January 18th, 2022

Citing weather concerns, Gates reiterates demand that Fort Erie Urgent Care be re-opened

NIAGARA FALLS — NDP MPP Wayne Gates, whose riding covers Fort Erie, is pointing to the recent blizzard as a reason to re-open Fort Erie’s urgent care.

“Fort Erie gets pummeled by snow every year and the roads become very dangerous — everyone here knows it, and Doug Ford has been told many times that we need emergency room capacity to deal with it. With Fort Erie’s urgent care closed, people who need an ER are supposed to be taken to Niagara Falls — but, of course, for chunks of time yesterday, the highway between the two municipalities was closed,” said Gates. “We need to get Fort Erie urgent care open, and we need to do it now. I invite Niagara Health to join us in our call for military assistance to immediately get the Fort Erie Urgent Care open again. I am, once again, asking for Ford to call in military help to staff up and open the doors, so lives aren’t put in jeopardy by this closure.

“I’m also urging Ford to urgently send resources — including staff and supplies — to Fort Erie. This is a community of over 30,000 residents that is currently operating without an urgent care centre. If this doesn’t count as an emergency, what does?”

Gates said he’s shocked that more isn’t being done to get Fort Erie urgent care open, leaving community members so far from help in an emergency.

“Residents of Fort Erie had their hospital closed by the Liberals, and now they’re seeing this urgent care shut down under Ford – they’re feeling ignored and feeling like government after government is taking risks with their families. We need a commitment today that that urgent care facility is re-opening immediately, and without a single service lost,” said Gates.

Gates has joined NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in calling for the repeal of Bill 124, the low-wage bill that has driven nurses and other health care workers away from the profession. The NDP has also called for fast-tracking credentials for internationally educated nurses, something called for by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Thousands of nurses in Ontario are available but currently not able to work here due to licensing hold-ups, where nursing shortages are plaguing hospitals.