Ovintiv fuels innovation at Alberta Children's Hospital through $3-million gift

Alberta Children's Hospital file photo. (CTV News)

The Alberta Children's Hospital is establishing a new fund to promote innovation in children's health after receiving a $3-million gift from Ovintiv.

The energy company, formerly known as Encana, said in a media release that it's committed to supporting children's hospitals in markets where it lives and works.

"Our partnership with the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation is a natural fit," said Ovintiv president and CEO Brendan McCracken. "Our strategic investment is part of a larger $10-million community initiative focused on supporting children's hospitals where we live and work.

"We seek partners and programs that embody our purpose and are aligned with our values and priorities," added McCracken. "As a leading energy producer, we have the privilege of supporting the daily lifesaving work of our local children's hospitals. We're proud of the role our energy products play in making modern life possible."

One example of the type of program that could be developed through the Ovintiv Innovation Fund for Child Health is the Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Initiative (CAIR). That one came about through community support that helped it develop its first 3T Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) scanner more than a decade ago.

As a result, the Alberta Children's Hospital is among the strongest pediatric brain imaging research centres in Canada, crucial to helping assess children experiencing developmental, behavioural and emotional difficulties.

"We are so grateful to Ovintiv for this incredibly generous gift,” said Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation president and CEO, Saifa Koonar. "The Ovintiv Innovation Fund for Child Health will catalyze further advancements in critical research and care programs that support pediatric brain and mental health.

"With this investment," Koonar added, "Ovintiv is ensuring children and youth in our community and around the world will benefit from innovative treatments and cures developed right here in Calgary."

Koonar's sentiments were echoed by Dr. Catherine Lebel, PhD, a founding researcher with CAIR.

"With investments like this from Ovintiv, our team can expand to include highly-specialized technical expertise to develop world-first protocols to make MRIs faster and more accurate for even the youngest children," said Lebel. "For children, whose brains are still developing and forming essential networks that affect physical, cognitive and emotional function, the implications of disease or injury can be life-long.

"The more quickly they can be diagnosed and treated," Lebel added, "the greater the benefit on their long-term quality of life."

The donation was the second largest corporate gift in the history of the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.