Healthcare group pitches new Douglas Memorial plan with familiar elements
October 20, 2026 at 9:57 AM
Fort Erie Healthcare SOS has reimagined the Town’s Reimagining Douglas Memorial plan, though it shares a lot of similarities with the existing plan and may be even more similar than many realize, the Town’s mayor said.
Group member Heather Kelley pitched the tweaked vision to councillors at the October 19 meeting, the final meeting of this council term.
The group sees a focus on a sub-acute care system for the future of the Douglas Memorial site, one that remains connected to Niagara Health as an extension of its existing regional health model. Kelley said their model saves the Province money but also opens up acute care beds in Niagara for those who truly need them.
“Let’s show the Province that Fort Erie isn’t just asking for funding, we are offering a model that saves the system money while keeping care close to home,” Kelley said.
The group’s plan would see 50 beds maintained at Douglas Memorial, in the form of sub-acute or transitional care, including 20 restorative rehab beds, 20 complex cognitive care beds and an expanded community hospice wing. There would also be additional space for Indigenous health.
Kelley said at any given time roughly 130 to 145 acute care beds in Niagara are occupied by stable, non-acute patients who simply have nowhere else to go. Maintaining sub-acute beds in Fort Erie would cost about $250 per patient per day, far below the $1,300 it costs Niagara Health to keep patients in acute care beds.
“Douglas Memorial should not be viewed simply as an aging hospital site that is competing with the South Niagara Hospital. Rather it is a complementary community health and patient flow asset within the Niagara system,” Kelley said.
The group’s vision sees an independent, non-profit community board that includes regional health experts, business and community leaders, municipal representatives, and patient advocates.
While Kelley said their group doesn’t fully agree with the public vision town officials have put forward with the Reimagining Douglas Memorial proposal, Mayor Wayne Redekop suggested they may be more aligned than Kelley realizes.
“I haven’t, and this council hasn’t, given up on Douglas Memorial. We haven’t given up on expanded acute care, and we certainly believe that the things you talked about, the transitional beds, are a significant benefit to Niagara Health and are a benefit to the residents of all Niagara, not just Fort Erie,” he said.
“Very much of what you have said tonight is part of our vision for how we should proceed.”
However, because negotiations are ongoing, there’s a chunk of the Town’s planning that remains subject to closed door rules and have yet to be discussed in open session.
Publicly, officials have described the Reimagining Douglas Memorial plan as converting the site into a community health hub that includes services such as an urgent care centre, diagnostic imaging, alternate level of care, transitional or palliative care, allied health and primary care, post-secondary medical and healthcare training, medical clinics and Indigenous health.
Kelley did thank the Town for an opportunity to be involved in the process, and in turn, Redekop thanked Kelley and her group for their ongoing advocacy and commitment to health care in Fort Erie.
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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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