Supporting AMRIC benefits everyone

Re: Article “Council balks at funding med. institute,” which appeared in the Nov. 21 edition of Northern Life.

Our mayor believes pharmaceutical companies should be funding AMRIC. On the face of it, that would seem to be a good fit, except for one thing — pharmaceutical companies fund what is in their interest.

An independent research facility that is not working on the next big wonder drug would hold little interest for them.

This institution can not only bring much needed employment to our city, it can also put Sudbury on a medical research stage equivalent to how the global mining community looks to us for our expertise.

We can’t continually say no to growth and the opportunity to invest in it.

Canada has stringent funding laws that dictate how and where funding in research can go, and while it’s certain there are many different avenues AMRIC will take to secure further resources for funding, it’s imperative they have support from the city and its citizens.

In the end, whether you see it now or not, we will all benefit from establishing Sudbury as a world-class centre for improvements in health care.

Instead of barriers, we should be proactively seeking collaborations that will benefit the community and its citizens.

Jeff Huska
Greater Sudbury