Durham Regional Hospital
Last year, Minister Jones and a majority of the Durham MPPs sat down with the leadership at Lakeridge Health to discuss the future of health care in the Durham region.
We continue to support and work with Lakeridge Health to support their ambitious plan to connect the residents of Durham to even more convenient care, closer to home. This includes announcing a partnership with Queen’s University to bring family doctors directly to the region.
We also recently announced a historic expansion of interprofessional primary care teams across the province, including in Durham. This expansion along with our government’s action to build on the nearly 2,500 physicians we added over the last year, will ensure 98% of Ontarians, including those living in the Region of Durham, can connect to the primary care they need.
Unlike the previous government, our government understands the importance of investing in new facilities to expand access to care.
Our government recognizes that Whitby was recommended through community consultation as the preferred site of the new Lakeridge Hospital.
We will continue to work closely with Lakeridge health and other partners on the next round of planning grants for this project to deliver more connected, convenient care in the Durham Region for years to come.
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“I’ve long advocated for Whitby to be the site for the proposed new hospital in Durham Region. Whitby’s central location ensures that the health care needs of the entire region are well served. I’ve raised this directly with the minister and premier on countless occasions. I know they both understand how important this project is to the region. While our government is getting shovels in the ground on more than 50 hospital projects across the province, I’m confident the next round of planning grants will include a new hospital for the Durham Region, and I will continue to push for its location to be in Whitby.”
– Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby and Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier.
FEDERAL AGREEMENT
Cutting Wait Times, Delivering Better Health Care in Ontario | Ontario Newsroom
The money from the federal government is tied to four very specific health priorities, new hospital capital projects not being one of them.
Premier Ford’s Comments – February 15, 2024
Ford says planning grant for proposed new hospital in Whitby coming soon | Durham Radio News
“There’s going to be Whitby hospital,” stated Ford. “Is it going to be tomorrow? Not tomorrow, but down the road, very shortly, we will be issuing the planning grants.”
He added Whitby MPP Lorne Coe has been “on him” about the hospital every day.
Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy’s comments – March 27, 2024
Ontario’s finance minister responds to Whitby’s disappointment on lack of hospital funding in budget
“We’re working around the clock to advance that project for Whitby and for Durham,” said Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy. “As the premier said, ‘not tomorrow,’ but stay tuned,” Bethlenfalvy told the CKDO Morning Show.
Statement from Lorne Coe, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MPP, Whitby – March 27, 2024
As Premier Ford said recently, while we are not issuing any new planning grants right now, we will be building a new hospital situated in Whitby for the people of Durham Region.
Our government is working hard to deliver on the $50 billion worth of hospital projects already in the pipeline. While we work to get shovels in the ground on these projects, I will continue to work closely with staff at the ministry of health and our partners at Lakeridge Health to ensure we meet the health care needs of our growing community in Whitby and other parts of the Region.