There are concerns around the future of a West Island medical centre after the sudden closure last week of a pediatric clinic in Montreal owned by the same operator.
The Brunswick Medical Centre in Pointe-Claire provides care to 300,000 patients per year. It has 125 employees and is affiliated with 170 physicians.
The Brunswick Group, which has several entities under its umbrella, including the Brunswick Medical Centre, has filed for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, which is a federal law that allows for large organizations to restructure its finances to avoid bankruptcy.Earlier this month, Quebec’s Superior Court appointed Ayman Chaaban, an insolvency trustee, to monitor the Brunswick Group’s finances.Chaaban said there are two main reasons for the Brunswick Group’s financial woes.
One of them is the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a reduced number of patients visiting the clinic, which cut into its profits.The other is a recent expansion project.
“They basically built a new tower at the Pointe-Claire facility that cost them a couple million dollars. They’re indebted to TD and the Business Development Bank of Canada for around $40 million,” Chaaban said.