate about,” he said.

In 1996, Larry Grossman was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died at age 53, a little less than a year later. “During that time, toward the end, dad received palliative care, at home. My two siblings, Melissa, Robbie and I took care of our dad for the better part of that year,” said Grossman.

The experience helped him see the importance of end-of-life care, and the way a hospice can care for people from when their illness is diagnosed as terminal to the end of their life. It places a high value on dignity and respect of the person who is ill and remaining at home with their loved ones during their last days, and this was a natural fit for Jamie in honouring his family.

So last year, he donated $100,000 to Kensington Health, which now includes Kensington Gardens, a 350-bed long-term care home, and the Kensington Hospice, a 10-bed residential centre that provides end-of-life care, as well as an eye institute, a screening clinic and a research institute, all supported by the Kensington Foundation.

The Kensington Health Centre’s residential hospice is a free service in partnership with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and has been in operation for three years.

“The hospice is one of only two residential hospices in the City of Toronto meeting end-of-life care needs,” McFarlane said.

Grossman’s donation was used to create a memorial wall in his father’s memory. “The memorial wall with Larry’s picture sits in the hospice, recognizing him as the world’s greatest dad,” McFarlane said.

Grossman is actively involved with Kensington Health, sitting on board committees and co-chairing fundraising events.

“Every time I walk into Kensington Health Centre, someone has a great story to tell me about my grandfather and father. I think they would love the fact that there is still a Grossman involved, whether it’s called the Doctors Hospital or Kensington Health Centre. It makes me feel good to know I am making a difference to a place that mattered to them.”