“Families in Fort Erie deserve access to (urgent health) care close to home” – Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates
A News Release from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates, whose riding includes Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie
Posted August 18th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
NIAGARA FALLS – As municipal leaders from across Ontario gather for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference next week in Ottawa from August 17 to August 20, Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is making it clear what the province needs to deliver for Niagara families:
- 1. A real commitment from the Minister of Health to protect local health care – including keeping the Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre open 24/7/365 and emergency room wait times low across Niagara.
- 2. Flow funding for the South Niagara Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- 3. Committing to the wastewater plant means we can get shovels in the ground for new construction and protect thousands of good-paying local jobs.
“The South Niagara Wastewater Treatment Plant isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the first step we need for building more homes – the province committed years ago to funding” said Gates.
“Without it, development grinds to a halt, housing targets get missed, and local taxpayers are left holding the bag with higher bills and double-digit property tax increases for an aging system.”
Gates also pressed the Minister of Health to work directly with the Town of Fort Erie on their plan to keep the Douglas Memorial Urgent Care Centre open. The local facility has served as the first point of contact for thousands of residents as 7,000 patients are without a family doctor. Closing it would push even more low-acuity patients into already overcrowded emergency rooms.
“We asked the Minister to meet the Fort Erie Mayor and council, and I’m glad she will be at the table this week to discuss their urgent care plan, recruit more doctors, and make sure Niagara ER wait times don’t get worse,” Gates said.
“Families in Fort Erie deserve access to care close to home, and the town has a strong collaborative plan to make sure we keep services local. If the UCC closes, families will be driving to Niagara Falls or St. Catharines for basic care, sitting for hours in ERs that are already packed,” Gates said.
Gates said his message to provincial ministers at AMO will be blunt: Niagara needs commitments.
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