Make a Planned Gift

For more than 120 years, UHN-West Park Healthcare Centre has created a nurturing campus of care where patients are supported as they recover from serious injury or illness to get their lives back. From our earliest beginnings, West Park’s highly skilled physicians and staff have walked with our patients on every step of their recovery journey, taking them from crisis to hope, and back to health.

Meeting the needs of an aging population

In 2024, we began the next chapter in our history. Our new hospital building opened in April, the centre of a campus-wide redevelopment that will improve access to our in-demand programs and allow us to transform how we deliver care for the benefit of our patients.

The future will see the largest generation of Canadians – the baby boomers – begin to age and seek out the rehabilitative and complex care they will require to keep living at home independently. Today, 17% of the population is 65 years or older but represent 58% of Ontario hospital stays. In the next 10 years, the number of people in the 75+ age group will double. With this demographic shift, the demand for our services is expected to grow by 50% over the next 20 years.

Our new hospital building will enable us to meet this growing need and help more patients facing respiratory and chronic illness, stroke, amputation and hip and knee replacement—areas of specialization that are crucial to people as they age. Our redevelopment will continue over the next several years with the creation of outdoor therapeutic environments and a possible second long-term care centre on our site.

There is a challenge ahead of us but with the support of donors like you, we will be ready to help our patients get their life back for years to come.

Where to start!

Here are the ways to create your legacy gift to support those who need UHN-West Park’s specialized care

A gift in your Will – known as a bequest – of any size, is a meaningful way to support the mission of West Park and live out your values of ensuring excellent patient care is available for years to come.  These are gifts created after a person has provided for their loved ones. Gifts made by Will are deemed to have been made in the year of death. Therefore, the estate receives the charitable tax credit and can offset any tax owing.

A gift in the Will may be for a fixed sum, or for a specified portion or percentage of the residue of the estate after other specific bequests have been distributed. You can also gift real property or securities.

A legacy gift in your Will

A gift in your Will to West Park Healthcare Centre shows more than just foresight and careful planning, it reveals a lasting commitment to your values and a desire to make a difference beyond your lifetime when you don’t need these assets.

Such a gift would allow your estate to realize tax savings in the future. Usually, these gifts enable people to make a more substantial contribution than they could manage during their lifetimes. That means a gift in your Will would have a deep impact on the future of UHN-West Park and the patients we serve – from our local community and across Ontario.

Creating your legacy through a bequest for West Park in 3 easy steps

Step 1: Once you have provided for your loved ones, decide if you wish to leave a bequest in your will to West Park. Determine the type and amount of the gift and if you wish to have it directed to West Park’s top priorities or to a specific program.

Step 2: Call your lawyer and request that they include a codicil in your Will that establishes a gift for West Park. Provide your lawyer with the legal written name of West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation – please see below. Your lawyer will handle the remaining details. Many lawyers will include this codicil in your Will without cost.

Our legal name and charitable number:
West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation
Charitable Number: 11929 5350 RR0001

Step 3: If you feel comfortable, contact us to let us know when your gift has been created. This will allow us to recognize you as a member of the William Gage Legacy Circle, adding your name to our list of donors who have told us they will be remembering the Foundation in their estate plan and giving us an opportunity to express our gratitude.

Sample wording to consider when creating your gift

Specific, unrestricted:

I give, devise, and bequeath to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation the sum of $_________to be used for any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation.

Specific, restricted with clause to vary:

I give, devise, and bequeath to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation the sum of $_____to be used for the following purpose(s): ___________________________. If West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation is unable to apply all or part of these funds for the specific purpose(s) stated herein, the Board of West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation will redirect the gift to a new purpose that is as close as possible to the original intent.

General percentage of your estate, unrestricted:

I give, devise, and bequeath to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation _____% of the residue of my estate to be used for any purpose(s) approved by the Board of Directors of West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation.

General percentage of your estate, restricted with clause to vary:

I give, devise, and bequeath to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation _____% of my estate to be used for the following purpose(s): __________________________________________. If West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation is unable to apply all or part of these funds for the specific purpose(s) stated herein, West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation Board will redirect the gift to a new purpose that is as close as possible to the original intent.

Residual contingent trust:

Upon the death of the survivor of my (wife, husband, etc.) _________________and my (son, daughter, etc.) ________________, I direct my trustee to transfer and deliver the balance of the residue of my Estate, including any undistributed income to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation.

These are sample clauses only. Your lawyer or estate planner should always review clauses and ensure they are appropriate to your wishes and comply with the current laws.

To learn more, please contact Jacqueline Cooper, VP of Development, at jackie.cooper@westpark.org or 416-243-3613

Creating your legacy through a gift of life insurance for UHN-West Park

Giving a new or existing insurance policy allows even people of modest means to make a sizable gift with only a small annual or monthly outlay that could be eligible for a tax receipt. In addition, there can be a tax credit available for immediate tax relief depending on your policy. You will not reduce your family’s share of your estate’s assets by using this form of giving.

There are many options to use life insurance as a future gift to UHN-West Park

When giving a gift of life insurance, you may:

• Designate “West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation” as the owner and beneficiary of your life insurance policy. We will send you a tax receipt annually for your premium payments.
• Donate a paid-up policy you no longer need. We will send you a tax receipt for the cash value.
• Assign “West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation” as the beneficiary only. This gives you the flexibility to change the beneficiary.

Other types of legacy gifts

There are several other legacy gift options that you may consider when thinking about creating a future donation for the benefit of UHN-West Park. These include registered investment like RRSPs, RRIFs and TFSAs, charitable remainder trusts, endowments, gifts of real estate as well as gifts of other types of assets.

Recognizing YOUR Legacy Gift

The William Gage Legacy Circle is a way to recognize and honour those that have created a future gift of support for UHN-West Park. The Legacy Circle is named after Sir William Gage, who provided the very first legacy gift to West Park in 1904 with the gift of Buttonwood Farm, the land that is the current site of UHN-West Park Healthcare Centre.

By creating your legacy through a planned gift, you become part of a group of unique supporters who have taken the steps to ensure that great care will be available at UHN-West Park for generations to come.

With permission, members of the Circle are honoured on our donor wall and in our annual donor impact report. They are invited to exclusive Foundation events and will also receive a commemorative pin to signify their membership in the Legacy Circle. 

For more information on this or other gifts to West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation please contact:

Jacqueline Cooper
VP, Development
Telephone at 416 243-3613
Email: jackie.cooper@westpark.org

Ashleigh Manzon, CFRE
Director, Annual Programs & Planned Giving
Telephone: 416 243-3604
Email: ashleigh.manzon@westpark.org

Please be sure to speak with your financial or legal professional about your legacy gift.

Our Legal Name and Charitable Registration Number are:

West Park Healthcare Centre Foundation
Charitable Number: 11929 5350 RR0001