Council delays formally requesting Niagara Health resignations
April 30, 2026 at 11:50 AM
After frustrations with Niagara Health service reductions in Fort Erie boiled over last June, Councillor Tom Lewis let his colleagues know he’d be bringing a motion forward to formally request the resignation of the Niagara Health board of directors and its CEO, Lynn Guerriero.
Nearly a year later, that motion still hasn’t been voted on, but at Monday’s meeting, they came close.
“This, just for context, is the formal wording to a motion that was given months back when we started some troubled times with Niagara Health and I thought it was important to get the wording on,” Lewis said.
But instead, the motion was once again deferred, this time to late August, as Town officials continue to negotiate with Niagara Health and Queen’s Park about a way to keep services alive in Fort Erie under its Reimagining Douglas Memorial plan.
“There’s been a lot of forward movement at least from our perspective in terms of the Reimagining Douglas Memorial,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop, when asked for an update from Lewis.
Redekop described work being done, which has included bringing consultants in to take a closer look at the Douglas Memorial site and determine what its current state of repair is, its value, and what options are feasible.
The Reimagining Douglas Memorial plan calls for maintaining several health care services in Fort Erie. These include an urgent care centre, diagnostic imaging, alternate level of care through transitional or palliative care, as well as primary care and allied health, Indigenous health, medical clinics and post-secondary training opportunities.
Redekop described recent meetings with Niagara Health officials as positive and constructive.
“There is some, I would say, fertile ground still to be tilled,” he said.
The update gave Lewis the comfort to once again defer the motion. His motion has been previously deferred prior to council meetings even starting, leading to no discussion or even a glimpse into the actual wording.
However, Monday’s step at least brought the details of the motion into the public eye, something Lewis said he thought was important. The requests in the motion were expected: the aforementioned resignations and to have Queen’s Park appoint a provincial supervisor to oversee operations.
The rationale included Fort Erie’s frustration over a perceived failure for Niagara Health to fulfill its commitments to Fort Erie and South Niagara as it moves to a three-site model, despite what Lewis views as a municipal effort to work collaboratively.
It also references concerns about reported operating deficits and mentions issues with Niagara Health’s governance and transparency, “including the limited ability of Niagara Health board members to directly engage with, respond to, or answer questions from members of the public and the community.”
Redekop suggested there’s significant pressure on Niagara Health to reach its local share of funding commitments for the new South Niagara hospital site. Niagara Health is seeking $72.5 million in funding from municipalities, but has not fully received those commitments, remaining several million dollars short.
Fort Erie is currently withholding its $3 million commitment, but has been asked to provide $10.5 million in total.
The mayor said it remains tough for Fort Erie to commit the money when at the same time Niagara Health appears to be vacating the town.
“That is a hard sell for anybody,” he said.
Councillors seemed willing to move forward with Lewis’ motion on Monday, but also accepted waiting a little longer may be prudent.
“I’m not sure what that (waiting) would do, but at the same time I believe we need to act in good faith,” said Councillor Nick Dubanow.
Others described a mix of feelings in discussions not just with Niagara Health, but with officials at Queen’s Park.
Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes offered a word of caution should the leadership of Niagara Health be left up to Premier Doug Ford.
“It really depends on who we get,” she said.
The motion is now set to come before council again in August, after the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario conference.
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About The Author
Luke Edwards
Luke Edwards is a longtime Niagara community journalist who has covered a variety of beats, including business, agriculture, the wine industry and politics. When not writing, there's a good chance he can be found at a baseball diamond or curling rink.
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