Fort Erie urgent care centre to close on Fridays this summer

Brent Jones
June 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM

The Douglas Memorial urgent care centre in Fort Erie will be closed on Fridays throughout the summer due to what Niagara Health described as a critical physician shortage in a Monday news release.

The closures, which will begin in July and continue into early September, are part of a broader plan that also includes Saturday closures at the urgent care centre in Port Colborne.

Both facilities will be closed on Canada Day and the Labour Day long weekend.

The Fort Erie site will also be closed over the Civic Holiday long weekend.

Niagara Health stated in the release that the changes are intended to help preserve 24/7 operations at emergency departments in Niagara Falls, Welland and St. Catharines.

“We know these closures are frustrating and concerning for the communities affected. They are not decisions we make lightly,” said Dr. Kevin Chan, chief of staff and executive vice president of medical affairs at Niagara Health.

“This is the minimum level of closure required to maintain emergency care across the region,” he added.

The health system said the decision was made following a recommendation from its emergency department leadership and approval from its board of directors.

Niagara Health reported that efforts to avoid service disruptions included financial incentives, outreach to local physicians, recruitment campaigns and flexible scheduling.

According to the health system, 111 physician shifts remain unfilled across all sites this summer. It said more than half of those shifts are at the Marotta Family Hospital emergency department in St. Catharines, with most of the remainder at the Niagara Falls site.

“These are Niagara’s busiest and most acute care centres, receiving the highest volumes of ambulance arrivals and serving the sickest patients in the region,” said Dr. Rafi Setrak, chief of emergency medicine at Niagara Health.

“Prioritizing our emergency departments in Niagara Falls, Welland and St. Catharines is essential to maintaining region-wide access to emergency services,” added Setrak in the release.

Niagara Health said that providing a predictable closure schedule helps patients and families make informed decisions and avoid last-minute cancellations.

The organization also noted that physician shortages are a province-wide and global issue, but said the situation in Niagara is exacerbated by a lack of access to primary care in Fort Erie and Port Colborne. It said many residents turn to urgent care for issues that could be managed in a primary care setting.

“This isn’t just about urgent care. It’s about access to care, period,” said Chan, adding that the “sustainable solution is team-based primary care in every community. Until that’s in place, hospitals are left managing system gaps with limited resources.”