Growth, healthcare, and jobs on council’s priority list this term: Redekop

Fighting to maintain healthcare services, managing growth, attracting companies who offer high-paying jobs, and welcoming new business ventures to town.

These are some of the most important things in which the local government has played a role in the last two years since the current council took office, Mayor Wayne Redekop told Fort Erie Radio during a sit-down interview at town hall this week.

Redekop discussed what he believes are the greatest accomplishments and challenges in the current term so far, and what they will be in the second half.

There is residential development taking place “pretty well everywhere” around town, but council and planning staff have a mutual vision and are “more aligned” in recent years than they have been before, he said.

“If that vision isn’t reflected by our planners, we have a problem,” he said, also attributing improvements made in this area to the work of Chief Administrative Officer Chris McQueen, who was hired in April 2022.

Developments must provide a mix of housing and be suitable to the areas where they’re being proposed.

“We can’t satisfy every resident in every neighbourhood, although we try,” he said, noting that some developers have taken cases to the Ontario Land Tribunal when the town turns down their proposal.

According to the Niagara Official Plan, Fort Erie’s population is projected to climb to more than 48,000 by 2051.

Between 2021 and 2051, a minimum of 3,680 new residential units should be made available, the document says.

Redekop also said it’s vital that the municipality work with developers to provide affordable housing options for residents.

To keep up with the growth, jobs are also needed locally, which he said will come in the form of ventures such as Abatement Technologies, Airbus, and Siltech, among others.

Part-time and casual jobs are just as important, he said, noting that about 160 new businesses have opened in Greater Fort Erie since 2021.

“We’re trying to provide that whole range,” said the mayor, noting that many of the small businesses popping up around town are led by young entrepreneurs.

Redekop was re-elected to a third consecutive term as mayor in 2022, but his first run as the top Fort Erie politician was when he served as mayor from 1997 to 2006.

And one issue the town is still dealing with that started to unfold back then was the impending closure of Douglas Memorial Hospital.

The Niagara Health System (now Niagara Health) was formed in 2005, but discussions about reduction of services go back to 1997, Redekop said, recalling an event held at a local church that year involving the Niagara District Health Council.

But Niagara Health has been in a constant battle with Fort Erie since about 2006 when the Hospital Improvement Plan was introduced and then implemented a couple of years later.

Douglas Memorial lost its emergency room and was downgraded to an urgent care centre in 2009.

Hours have been reduced, and now the site is set to close when the new South Niagara Hospital is completed in 2028.

“Since the creation of Niagara Health, it’s been a continuous struggle to maintain the services the people of Fort Erie need,” said Redekop.

Council has recently passed two resolutions on this matter, one being that Redekop speak to the Niagara Health board about how detrimental losing services would be to Fort Erie. That meeting has been scheduled for late January.

Another motion passed by council on October 21 requests that the Minister of Health commit to funding all services at the new hospital without using the funding allocated for Douglas Memorial, and to set aside that funding allocation to support a redeveloped model that keeps primary care services in Fort Erie.

In Redekop’s interview with Fort Erie Radio on Thursday, he referred to Jane Philpott, who was appointed by the provincial government to lead a team that’s been mandated to connect all Ontarians with primary healthcare.

She recently compared access to primary care to a child’s access to education in the province, in that access to primary care is just as guaranteed as a child being assigned to a school.

Redekop echoed that same comparison.

“One would think that access to healthcare is equally as important as access to education,” he said.

Fort Erie International Academy, through a partnership with Sheridan College, offers a post-secondary technology and trades program for international students.

Redekop said there have been “a lot of meetings” with the town and Sheridan College about potentially setting up a campus for domestic students locally.

This would be a large boost for the town, the region and beyond, and also help “provide the workforce we need for the future,” said the mayor.

Asked if he plans to run again in 2026, he said that decision is “too far away” and that “when we get there, we’ll see.”

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