Happy 100th Birthday to Shriners Hosptitals for Children Canada!
About Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada
Established in Montreal in 1925, Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada is a bilingual, short-term,
acute care hospital, providing ultra-specialized orthopaedic care to children from across Canada
and around the world. The mission of the hospital is to provide treatment and rehabilitation to
infants, children and young adults with orthopaedic and neuromuscular problems such as
scoliosis, osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), clubfeet, hip dysplasia, leg length
discrepancies and cerebral palsy, among others. The hospital is committed to excellence and
innovation in clinical practice, research and education. Affiliated with McGill University, the
hospital provides clinical experience and teaching for residents and allied professionals within its
outstanding new facility on the Glen site. The hospital is present in communities across Canada,
thanks to telemedicine, outreach clinics and satellite clinics.
Established in Montreal in 1925, Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada is a bilingual, short-term,
acute care hospital, providing ultra-specialized orthopaedic care to children from across Canada
and around the world. The mission of the hospital is to provide treatment and rehabilitation to
infants, children and young adults with orthopaedic and neuromuscular problems such as
scoliosis, osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), clubfeet, hip dysplasia, leg length
discrepancies and cerebral palsy, among others. The hospital is committed to excellence and
innovation in clinical practice, research and education. Affiliated with McGill University, the
hospital provides clinical experience and teaching for residents and allied professionals within its
outstanding new facility on the Glen site. The hospital is present in communities across Canada,
thanks to telemedicine, outreach clinics and satellite clinics.
Celebrating 100 years of Hope, Healing and Innovation
At the turn of the 20th century, the polio epidemic was sweeping North America, especially affecting
children. The Shriners fraternity decided to do something remarkable. In 1920, at their national
conference, they decided to create a hospital system available to any child regardless of ability to
pay.
After opening its first facility in 1922, a Montreal, Quebec hospital opened its doors on February
18, 1925, offering pediatric specialty care for children with rare conditions. Harvey Jones from
Haileybury, Ontario was treated at 10 years old by Louise A. Dickindon, Hospital Administrator,
Florence Potts, Head Nurse, and Dr. Alexander Mackenzie-Forbes, Chief-of-Staff.
From 1925 to 1950, the hospital grew its services to offer care for patients with tuberculosis, polio,
arthritis, club foot, as well as provide treatments requiring specialized spine surgeries. One of the
hospital’s first internationally recognized innovations was made by Doctor J. Gordon Petrie, Chief
of Staff from 1946 to 1968. The Petrie Cast he perfected is still used today for the treatment of
Perthes disease, a rare childhood condition that affects the hip.
In 1949, a second Canadian hospital opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba providing orthopaedic
pediatric care in time for the polio epidemic. The facility remained open until 1977.
In 1972, public health care was born in Canada. The hospital became a part of the Quebec
healthcare system thanks to the leadership of Dr. Richard Cruess and Judge Marshall Porter (Al
Azhar Temple). This status launched a new era for the hospital, including developing its research
activities.
In 1973, the hospital inaugurated its Research Department (then named Genetics Unit) under the
leadership of Dr. Francis Glorieux, becoming the first Shriners facility with a dedicated research
centre. This groundbreaking team paved the foundation for many life-changing advancements in
pediatric orthopedic care.
Over the years, the hospital became renowned for its research into metabolic bone diseases,
making discoveries that shaped modern treatments:
• 1980: Dr. Francis Glorieux published research on a treatment for X-linked
hypophosphatemic (XLH) rickets, a genetic disorder that weakens bones. This
work provided hope and better outcomes for children with the condition.
• 1981: Dr. Francis Glorieux discovered and published a treatment for vitamin D-
related bone disorders, further improving care for children with bone health
challenges.
• 1998: Dr. Francis Glorieux introduced the use of bisphosphonates to treat
osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a condition that causes brittle bones. This became
the gold standard for managing OI and significantly improved patients’ quality of
life.
• 2000: Dr. François Fassier and Dr. Pierre Duval developed the Fassier-Duval
Telescopic Rod, a revolutionary surgical treatment for OI. This innovation, which
grows with the child’s bones, reduced fractures and the need for repeated
surgeries, establishing the global standard of care for managing OI.
• 2013: Addition of nursing research focused on improving the lives of the children
we treat, helping them build better coping mechanisms, preparing them for adult
care, and striving to find new and better ways to manage pain.
The years to follow represented a period of hospital expansion as it offered care to more children
with specialized orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis and cerebral palsy, causing the hospital
to outgrow its original facility.
In 2015, it moved from the legacy site on Mont Royal into the site where it currently sits beside
the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) site on the Glen Campus. The new site houses
expanded teaching facilities including a simulation centre for medical residents and practitioners
to receive surgical training, as well as updates on healthcare best practices.
Today, its wrap around services compare to no other facility in Canada: specialized care, including
a comprehensive rehabilitation facility, motion analysis center, specialized doctors and surgeons,
world recognized leading research in complex orthopedic conditions, nursing, pain management
and more.
It is also a place where children and families find hope. With a legacy of pioneering medical
breakthroughs Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada continues to shape the future of
orthopaedic care.
related bone disorders, further improving care for children with bone health
challenges.
• 1998: Dr. Francis Glorieux introduced the use of bisphosphonates to treat
osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a condition that causes brittle bones. This became
the gold standard for managing OI and significantly improved patients’ quality of
life.
• 2000: Dr. François Fassier and Dr. Pierre Duval developed the Fassier-Duval
Telescopic Rod, a revolutionary surgical treatment for OI. This innovation, which
grows with the child’s bones, reduced fractures and the need for repeated
surgeries, establishing the global standard of care for managing OI.
• 2013: Addition of nursing research focused on improving the lives of the children
we treat, helping them build better coping mechanisms, preparing them for adult
care, and striving to find new and better ways to manage pain.
The years to follow represented a period of hospital expansion as it offered care to more children
with specialized orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis and cerebral palsy, causing the hospital
to outgrow its original facility.
In 2015, it moved from the legacy site on Mont Royal into the site where it currently sits beside
the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) site on the Glen Campus. The new site houses
expanded teaching facilities including a simulation centre for medical residents and practitioners
to receive surgical training, as well as updates on healthcare best practices.
Today, its wrap around services compare to no other facility in Canada: specialized care, including
a comprehensive rehabilitation facility, motion analysis center, specialized doctors and surgeons,
world recognized leading research in complex orthopedic conditions, nursing, pain management
and more.
It is also a place where children and families find hope. With a legacy of pioneering medical
breakthroughs Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada continues to shape the future of
orthopaedic care.
Philae Shriners provides transportation funds for qualified patients
Shriners International founded Shriners Children’s as its official philanthropy in 1922. The organization began as one hospital and is now a world-renowned healthcare system in three countries. The fraternity continues to support this unique healthcare system.
Our members are part owners of the hospital system and critical contributors to improving the lives of children across the world. At Philae Shriners, we are focused on raising funds and providing support for Shriners Children’s Hospitals. We provide funds for transportation to the hospitals involved (see eligibility below for applying).
Philae Shriners primarily send children from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to receive care in Halifax (IWK) or Shriners Hospitals in Montreal or Boston. We know that this can cause strain on a family, and that is why we are here to help with transportation costs!
Shriners Children’s is a unique healthcare system with a reputation for finding answers and giving families hope, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. The hospital network is committed to conducting high-quality, innovative research in the areas of burns, orthopaedic/musculoskeletal and neurological injury, and disease to improve the care and quality of life of children with these conditions and challenges.
Since opening our first hospital in 1922, the healthcare system has improved the lives of more than 1.4 million children.
With locations in 22 cities and outreach clinics, finding care is easy. If you happen to know of a child who can use our help, please refer them to us today.
Philae Shriners Hospital Committee
The mandate of the Philae Shriner’s Hospital Committee is to review children, ages newborn to 18 years of age, whose parents or guardians apply for assistance and treatment as a Philae Shriners child.
Conditions that we approve include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Most orthopaedic ailments such as inherited bone problems and complicated fractures
- Spinal cord injury
- Spina Bifida
- Cerebral Palsy
- Club Foot
- Cleft Palette
- Burns and complications of burns
The number of hospital visits (not the number of children) are approximately 250 to 300 per year. The actual number of children is less as each child will have a different number of visits depending on their condition. Child intake varies from 0 per month up to 5 or 6 per month or more.
