Don has lived in Brantford for more than 40 years where he and his wife Carolyn have raised their three children.  

He worked in Ontario’s health care system for 35 years, first as a Respiratory Therapist in Hamilton before transitioning into management.  Don progressed through several leadership roles and in 2010 became President at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener. During Don’s tenure, St. Mary’s developed an extraordinary reputation for delivering high quality health care.    

After retiring from St. Mary’s in 2018, Don joined the faculty of Catalysis, a U.S.-based organization that teaches leaders how to dramatically improve health system performance.  Don’s particular focus is on executive team and board development.  He has worked with organizations in Canada, the United States and England.  

Don holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo, a Respiratory Therapy diploma from the Michener Institute of Applied Sciences, and an MBA from McMaster University specializing in Health Services Management.    

Amos Key Jr. is a member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, from the Haudenosaunee Civilization at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He currently serves as an elected member of the 59th Council of Six Nations, where he chairs the Health & Wellbeing and Finance & Audit Committees, co-chairs the Education & Language and Lands, Resources, Wealth and Economy Committees, and is a member of the Data and Data Security Committee.   

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous education, language preservation, and community health, Amos brings deep governance and institutional experience to his roles.  

He has served as Vice-Provost (Indigenous) at Brock University, a teaching professor at the University of Toronto, and Executive Director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, where he founded the $26M Save the Evidence campaign. Amos also founded CKRZ 100.3 FM Radio, Voice of the Grand, and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto.  

Amos contributes his expertise to numerous advisory roles, including with the First Nations Technical Institute, the Daniels School of Architecture at the University of Toronto, and the Chiefs of Ontario Languages and Education Committees. He is also the Principal owner of The Dodinǫshǫ:nidǫh:  Indigenous Education Consulting & Research Trust™. 

Alison Newton, MBA, Ec. D, is currently the Chief Administrative Officer with the County of Brant.   

Prior to joining the County of Brant, Alison held positions in the private sector in the areas of commercial real estate and capital markets. Shifting to the public sector over 16 years ago allowed her to apply her passion for strategic planning and leadership to the local level, working to build the community in which she lives and works.   

Alison is the Past President of the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. She holds a BA in Political Science and Economics and a Master of Business Administration.   

Jodi Rock is Turtle Clan, Mohawk Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River by ancestry, and a band member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN). She has lived most of her life off reserve and is a proud mom, aunt, great aunt, and caregiver to four animals.  

As Indigenous Health Liaison at MCFN, Jodi supports local and regional system transformation. Her experience also includes volunteering as a member of MCFN’s health pillar and as a patient and family advisor with OH West and Hamilton and Brant health systems.  

Jodi has worked primarily with Indigenous-led organizations, both on and off reserve. As Hamilton’s first Aboriginal Patient Navigator, she has seen how discriminatory practices affect health and social outcomes. Her career spans frontline roles in harm reduction, supporting the chronically unhoused, and family violence, as well as leadership roles in anti-human trafficking. She has also supported care coordination for patients with complex needs and built partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous services.  

Previously, Jodi worked with the nationally recognized San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program, helping learners examine their role in perpetuating or interrupting harm toward Indigenous peoples. 

Nicole Wilmot is the Commissioner of Community Development at the City of Brantford. She is a Registered Professional Planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Nicole has over 20 years of municipal land use planning experience. She is responsible for the full delivery of planning and land development services at the City, overseeing Planning, Building, Economic Development and Bylaw Enforcement.  

Nicole holds a Master’s degree in planning from York University. 

No, this process is designed to identify a suitable site for the new hospital. As planning progresses, the goal is to build a hospital that can serve the people in Branford-Brant; one of the fastest growing regions in Ontario. 

Sites will be evaluated based on a combination of mandatory and evaluated criteria. These include things like land size and configuration, proximity to infrastructure, environmental considerations, accessibility for patients and staff, zoning status, and total development cost. The criteria will be informed by public and expert input and finalized by the Task Force. 

The independent Task Force has been empowered by the hospital’s Board of Directors to lead all aspects of the site identification process. At the end of the process, they will make a recommendation to the Board.  

Feedback and questions throughout this site selection process are encouraged! Please send your thoughts to reimagine.bchs@bchsys.org and check back on this website regularly for updates on the process and opportunities to provide input.   

The plan is to make a recommendation to the Board in Spring 2026. More information about the site that is selected will be available later in 2026 once the land is secured.     

It’s too early to say where it might be located, but that’s why we have started this process to identify a suitable site. 

While we’ve made the most of the existing building, it’s extremely old and not large enough to serve the growth in patient demand, and no longer able to adapt to support the use of technology and the care teams to provide exceptional patient care. A new hospital allows us to design a facility that supports today’s health care needs and future growth.