Whitby Mayor still waiting for meeting with Premier Ford on new hospital

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Published May 25, 2023 at 3:17 pm

Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Photo Frank Gunn, Canadian Press

Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy is still waiting on a meeting with Premier Doug Ford on the future hospital slated for her town, a project that is in danger of being stolen by neighbouring Pickering.

Durham’s next full-service hospital was awarded to Whitby after an impartial Lakeridge Health panel chose a site in the north-west corner of the community (on land owned by the Transportation Ministry) for the new facility early last year.

Roy told Insauga founder Khaled Iwamura on his podcast the Town has “continuously” sent communication to ministry staff and have reached out to Whitby MPP Lorne Coe for support on the issue.

Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy

In the months since Whitby was awarded the new health care facility, which will be the only trauma centre between Kingston and Toronto, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe has been vocal in his belief the hospital should have been awarded to his city – despite the exhaustive Lakeridge Health report – to a spot just a few kilometres from the Whitby site.

The Whitby location sits on the border between the two communities.

And when the 2023 spring budget was released in March there was no expected $3 million planning grant needed to push the project forward, an oversight Roy called “unacceptable.”

Roy said the Town has made requests to Health Minister Sylvia Jones for an audience as well and had Coe deliver a letter to Ford on Whitby’s behalf to try to expedite talks on the issue.

“I haven’t spoken to the Premier yet. We’re waiting for further updates as to when we’re going to get a meeting.”

 

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