$10 million gift to health center from Rayla and George Myhal launches community challenge

George and Rayla Myhal have made a landmark $10 million donation to St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, marking the largest challenge gift in the hospital’s history.

The couple is inviting the community to match their gift, aiming to raise $20 million in total to support the hospital’s urgent expansion needs.

“St. Joe’s is more than just a community hospital to us,” said Rayla Myhal, who worked in the hospital’s labour and delivery department as a nursing student more than 30 years ago. “The care I witnessed there was exceptional then—and it still is. It’s time the facilities matched that level of care.”

The funds will go toward equipping a new patient care tower, part of a broader redevelopment plan announced by the Ontario government, which includes over $1 billion in provincial funding. The new wing will expand emergency, surgical, and inpatient mental health care, and add more than 100 beds.

St. Joseph’s Health Centre has served Toronto’s west end for over a century.

The hospital already houses a birthing center named after the Myhal family, a neonatal intensive care unit, and services for children, seniors, mental health and addictions, and oncology.

“St. Joe’s has reached capacity. It’s time to build spaces that reflect the extraordinary care happening within,” said Rayla. “George and I hope others will be inspired to give generously.”

The Myhals have a long history with the hospital.

George previously served on the St. Joseph’s Promise Campaign Cabinet, which raised more than $100 million, and Rayla joined the hospital foundation’s board in 2023.

Their daughter was born in the hospital’s Garron Family Our Lady of Mercy Wing, and the couple also supports the annual Cycle 4 St. Joe’s event, offering a $50,000 matching gift to encourage participation.

Maria Dyck, president and CEO of the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, praised the couple’s continued commitment.

“George and Rayla are shining examples of what it means to invest in your community,” she said. “Their generosity is inspiring others to join this transformational effort.”