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CBC
10 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
'Enough is enough:' Local politicians decry Niagara Health's decision to reduce urgent care hours
Niagara Health's decision to reduce summer hours at its only two urgent care centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, Ont., has sparked outrage. Some local elected officials in Fort Erie are calling on the CEO to resign, the provincial government to intervene and an immediate reversal of the decision. Mayor Wayne Redekop told his council Monday evening that the people running the local hospital system "don't give a rats ass about Fort Erie." His perspective was echoed by other councillors, including Nick Dubanow. "I think we need to kick Niagara Health to the curb," he said. "I'm very angry. Enough is enough." Earlier that day, Niagara Health had announced that throughout July, August and early September, it will close the Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre on Fridays and the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre on Saturdays. Both centres will be closed on Canada Day, July 1, and the Labour Day long weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. Fort Erie's will also be closed on the Civic Holiday long weekend, Aug. 1 to 4. Normally they operate seven days a week. Fort Erie Coun. Tom Lewis advised council on Monday he will be putting forward two motions later this month. The first will call for the town to "immediately withhold" committed funding to Niagara Health's new hospital, although it's unclear the dollar amount. The second will call for the Niagara Health CEO Lynn Guerriero and members of the board to resign, and for the province to appoint a supervisor to oversee operations, Lewis said. "Niagara Health has broken our trust," he said. "We owe it to the people of Fort Erie to take a firm stance. And I believe this council will." Niagara Health said in a statement to CBC Hamilton local officials are oversimplifying the complexity of running a regional hospital system. "We are disappointed when misinformation is shared by elected local officials in their zeal to build support for their campaigns," said spokesperson Erica Bajer. Doctor shortage prompts closures The closures are because the region faces a shortage of physicians qualified to work in emergency departments, Niagara Health said in a news release. The doctors who'd normally work in urgent care need to be deployed to hospitals and even still many shifts there remain unfilled. "We know these closures are frustrating and concerning for the communities affected, said Dr. Kevin Chan, chief of staff, in the release. "They are not decisions we made lightly. This is the minimum level of closure required to maintain emergency care across the region." There are no hospitals or emergency rooms in Fort Erie or Port Colborne and thousands of people are without a family doctor. The closest hospital is in Welland — about a 12-kilometre drive from Port Colborne and 32-kilometre drive from Fort Erie. Niagara Health also runs a hospital in St. Catharines and another in Niagara Falls. Urgent care centres are supposed to be for people with health conditions who can't wait for a scheduled medical appointment but don't necessarily need emergency care, says Niagara Health's website. Those health conditions include nausea, vomiting, fevers, flu, minor cuts that may need stitches, sports injuries, ear, throat and eye problems and minor asthma flare-ups or allergic reactions. Niagara Health said the urgent care closures are despite "exhaustive efforts" to recruit physicians including financial incentives, direct outreach, targeted recruitment campaigns and flexible scheduling. "Further, Niagara Health is working tirelessly to recruit more physicians to the region and it's disingenuous to minimize the incredible challenge of physician recruitment in the face of a province-wide doctor shortage," said Bajer. In 2009, Niagara Health converted Fort Erie's Douglas Memorial Hospital's emergency department to an urgent care centre. In 2023, it reduced hours at both centres from operating overnight to closing in the evening. It's also planning to close them permanently in 2028 when a new hospital in Niagara Falls is supposed to open. 'Treated as afterthoughts," mayor says At a news conference Wednesday, Redekop and Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele said they don't believe Niagara Health had a plan to keep the urgent care centres running seven days a week despite thousands of tourists visiting throughout the summer. "I'm concerned we're being treated as afterthoughts and it's becoming normalized," Steele said. They mayors were also joined by local NDP MPP Wayne Gates. Steele and Redekop said they spoke with the Niagara Health CEO in May, where she gave them a heads up of staffing shortages that could impact urgent care. The mayors said they could help to recruit physicians and in a follow-up email requested to see the Niagara Health recruitment program, and the number of doctors needed, but never heard back. Then on Monday, they had a call with Chan, the chief of staff. He advised them of the reduced hours, which Niagara Health made public during their meeting, Redekop said. No heads up was given to the mayors or councillors. Redekop said at the meeting they also learned Niagara Health doesn't have a formal physician recruitment program or plan to develop a training program so family doctors can more easily become qualified to work in urgent care and emergency departments. Niagara Health said it does "aggressive and ongoing recruitment efforts" that aren't limited to "a single campaign" and provided this "clarification" to the mayors on Monday. Bajer said Niagara Health sent information about its training process to them on Wednesday. But Niagara Health also didn't post its physician schedules for the urgent care centres two months in advance as it normally does to give doctors who want more hours the opportunity to take them, Redekop said. The hospital system said its process was delayed "as we worked to stabilize physician coverage across the entire hospital system, particularly in emergency departments, which are provincially mandated to remain operational." Ministry says up to Niagara Health to decide Several Fort Erie councillors said they didn't believe Niagara Health tried to keep the urgent care centres open, even as it will force more people to go to already busy hospitals for health care. "The hospital system is effectively condemning its own emergency room," said Coun. Joan Christensen at Monday's council meeting, after having also joined the phone call with Niagara Health earlier in the day. "In my opinion, our battle should now be with the Government of Ontario. We can't negotiate with people who are consistently misrepresenting the truth." The Ministry of Health said in a statement it is up to Niagara Health's to decide how to deliver services. "While the Ministry of Health was not directly involved in this decision, we will continue to work closely with Niagara Health and other hospital partners ... to ensure they have the tools they need to deliver high-quality care close to home," said press secretary Ema Popovic.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Battery plant in Port Colborne, Ont., to see 'minimal' impact from Honda investment withdrawal: partner
Social Sharing The company behind a battery plant in Ontario's Niagara Region says it's still planning to start operations in 2027 despite car maker Honda Canada postponing a $15-billion electric vehicle investment in the province. A year ago, Japanese multinational Asahi Kasei Corporation announced it would open a battery separator manufacturing facility in Port Colborne. Separators prevent lithium-ion batteries from short-circuiting and overheating. When it comes to Honda's decision, "we are currently assessing the specific impact, but we expect it to be minimal," said Holli Hughes, a spokesperson for Polypore International, which is owned by Asahi Kasei. "The planned start of operations at the [Port Colborne] plant in 2027 remains unchanged, as we have sales planned for other companies." In May 2024, Mayor Bill Steele said Asahi Kasei was making the biggest investment in that city in a century and that the company chose Port Colborne for reasons including its "welcoming people" and access to rail, water, highways and the Canada-U.S. border. CBC Hamilton asked a Port Colborne spokesperson if the mayor or the city would comment on the Honda announcement Tuesday but did not hear back before publication. Honda still a partner on Port Colborne plant Weeks before Asahi Kasei announced it would set up in Port Colborne, Honda said it would build an EV battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant as part of an effort to produce EVs in the province. Now, Honda Canada is postponing that plan for two years, citing "the recent slowdown of the EV market," company spokesperson Ken Chiu told CBC News in an email statement. "The company will continue to evaluate the timing and project progression as market conditions change." Chiu said the pause would have "no impact" on current employment or production at the Alliston plant. Honda is also a partner on the Niagara separator plant, having announced the partnership with Asahi Kasei in November. The two formed a joint venture with 75 per cent of the investment coming from Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation and 25 per cent from Honda Canada, according to a news release. Asahi Kasei spokesperson Christian OKeefe said Tuesday that the joint venture "remains in place." At the time the plant was announced, it was unclear how many local workers it might employ, with a provincial government spokesperson telling CBC Hamilton there was no guarantee for Canadian jobs. In a November news release, Asahi Kasei said it had started local hiring, "with more than five employees supporting the project's startup phase." It said the company "is committed to local engagement and economic growth and has begun earthworks using provincial companies and contractors." In an email to CBC Hamilton Tuesday, OKeefe said that the initial phase of the project will create "more than 300 jobs." Although the North American EV market has slowed down, OKeefe said, the company is committed to increasing capacity and creating jobs to meet future demand. "While we can't share exact numbers at this stage, we will continue working with community partners to identify qualified local talent." On Tuesday, Asahi Kasei was scheduled to hold community information sessions at the Vale Health and Wellness Centre in Port Colborne from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. In a public notice, it said locals would meet with company representatives to learn more about the project and career opportunities.
