‘It’s great coming home,’ says former premier Mike Harris as he returned to North Bay for a cause he helped champion—raising money through golf for medical equipment
Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris returned to North Bay today for the 27th Annual Osprey Links Charity Golf Gala, an event he helped found nearly three decades ago with the late Peter Minogue.
“It’s great coming home,” said Harris. “I love being here. I enjoy the people here, and I still have lots of friends here. I come back and forth quite a bit to the cottage.
“This tournament means a lot to me because my late friend Peter Minogue and I started this 27 years ago. I haven’t missed a year and, God willing, I won’t miss any for years to come.”
The gala, held at Osprey Links Golf Course, raises funds for the North Bay Regional Health Centre Foundation. This year’s proceeds are going toward the purchase of new transport ventilators, vital equipment for critical care and patient transfers at the health centre. The Foundation says they need five ventilators priced at $51,500 each.
Harris addressed golfers, sponsors, and media before hitting the links.
BayToday asked Harris, a former city councilor, for comment on the recent controversy involving North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico, who is facing scrutiny over nearly $16,000 in questionable corporate credit card expenses, including golf memberships and green fees at Osprey Links.
“I don’t,” Harris replied when asked if he had any thoughts on the situation. “That’s all local politics, and it is what it is.”
