Mayor ‘absolutely thrilled’ with Whitby hospital news after years-long fight with province

After years of advocacy, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy was “absolutely thrilled” to hear Premier Doug Ford confirm the town’s hospital will be operational within the next decade.

Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced a host of spending initiatives for Durham Region in a press conference on August 1. The announcement included 300 new hospital beds across the Region, a new post-acute care centre in Pickering, and an expansion at Bowmanville Hospital.

However, the biggest confirmation was the long-awaited $3 million planning grant for the Whitby Hospital site.

Lakeridge Health picked a spot near the intersection of Hwy. 412 and Hwy. 407 to host its seventh hospital in Durham Region way back in January 2022. The site is meant to become the only trauma centre between Toronto and Kingston.

The Province is largely responsible for funding the project, starting with the planning grant, but it was absent in three of Finance Minister and Pickering-Uxbridge MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy’s budgets.

During these two years, Roy and other representatives like Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull and Oshawa MPP Jennifer French frequently demanded the province move on the hospital. Residents also spoke up with an extensive letter-writing campaign to the Premier.

While Ford and the government continued to insist the hospital would come to Whitby eventually, the project remained stalled. Amid the increasing pressure, Ford alleged possible improprieties in the town’s advocacy campaign.

The Premier suggested the Integrity Commissioner should be looking into the campaign, which collected residents’ emails. “Elected officials can’t be pulling these games…I’m not going to be bullied by that mayor out there that’s constantly going out and offering everything under the kitchen sink. Maybe the integrity commissioner should be looking into, ‘are politicians allowed to offer gifts if they get your email?’ It’s really unbelievable.”

“Standing up for the residents of Whitby is not being a bully. It’s doing my job,” Roy said, accusing Ford of “misdirecting the public with inaccurate allegations that are frankly disrespectful to the thousands of people who took the time to support our campaign and share personal stories.”

Ford also hinted the site may not be a done deal after all at the time saying, “The folks in Durham will be getting a hospital and we’ll be determining the site.” However, the Premier changed his tune by the August announcement.

Ford simply said “yes” when asked if the Whitby hospital was coming. Jones was a bit more detailed saying, “We are absolutely building a hospital in Whitby.” Work can now begin with the provincial grant and Jones estimated the hospital will be open within ten years.

This left Roy “absolutely thrilled that the Province of Ontario has recognized the urgent need for a new hospital in Durham Region and announced a capital planning grant for Lakeridge Health. We are excited to hear that there is a firm commitment to build a hospital in Whitby on the northeast corner of Winchester and Lake Ridge Road – the site recommended by an independent expert panel.”

“These investments will help ensure an integrated system of healthcare to meet the needs of residents across the region,” she continued, “Thousands of Durham residents signed our call-to-action letter or contributed a personal story about why a new hospital matters to them. – Thank you to our residents for using your voices to make a difference. You spoke, and the Province heard you.”