Town of Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop
“This decision (by Niagara Health to reduce hours of operation of Urgent Care Centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne) is completely unacceptable and deeply disappointing. Our Urgent Care Centre is not a luxury — it is an essential service. Scaling back operations during the busiest months of the year, when thousands of residents and visitors depend on timely access to care, shows a troubling disregard for the needs of our community.” – Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop on the decision by Niagara Health, the region’s system of amalgamated hospital services, to further cut back the hours of operation the the Urgent Care Centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne
A News Release from the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario
Posted June 10th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Fort Erie and Port Colborne Mayors Respond to “Unacceptable” UCC (Urgent Care Centre) Closures
Niagara, Ontario – This June 9th, Niagara Health informed the Town of Fort Erie and City of Port Colborne that they will reduce regular hours of the Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) in both communities this summer.
This news follows recent meetings when Mayors Wayne Redekop of Fort Erie and Bill Steele of Port Colborne offered to work with Niagara Health to support physician recruitment efforts to keep the UCCs operational, and to help with efficient emergency room (ER) operations.
Niagara Health has details about the summer schedule for UCC operations in Fort Erie and Port Colborne available on their website. There is deep concern about these planned closures occurring during the busy summer months and over holiday weekends.
“This decision is completely unacceptable and deeply disappointing,” said Mayor Redekop. “Our Urgent Care Centre is not a luxury — it is an essential service. Scaling back operations during the busiest months of the year, when thousands of residents and visitors depend on timely access to care, shows a troubling disregard for the needs of our community.”
Under the umbrella of Niagara Health, Fort Erie’s Douglas Memorial Hospitall, where an Urgen Care Centre for the community is located, has seen one cut to services after another over the past two decades. photo courtesy of Town of Fort Erie
“We have made every effort to collaborate in good faith and find solutions, yet those efforts have been met with decisions that only move us further apart. We are not prepared to stand by while vital health services are further eroded. Niagara Health must take our concerns seriously and reverse this short-sighted decision. It should not be acceptable to the Province that funds Niagara Health.”
These closures have the potential to impact residents and the thousands of visitors who come to Fort Erie and Port Colborne throughout the tourism season. In Fort Erie alone, a record 75 events are planned over 170 individual days and high visitor volumes are expected across both communities. Access to urgent care is more important than ever.
These UCCs provide vital health services to our residents, and we are deeply concerned about any decision that will further erode access to care in our communities.
Niagara Health has been asked to reconsider this decision and prioritize solutions to maintain local access to urgent care.
A Press Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 1 p.m. at Fort Erie Town Hall in Council Chambers.
(Directions: 1 Municipal Centre Drive, Fort Erie)
To read more on this, including the full text of the Niagara Health announcement, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2025/06/09/niagara-health-announces-new-summer-closure-schedules-for-urgent-care-centres-in-fort-erie-and-port-colborne/ .
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