Christine Whelan, FEO, June 26, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 21
After receiving news of further reductions to the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) hours for Fort Erie and Port Colborne this summer, Mayor Redekop, Mayor Steele, and MPP Wayne Gates held a press conference on Wednesday, June 11 that filled the Council Chambers and the Town Atrium with media, residents and elected officials from both communities.
“Niagara Health (NH) announced its decision to pre-emptively shutter the Fort Erie UCC on Fridays during July and August and the two long weekends during those months is not acceptable to Fort Erie and its residents,” says Mayor Redekop. “It should not be acceptable to the province that funds NH.”
Urgent Care operated 24/7 until two years ago, when the hours were reduced from 24/7 to 10 am-8 pm seven days a week.
Both UCCs are scheduled to be closed one day a week throughout July, August and early September. Fort Erie closures will occur on Fridays, and Port Colborne on Saturdays. Both UCCs will be closed on Canada Day (July 1) and the Labour Day long weekend (August 30-September 1). Fort Erie UCC will also close for the Civic Holiday long weekend (August 1-4), as worded on a Fact Sheet handed out bearing Niagara Health letterhead, to conference attendees as they left.
“At the busiest time of the year, when the largest influx of visitors comes to our communities, it has been decided that these services will close.” Mayor Redekop added, “They are using as a rationale that there is a shortage of doctors.”
Shortage of Doctors
Redekop continued, “That could be understandable if we had not been given the same rationale two years ago, when the hours were reduced.
So, the question is, what has NH been doing to resolve that particular shortage over the past two years?”
An Outdated Plan and Lack of Programs
The South Niagara Hospital has been in the planning stages for over 12 years. During this time, the populations of Fort Erie and Port Colborne have grown significantly, especially during the pandemic, when many people relocated from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
This population growth has created an urgent need for local employment opportunities, schools for children, and, most importantly, access to healthcare and hospital services.
Redekop stated, “These closures are unnecessary, harmful, and shortsighted. “It’s not acceptable. And we shouldn’t accept it. And the government shouldn’t accept it.”
The Niagara Health Media Release states that ‘exhaustive efforts’ were taken by NH to avoid these closures.
During the June 9 meeting with Mayor Steele and me, it became clear that NH does not have a recruitment program. It does not have an onboarding program for physicians who want to work in the UCC, it does not have any in-house training program for prospective UCC physicians,” said Redekop.
NH Media Release
Redekop said it also became clear on May 22 that the decision had already been made regarding possible closures of UCC hours.
“The Board was presented with a plan to permit the administration to close the UCCs. We were notified on Thursday about a meeting to update us on the status of these closures, and on Monday morning at 10:30, we were told, it’s done.”
“This decision by NH goes to the core of safety, dignity and belonging in our communities.”
We’re not second-class citizens here in Niagara and we shouldn’t be treated as such,” stated Redekop.
Mayor Steele spoke about the efforts he; Mayor Redekop and the Towns could do to help bring the doctors in to keep the doors open in the centres throughout the summer. Steele stated, “Here’s the reality, the training the physicians need to work in these centres, isn’t readily available. These physicians shared with us that the process to get qualified is so complex and so time consuming it becomes a barrier to them.”
Steele referred to the news as a bomb drop. “We did not see this coming.” He questioned, “What did they think the outcome would be? Was there ever a plan in place to prevent these closures from happening?”
Steele asserted, “We are asking to be meaningfully included in the planning, not just informed after the decisions have already been made.”
MPP Wayne Gates provided some perspective. “With the growth in Fort Erie, we’re now up around 36,000 residents, with approximately 12,000 residents not having a family doctor, and 35% of our population are seniors. And who needs healthcare services more than seniors?”
Gates spoke about our summers. “We’re also a border community, meaning some jobs created here in Fort Erie rely on tourism. We have approximately 100,000 visitors in July and August.” This puts more pressure on our UCCs.
“The province has a direct responsibility to the citizens of Fort Erie to intervene here and do the right thing. I’m calling on the Ford Government and the Minister of Health to immediately intervene and prevent these reductions in urgent care services in Fort Erie and Port Colborne.”
To watch the June 11 conference on YouTube, go to either forterie.ca or the Town of Fort Erie’s Facebook page and search “media conference”.
Follow up since the original reporting of June 11:
Doug Ford Downplays Urgent Care Centre Closures in Fort Erie and Port Colborne
Premier Doug Ford has faced criticism for his response to the closure of urgent care centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne. Despite strong community outcry and calls for provincial intervention, Ford has largely downplayed the issue and shifted responsibility to Niagara Health.
While acknowledging the “strong feelings” expressed by residents, Ford has maintained that the province will not reverse the decision. He attributed the closures to staffing shortages at Niagara Health, citing a lack of doctors and nurses as the primary reason.
Ford also appeared to minimize the impact of the closures, stating, “I’m sorry if they have to close for one day during the summer,” implying that the disruptions are relatively minor.
Critics argue that his response fails to address the core concerns. MPP Wayne Gates has pushed back, asserting that the closures reflect a deeper failure of government action, not simply a temporary issue or staffing challenge.
So far, Ford has not presented any concrete solutions to resolve the community’s concerns or prevent similar closures in the future.
