'I hope they have a bed for mom': Town of Whitby launches campaign to pressure province on long-promised hospital
The Town of Whitby is launching a public awareness and letter-writing campaign to pressure the province to get moving on a long-promised hospital.
The previous provincial government first recommended a new acute care hospital for Durham Region in 2015.
In 2022, an independent panel identified a 50-acre parcel of land in Whitby, near Highways 412 and 407, as the preferred site for the regional health centre.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"For two years we have been patient, but we simply can't wait any longer," Mayor Elizabeth Roy told reporters Wednesday.
Roy is urging the Ford government to commit $3 million to allow planning and design work to begin, as well as commit to the Whitby location.
The town is spreading its message through billboards, ads in doctor's offices, on social media and in newspapers, and inviting residents to send notes to Premier Doug Ford through its website.
By 2051, the town says the population of Durham Region is expected to nearly double to 1.3 million. With a potential hospital build lasting a decade, Roy says the government needs to act now to add capacity to a healthcare system already struggling to keep up.
"(It's) new families having children. It's children who get sick. It's seniors who also are experiencing time and delay where they're sitting within their emergencies in the hallways before they can even get a bed."
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe agrees a Durham hospital is overdue but argues it should be hosted in his city, the only Durham municipality without a hospital.
"We recognize that Whitby was recommended through community consultation as the preferred site of the new Lakeridge Hospital," Hannah Jensen, spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, writes in a statement.
"We will continue to work closely with Lakeridge Health and other partners on the next round of planning grants for this project to deliver more connected, convenient care in the Durham Region for years to come."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.