Our Story

The Mount Newton Centre was founded in 1978 with a one-year Federal Grant given to provide a Day Long Adult Day Program in an old farm house on the Saanich Peninsula Hospital property.

On-going funding was allocated for this program by the British Columbia Ministry of Health under the Long Term Care Program. At this point, a Registered Nurse was hired to direct and coordinate the services.

The existing purpose-built main Centre building was completed in 1990, replacing the original old farmhouse that had more than served its lifetime. At the same time, a new stand-alone building was completed to house the health equipment loan centre.

Demand for the services offered by the health Equipment Lending program grew with community awareness of its existence, to the point where the existing structure housing the program no longer met the demand. Through the generosity of the community, a fundraising campaign, dubbed ‘The Millennium Project’ raised the funds needed to complete an extension to the building, doubling its physical size and capacity.

In January 2007 Mount Newton Centre and its Executive Director, Patsy Berger-North, were each recipients of the ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ award conferred by the International Committee For the Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS) for these contributions to third world countries. The Award was presented by Her Honour Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, in a ceremony which took place at the Centre.

With strong support from physicians, hospitals, community health professionals and the community at large, a unique and innovative blend of public and private initiative health services has evolved. Services continue to evolve in direct response to the changing health needs of the community.