The new Whitby Council announced that it is urging the Government of Ontario to approve a $3 million planning grant for Lakeridge Health, as part of the 2023 provincial budget.
The grant is critical to allowing planning for the new hospital to move forward, said a council statement.
During a meeting on January 31, Whitby Council reaffirmed its support for a new hospital in Durham Region to be located in Whitby.
In January 2022, Lakeridge Health announced that a Site Selection Independent Expert Panel had selected a site in Whitby — south of Highway 407, west of Highway 412, east of Lake Ridge Road and north of Highway 7/Winchester Road — as the preferred location for a proposed new Durham hospital.
“As a new council, it is very important for us to reaffirm this support,” said Mayor Elizabeth Roy. “A future hospital in this central location with close proximity to major roads and highways, will serve residents from across Durham. This means that when seconds count, people will be able to get care quickly.”
The motion approved by council also reaffirms support for the Hospital Task Force and its efforts to secure the land in Whitby for the hospital.
Roy said it’s time for municipalities in Durham to put aside their differences about where the new hospital should be located and accept the results of the independent review.
“We’re facing a health care crisis and bringing much-needed health care close to home for Durham residents must be the priority over any differences on where the new hospital should be located. It’s time to accept the results of the Site Selection Independent Expert Panel and move forward, together,” she added.
Both Pickering and Oshawa had called for a review of the selection of Whitby as the site for the new hospital (see below).
Quick Facts
Lakeridge Health’s Strategic Plan identifies that Durham Region’s population will double from 680,000 in 2016 to 1.3 million in 2050. Whitby will be one of the fastest growing municipalities during that time.
The cost of the future hospital is not known at this time, however the funding model is expected to see the provincial government cover 90 per cent of the construction costs and 100 per cent of the planning costs. The community’s portion of funding (shared by Lakeridge Health Foundation, the Regional Municipality of Durham and the local municipalities) is the remaining 10 per cent of the construction cost and 100 per cent of equipment, technology, land and servicing costs.
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