Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy has expressed extreme disappointment that yesterdays Ontario’s 2023 Budget did not make funding provision for the proposed Durham hospital.
““I am extremely disappointed that Ontario’s 2023 Budget… does not include the planning grant required to support a new hospital in Durham Region. This is completely unacceptable,” she said in a statement.
Mayor Roy said more than a year has passed since Lakeridge Health announced an independent, expert panel had selected a site in Whitby as the preferred location for a proposed hospital in Durham. Since then, progress has stalled. Oshawa and Pickering, too, had thrown their hat in the ring as potential host for the proposed hospital.
Lakeridge Health has requested and needs to secure a $3 million planning grant from the province as a critical next step to move the project forward.
Peter Bethlenfalvy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Pickering-Uxbridge, is Ontario Minister of Finance.
“And while many other planning grants have been announced by the province to support hospitals outside of Durham, this is now the second provincial budget to be tabled without funding for this planning grant,” said the Whitby mayor.
Ontario Shores ignored too
“In addition, Ontario’s 2023 Budget did not include an important planning grant for mental health services for Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. Our region is rapidly growing, and Durham is being left behind in terms of health care support,” she said.
“I am calling on the Government of Ontario to immediately release funds for the planning grant and confirm support for Durham’s new hospital to be located on the recommended site in Whitby. Whitby was chosen because it is centrally located in Durham near major highways and roadways, offering quick access from any direction so that those who need critical care can get it fast. This location in the heart of the region, will be critically important for trauma services and will bring care closer to home for residents from across Durham. Our residents can’t wait any longer for this project to move ahead,” Mayor Roy said.
“We cannot allow the location of this new hospital to be influenced by politics or developer interests. We also cannot allow this process to be delayed any further,” she added.
Quick Facts
- The province first recommended a new acute care hospital for Durham Region in 2015, recognizing the significant, rapid, and continued growth expected to occur in the region.
- The site selection process for the proposed Durham hospital was overseen by a fairness advisor and involved an independent, non-partisan expert panel with no connections to the region to ensure objectivity.
For more information, visit whitby.ca/NewHospital or Lakeridge Health’s website.