Doctors from Health Sciences North in Sudbury have written an open letter stressing the importance of Laurentian University's greenspace.
Spearheaded by cardiologist Dr. Andreas Kumar, the letter said the physicians are deeply concerned the area could be sold to help Laurentian's restructuring as it emerges from insolvency.
"As physicians, we strongly encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle and diet for our patients, including regular exercise and outdoor activity," the letter said.
"There are few places in the heart of Sudbury as appealing as the Laurentian greenspace to engage in healthy activities such as walking, jogging, cross-country skiing, hiking, cycling and snowshoeing. The thought of this naturally-occurring, pristine area being sold off for the purpose of land development and monetization is deeply concerning to our medical staff.”
Dr. Stephen Morris, president of the HSN Medical Staff Association, said everyone he talked to was in support of the letter.
"There’s endless activities there – it's not just one time of the year, it's 12 months of the year," Morris said.
"Whether it's walking, hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing, there’s a lot of our docs here who are heavily into those activities … It's sort of the epitome of northern Ontario and what we think about and why people want to come up and live here. It’s a good recruitment tool to not only get physicians here, but also obviously for students."
The letter also talks about how the greenspace is an integral part of the city because it helps reduce air pollution and noise.
In response to the letter, CTV News received this statement from Laurentian University:
"The Laurentian University Board of Governors appreciates and acknowledges the concern of Health Sciences North medical staff regarding the future of Laurentian’s greenspace. The community engagement around this issue is a sign of the importance of the conservation of our natural environment.
Please know that letters, emails, and presentations to this board are being taken seriously and will be considered in our overall decision making in the months ahead."Doctors from Health Sciences North in Sudbury have written an open letter stressing the importance of Laurentian University's greenspace."
