The provincial government is still silent on the status of the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) redevelopment plans.
Back in December, Norah Holder, president and CEO of CGMH said she expected to hear back from the Ministry of Health’s capital branch “in short order” regarding the redevelopment application submitted by the hospital to the province. The hospital’s application has been in stage one of a five-stage process since 2016 when the CGMH officials submitted their first request to the ministry.
“At this time the hospital does not have any further updates to provide on redevelopment,” said Michael Lacroix, vice president of corporate services for CGMH, on Monday.
“The hospital’s focus and that of the government at this time is on the continued health, safety and wellness of our community, during this ever-changing pandemic. It’s likely more information regarding infrastructure announcements will come at a later time,” he said.
At the end of 2020, after a barrage of questions from Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson, Ontario’s minister of health noted her department was in the midst of deciding whether CGMH could start planning for a new building on a new site, or for a renovation of the current building and site.
Wilson confirmed this week there are still no updates from the provincial government.
“These developments take time. CGMH is like so many hospitals in Ontario built in the ’50s and ’60s. They are all due for renewal,” said Wilson. “When Markdale was in my riding, we started asking for redevelopment 15 years ago. Shovels were finally put in the ground a month ago.”
Meanwhile, Wilson told CollingwoodToday.ca he was pleased to see all municipal councils in the region recently passing resolutions and sending letters in response to his call for support of the project.
“A number of individuals emailed me to advise they would be writing the Premier and the Minister. We need to continue making noise. The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” he said.
The municipalities of Clearview Township, Collingwood, and Wasaga Beach have all sent letters prompted by Wilson's letter-writing campaign.
