It’s the perfect spot for a new hospital in Durham: Access to a transit network, a large and growing population base and potential connections to post-secondary education institutes.

The problem?

Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter believes that perfect spot is in his city while Whitby chief administrative officer Matt Gaskell believes there’s no better spot than the Town of Whitby.

Now the two municipalities are going toe-to-toe lobbying for Durham’s next acute hospital as Lakeridge Health prepares to expand.

The issue was highlighted in Oshawa last week at the city’s development services committee meeting, where councillors endorsed a staff report naming north Oshawa as the preferred location for Durham’s next acute care hospital which would include an emergency room.

The report highlighted points in Oshawa’s case for a new hospital, including sites located near Durham College and Ontario Tech, proximity to a growing urban population, access to Highway 407 and the Oshawa Executive Airport and more.

There were two potential sites listed in the report: The Northwood Industrial Business Park located near the Oshawa/Whitby border just south of Highway 407 on Thornton Rd. — the city added hospital zoning to the industrial lands earlier this year — and the south Columbus Industrial Area just north of Highway 407 near Simcoe St. N.

The staff package included letters from Durham College, Trent University Durham and Ontario Tech University, and the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce expressing support for a new acute care hospital in north Oshawa.

“We’re going to make a pitch and we’re going to make a great pitch and we think we have great locations that can take advantage of synergies with post-secondary institutions,” said Warren Munro, Oshawa development services commissioner following the meeting.

Carter said he’s expecting stiff competition from Whitby.

“This is going to be a competition,” Carter told his colleagues at the meeting. “We’re going to have to build a case for support that is incredible and I believe we have the components and elements to do so . . . (but) don’t get mistaken here, our friends to the west desperately want this too.”

Gaskell confirmed that Whitby would, indeed, be pushing hard for the hospital.

“We just think that the best location is in Whitby based upon a whole variety of factors, it’s all about location for us, it’s not politics,” he said.

For a new hospital, Whitby has proposed a site Baldwin St. and Highway 407 and created a task force made up of town staff and members of the community to advocate on the issue.

Whitby currently does not have an acute care hospital with an emergency room. The former Whitby hospital now functions as complex continuing care. The community has been advocating for a new hospital in Whitby for more than a decade.

“It just sort of begs the question why would you put another hospital in Oshawa to service that growth when there is another community adjacent that’s underserviced,” Gaskell said.

As to the letters of support for a north Oshawa hospital from local post-secondary institutions, Gaskell said those connections between the hospital and the schools could be fostered in Whitby as well.

“My take is UOIT and Durham College spend a lot of time telling all the municipalities in all of Durham Region they’re not just Oshawa institutions, they’re all of Durham Region and I believe that,” Gaskell said.

Meanwhile Carter said he still has some cards he’s holding close to the vest, including other options for the new hospital’s location. Like Gaskell, he’s adamant that if the choice is based of the merits of the bid, his community will be chosen.

“I think all of us have to take into consideration the first and foremost important issue, which is patient care and how is this facility going to make sure when someone needs health care, how are we going to have the best facility and the best place to meet their needs,” said the mayor. “Everything else falls below that point.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Lakeridge Health is currently finalizing its master plan for the future of acute care in Durham Region. That will include details on expanding or upgrading the current five hospitals in Durham under Lakeridge’s purview, as well as plans for building a new hospital.

A new hospital in Durham Region was part of the recommendations from the Scarborough and Durham West Expert Panel, and those recommendations were accepted by the Ontario government.

Once the master plan is complete, it will be submitted to the Ministry of Health in the coming months. Capital funding for the new hospital will ultimately have to come from the ministry.

Reka Szekely is a reporter for DurhamRegion.com. Reach her via email: rszekely@durhamregion.com

Read more about: