Mitch Calvert
Heron Landing will be the site of the fourth-annual Tim Perreault Memorial golf tournament this Saturday (May 23).
Perreault, who passed away at age 31 due to chronic pancreatitis, was one of the original board members of the Couchiching golf course.
His mother, Pauline, has been organizing the event since its inception, and has used her considerable loss to help prevent others from suffering a similar fate by forming a charitable organization in her son’s name.
Perreault’s other son, Nathan, was very close to Tim and passed away himself last year.
“One of the big problems we have in Fort Frances is the waiting time for people to get MRI exams and that where the equipment isn’t available here,” Perreault noted.
“Travel is a big problem, and you have to be in the hospital first to go to International Falls [for an exam].
“My son had to go to Toronto on short notice [for tests], and with the travel and everything, it was really ridiculous,” she lamented.
Perreault said an MRI machine would cost about $1.5 million, and has to be located inside a lead-lined room to prevent radiation from going outside the building.
“I’m planning on having a meeting with the chiefs to get on board, as we obviously need to access further funding,” Perreault noted.
“People shouldn’t have to wait for these tests, and then have to go to Thunder Bay or Winnipeg,” she argued.
“I think if we get on board with OHIP, the Ministry of Health, and the federal government, the hope is we can get it because the need is here,” Perreault stressed.
Last year’s tournament drew 22 teams and raised $7,500. Some 29 foursomes already had signed of press time for this year.
Saturday’s tournament will feature a shotgun start at 10 a.m., followed by a dinner at the Couchiching multi-use facility.
Donations may be made to the “Tim Perreault Charitable Foundation” c/o P.O. Box 493, Fort Frances, Ont., P9A 3M8 or by calling Perreault at 274-6877.
