North Halton Hospice

North Halton Hospice

**Update**

As of April 15, 2026, Townsend Smith Foundation is now operating as North Halton Hospice. This change reflects an evolution of our organization and will not affect our mission or work towards building a residential hospice in North Halton.

Vision

A community where every individual has access to a dignified and caring end of life journey.

Mission

Our goal is to give access to palliative end-of-life care to the residents of North Halton, and serve the needs of their loved ones. Our hospice will provide individual care based on trust, integrity and personal choice, offering physical, social, emotional and spiritual support in a comfortable and compassionate environment.

History

After the passing of Ron Townsend, retired District Chief of the Milton Fire Department, in October 2007, his wife Janet and children Matt and Amy, recognized the desperate need for a local hospice.

The Townsend family decided to work towards establishing a hospice residence, providing access to palliative care for residents of Milton and Halton Hills. Supported by members of the Milton Fire Department they began raising funds for this purpose through the Ron Townsend Memorial Golf Tournament.

Following the passing of Tessie Smith, a well-known Tai Chi instructor in Milton, in May of 2009, her husband Lyndon and several friends gathered with the same idea in mind. Tessie as well, had been unable to spend her last days in a hospice as none was available. When the two groups learned of each other, they decided to work together towards a common goal.

The Townsend Smith Foundation became a registered organization on August 27th, 2012.