Fort Erie presses urgent care, shoreline funding at ROMA conference

Mayor Wayne Redekop and a delegation of Fort Erie officials outlined priorities at the 2026 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto last month, where more than 1,900 municipal and provincial participants met to discuss issues affecting small towns with multiple Ontario ministers.

For Fort Erie, the push centred on keeping urgent care available at the Douglas Memorial site while the town seeks provincial support for capital projects, post-secondary training tied to local jobs and shoreline and drainage work after repeated Lake Erie flooding.

Ward 1 Councillor George McDermott told Fort Erie Radio the town wants Douglas Memorial’s urgent care centre open seven days a week and he wants round-the-clock access to urgent care in town.

“I just want a 24/7 place people can go so we are not causing backups in emergency rooms with urgent care patients,” he said. “We are growing and it works, no matter what anyone from the NHS (Niagara Health System) says.”

McDermott pointed to Fort Erie’s population projections nearing 40,000 residents within a few years and noted limited transportation options for older residents who no longer drive, conditions he expects will increase demand for local urgent care services.

Douglas Memorial is slated for closure in 2028, when services are expected to move to the new South Niagara Hospital in Niagara Falls. The site currently struggles with finding enough physicians to cover all urgent care shifts, leading to temporary early closures, despite efforts that include outreach to local doctors and offering additional incentives.

“We know what the problems are, and mostly it comes down to funding from the province,” said McDermott.

He also criticized Niagara Health governance after municipal presentations to its board.

“The mayor makes a statement and no questions are allowed. If board members cannot ask questions, why are they there?”

McDermott said Niagara Health currently carries about $23 million in debt, which led to Niagara Health cutting 98 healthcare jobs last year, and questioned their accountability for decisions tied to hospital planning.

In 2025, audited financial reports posted on Niagara Health’s website showed its deficit rose to $26 million the prior year, driven by rising costs, increasing demand and broader system pressures.

At the ROMA conference, the town delegation met Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn to pursue training partnerships to improve workforce demand at Douglas Memorial, as well as skilled trades and aerospace technology.

Sheridan College has been exploring diagnostic and medical imaging training opportunities at Douglas Memorial, which McDermott said could create a financial incentive to keep the site in regular operation.

Niagara College has also examined health services and skilled trades programs in Fort Erie, and Brock University has been discussing expanding engineering partnerships in aerospace and advanced manufacturing at local facilities such as De Havilland Aircraft which acquired Fleet Canada last year.

“These are not future jobs. They are Monday ready jobs, and we need training lined up now,” said McDermott.

McDermott said the town met Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris and also with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to press for provincial funding toward a coordinated Lake Erie shoreline protection strategy after ongoing storm damage concerns at Waverly Beach and erosion problems near Point Abino Road.

The delegation made calls for a joint federal, provincial, conservation authority and municipal approach that includes engineered shoreline protection with nature-based erosion measures that would protect both public and private sector lands.

“There is an answer to the flooding issues. It is just a matter of money,” said McDermott.

The delegation also discussed its undeveloped urban entertainment lands and the stalled Canadian Motor Speedway site, once expected to support nearby hotel, water park and tourism development, as well as the proposed Niagara Parks marina project at Miller’s Creek, which McDermott said could support lake or river tour operations if dock capacity expands.

The delegation further raised the possibility of restoring slot machine gaming locally after the previous operation closed and machines were relocated to Toronto.

Each provincial delegation meeting lasted about 15 minutes and the Fort Erie delegation provided printed slide decks to ministers and staff, which McDermott hopes will lead to follow-up discussions and further opportunities for partnership with the province.

The 2026 ROMA conference took place from January 18 to 20 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto.

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