Niagara Regional Chair’s Announcement On New Hospital Sites In Southern Tier

Here is the full test of Niagara Regional chair Gary Burroughs’s announcement on the decision southern tier mayors have made to date on where a new hospital for Niagara’s southern tier should be located. 

“Dr. Kevin Smith tasked the 6 southern mayors (along with myself) to recommend a unanimous decision on a location or locations to be included for consideration with his report to be filed with Health Minister Deb Matthews later this month.

Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Chair Gary Burroughs

He set Friday, June 15 as the deadline to arrive at that decision.

 The 6 southern mayors and I have now met five  times. Regional GIS staff have been providing objective, ongoing data and analysis mapping as requested by the mayors and have provided excellent mapping work relating to population density, EMS call volumes, drive times, municipal infrastructure, and a number of others factors.

A unanimous decision has now been reached and the mayors have asked me to announce that decision here tonight. I would like to remind council, the media and the public that although we are unanimous in a selection of preferred areas, this is merely a recommendation and still subject to consideration by the NHS, the LHIN, the Minister of Health and the provincial government.

When this process moves forward, a thorough and respectful public process and consultation still needs to be completed before next steps can be considered.  The South Niagara mayors have reached a unanimous decision to recommend to Dr. Kevin Smith that: 

   two geographic areas, being described as QEW & Lyons Creek area, and East Main Street and Highway 140 area be considered as short-listed locations for the proposed development of a south Niagara hospital complex, conditional that Urgent Care centres continue to operate in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.  

 I cannot stress enough that the southern mayors are unanimous in their support a south-Niagara hospital being built.

 I thank the mayors for their commitment to this process, their passionate input in the debate and the importance of which this has to the future health care of Niagara’s residents.

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