CancerCare Manitoba receives largest healthcare donation in history of province

CancerCare Manitoba says the largest single donation to a healthcare facility in the history of the province will go a long way towards helping cancer patients.

On Wednesday, the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation (CCMF) announced it had received a $27 million donation from the Paul Albrechtsen Foundation. It is the largest philanthropic donation to a healthcare organization in the history of Manitoba.

“Today is an incredible day for Manitobans. The impact this gift will have on cancer research and patient care in this province is momentous,” said Patti Smith, president & CEO of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation in a news release. “I am profoundly grateful to the Paul Albrechtsen Foundation for this donation and for honouring Paul’s commitment to making this province better for all Manitobans.”

Albrechtsen was the founder of Paul's Hauling, a Manitoba-based trucking company that operates across North America. He died in 2019. The Paul Albrechtsen Foundation has made numerous charitable donations to organizations across Manitoba such as the FortWhyte Foundation, Reh-Fit Centre, and Assiniboine Park Conservancy, among others.

The $27 million will go towards four areas at CancerCare. $17 million will help rebuild the facility's 20-year-old research lab to current scientific standards. In honour of the gift, the laboratory will be renamed the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute.

$4 million will buy a set of five machines that can analyze how cells are reacting and interacting with each other in a tumour. The data will allow doctors to personalize treatment to each individual’s cancer and circumstances. This will be the only such equipment operating in Canada.

$2.5 million will increase capacity for genomic sequencing, which will advance personalized medicine for Manitobans. $3.5 million will go towards a new dedicated space in Brandon that will house physical and emotional care programs for the wider Westman region. The centre will be named the Paul Albrechtsen Centre for Hope.

“The Paul Albrechtsen Foundation is proud to support the important work being done here at CancerCare Manitoba,” said Scott Albrechtsen, president of the foundation in a news release. “My dad loved this province and believed in supporting all aspects of healthcare from research in the labs to holistic support programs to ensure Manitobans can receive the best possible care close to home. We are proudly honouring his legacy with this gift today.”

Statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society show that more than 7,000 Manitobans were diagnosed with cancer last year.