WINDSOR, ONT -- One major project steered the conversation between local mayors and Premier Doug Ford.
The message to Ford Thursday afternoon - time is of the essence when it comes to building the new $2-billion acute care hospital.
“Every single mayor, including the mayor of Chatham-Kent talked about the importance of getting the hospital moved to the next stage,” says Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
“From a healthcare perspective, when we’re talking about the need for a new hospital during a global pandemic it’s underscored by the fact that we have one of the oldest hospitals in Ontario,” Dilkens explains.
Local mayors went around the table addressing issues they believe to be most concerning to residents.
“It’s definitely a beneficial piece of our regional fabric to have infrastructure to care for our community and for our residents,” says Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos.
Ford believes having a voice at the table could go a long way to seeing that happen.
“He also mentioned that you know, we gotta get someone at the table down here to help get that project over the finish line,” Dilkens tells CTV News.
At the end of the day, Ford did commit to making it happen. “We are going to find funding for this hospital. They are in desperate, desperate need for this. We just have to support these folks,” he said.
Flooding, the need for more funding with respect to infrastructure was also discussed, as well as improvements to Highway 3.
The entire province is now in Stage 3 of the reopening plan, but the mayors came back to the local challenges the area faced over the past few months.
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald voiced her concerns during today’s meeting. “Our concern is about the winter months. Maybe going back to Stage 2 is a concern.”
