Collingwood’s council, inspired by a call for support from MPP Jim Wilson, will be sending a letter to the province to push for action on the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital redevelopment application.
At tonight’s meeting (Oct. 26), one of the first orders of business was the unanimous approval of a motion in support of the hospital’s application, brought forward by Councillor Yonne Hamlin and a letter to Health Minister Christine Elliott, which is signed by Mayor Brian Saunderson.
Hamlin said she heard Simcoe-Grey MPP Wilson encourage residents to embark on a letter-writing campaign in support of the hospital redevelopment application and was inspired to join.
“I thought it would be helpful … for us to get behind that,” said Coun. Hamlin, adding the letter from Mayor Saunderson highlights the hospital’s current need to be updated.
Wilson put the call out for letters of support earlier this month, noting the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital has submitted Stage 1 of its proposal for a new hospital, but is awaiting provincial approval before moving to Stage 2. The Stage 1 proposal first went to the provincial government in 2016.
Mayor Saunderson’s notes the facility, while located in Collingwood, serves a wider region and one that is growing quickly.
“Our communities are in desperate need of a new hospital that meets the current standards to provide safe, high-quality care for one of the fastest-growing regions in Ontario,” states the letter.
During the council meeting Saunderson added the redevelopment needs to move forward “so our region, as well as our own residents, get the proper health care they deserve.”
Clearview Township Mayor Doug Measures also sent a letter to Minister Elliott requesting a “brand new Collingwood General and Marine Hospital be built alongside the Georgian College campus on Poplar Sideroad,” according to a press release issued by the township.
“The community warrants a decent hospital that can serve this increasing capacity,” said Measures in his letter.
The Town of Wasaga Beach has also sent a letter to Minister Elliott in response to Wilson’s call for letters of support.
