Niagara Health doesn’t ‘give a rat’s ass about Fort Erie’: Redekop

Mayor Wayne Redekop isn’t sure if closing the local urgent care centre for one day a week in the summer will do what Niagara Health says it will.

The announcement came Monday that the Douglas Memorial urgent care site will be closed on Fridays this summer, as well as on the Canada Day, Civic Holiday and Labour Day long weekends.

Niagara Health said in a statement that the closures are a step in addressing a physician shortage across the system’s emergency departments in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, and Welland.

There are 111 unfilled shifts across the region, according to Niagara Health’s Monday news release.

At Monday evening’s council-in-committee meeting, the mayor made several opening remarks regarding leadership at Niagara Health.

“Niagara Health does not have a formal physician recruitment program,” he said. “It does not have a formal on-boarding process. It has not planned its own training programs to upscale the skill of family physicians to qualify them to work in our urgent care centres or emergency departments.”

Redekop added that Niagara Health “has never reached out to Fort Erie to assist it with any physician recruitment initiatives or to seek additional funding from the province, if needed.”

In a separate interview with Fort Erie Radio earlier Monday afternoon, Redekop said not all doctors who work in the urgent care centre are qualified to work in the emergency department.

“Closing urgent care centres doesn’t necessarily provide you with more doctors for your emergency department,” he said.

The mayor said his local government, as well as the City of Port Colborne, which is also set to lose its urgent care centre in 2028, have offered to work with Niagara Health on physician recruitment, but no progress has been made with the invitation.

Redekop also said the schedule for the summer only being released on Monday, the same day the reduced hours were announced, doesn’t allow much time for physicians to come in to fill gaps that need attention.

“How can they (fill gaps) if they don’t know what the schedule is?” he said.

Fort Erie had its largest ever number of new housing units built in 2024. And in the last three years, the population has grown by 10 per cent.

“We’re a growing community that’s attracting people and investment, and we’ve got a health system that’s not tuned in,” Redekop told Fort Erie Radio.

Dr. Kevin Chan, chief of staff and executive vice president of medical affairs at Niagara Health, said Monday in the news release that closures “are not decisions we make lightly.”

“We know these closures are frustrating and concerning for the communities affected,” added Chan. “This is the minimum level of closure required to maintain emergency care across the region.”

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.

In response, Redekop has announced that he will be holding a press conference at town hall this Wednesday. Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele and MPP Wayne Gates are expected to be in attendance.

“This is the only topic in my entire life where I’ve become unable to speak,” concluded the mayor before council on Monday night.

“I’ve become so angry at times at the way this community is treated by people who don’t live here, have no investment here, have not helped to build this community, and for all intents and purposes–I’m sorry to say this–don’t give a rat’s ass about Fort Erie,” he added.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe