Correction: City of Windsor Challenged LPAT Participants

In our March 28th eblast, we wrote: The Toronto lawyers for the City of Windsor and for Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH), who appeared to be working closely together, asked that the submission by Walpole Island First Nation be disallowed. Wood Bull LLP is the Toronto law firm for Windsor Regional Hospital. A representative from the firm wrote a letter to our lawyer, Eric Gillespie, stating that they made no submissions to challenge any of the requests for participant status. We wish to set the record straight. In fact, it was Peter Gross, the lawyer acting on behalf of the City of Windsor, who made the arguments to disallow Walpole Island First Nation and several other parties from participating in our appeal. The other parties they challenged were the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Michigan Chapter, and the Consulting Engineer for the two shortlisted hospital sites, Richard Spencer. The background on Walpole Island First Nation's request You might recall that Walpole Island First Nation's request for participant status was received shortly after the 30 day cut-off for the March 20, 2019 Case Management Conference.

During the conference, our lawyer, Eric Gillespie, pointed out that we are living in an era of reconciliation. He suggested a practical way for this important submission to be included with all the others. The Tribunal is still considering Mr. Gillespie's suggestion.

They will let us know when they have made their decision.

“The hospital is not only critical to the area because of the services it provides, but it is also an integral institution which impacts our businesses and neighbourhoods. The moving of the hospital will only add to the problems we are already facing such as vacant store fronts, crime, and blight. We are working hard to revitalize our area, and this would be a major setback.” -- Wade Griffith, Chair of the Wyandotte Town Centre BIA

What happens when the personal finances are not available? “West Windsor hosts more public housing and a lower income demographic compared to the rest of the region. The new location leaves them further cut off from care facilities and from family care when in need. Location matters for retirement homes because of the multiple weekly ambulance trips to the hospital. The added cost to city taxpayers for longer ambulance rides has not entered the equation... it is the responsibility of the patient to arrange and pay for a ride home after a hospital stay. A city bus is most often not appropriate. What happens when the personal or family finances are not available?” -- Mike Cardinal, Founder and Administrator of Cardinal Place

Making the right planning decision “An institution such as a hospital should be in the population centre - and not the geographic centre - of the community it serves. Disclosure: I live in the county and locating the hospital in the city will make my drive further...but it is the right planning decision.” -- An anonymous donor