Provincial officials ‘shocked’ to learn Douglas Memorial is closing: Redekop

Fort Erie’s delegation brought up the planned closure of Douglas Memorial Hospital in every meeting it held with provincial officials at this year’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, even though health care was never on the agenda.

Mayor Wayne Redekop said the town raised its case for local urgent care during the conference, held in Ottawa from August 16 to 19, and is now seeking a direct meeting with Health Minister Sylvia Jones.

“Literally all of the ministers or parliamentary assistants we met with to talk about various issues, we spoke to them about Fort Erie and the situation of Douglas Memorial,” Redekop told Fort Erie Radio. “Some of them were shocked when they heard that the facility is going to be closed.”

Redekop said those officials were receptive to the town’s argument that a growing municipality of about 37,000 people needs urgent care close to home.

“People need health care and they need access to urgent care, so those are the things that we’re going to be working on,” Redekop said.

Jones has so far refused to negotiate with Fort Erie on its own. At the final beam signing for the new South Niagara Hospital in February, she told Fort Erie Radio the province plans hospital services across Niagara as one package and declined to guarantee continued urgent care at Douglas Memorial.

“This cannot be done at a municipal table. It cannot be done only with Niagara Health. It’s going to have to have an entire community engagement investment,” Jones said at the time.

Niagara Health plans to move to a three-site system based in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Welland when the $3.6-billion South Niagara Hospital opens in summer 2028. Fort Erie council voted in June 2025 to withhold a previously pledged $3 million toward the project while it seeks assurances on keeping urgent care in town.

As of April, the town has hired Stucor Construction to assess the Douglas Memorial building and Santis Health to develop a business case for a healthcare hub. That concept includes continued urgent care, upgraded diagnostics, up to 70 alternate level of care beds, palliative beds, clinics and post-secondary training space.

“We’ve been receiving further information from our consultant with respect to various options, who the potential service providers could be or partners,” said Redekop.

Fort Erie Healthcare SOS, a local advocacy group, called on council days before the conference to say publicly what it would ask the province for, arguing residents have heard little from town hall about the hospital in months.

“It’s about time that we get some information from our town hall, just exactly where they are headed,” said Heather Kelley, founder of the group, in a Facebook video posted August 7.

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