Wanted: A hospital location in an established neighbourhood

Is it selfish to ask for responsible decision making?   We're noticing some people who favor the Sandwich South development and the County Road 42 hospital location like to pigeonhole those who oppose it -- by using derogatory terms like selfish, self-centred, nonsensical, whining or fear mongering. Another recurring theme is making unsubstantiated, alarming claims, like if we don't back down Windsor will lose the provincial funding for the new hospital. Yet, our advocacy about this issue for the last five years has simply been a call for responsible and transparent planning. These same name callers never address any of the very serious concerns we talk and write about. Among them are elected officials (and others, including a former city councillor) who continue to insist we will only accept a downtown hospital location or that we oppose building a new hospital. Why have these folks chosen to fabricate or amplify factual inaccuracies, rather than engaging in a constructive dialogue with concerned residents?

Mr. Snively is the Mayor of the Town of Essex. He was responding to our June 9, 2019 eblast.

Mr. Cooke is the co-chair of the hospital steering committee. (He deleted his Twitter account in 2019 shortly before being appointed to an external Independent Review Panelto examine the workplace culture of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), prompted by recent suicide deaths of OPP members, as well as complaints about the workplace culture by OPP staff.)

We have every right to expect better from elected officials and hospital decision makers. Since 2014, we have actively participated in public meetings. We have also directly provided these officials with well researched and professionally written explanations; factual and cogent reasons for CAMPP's position. Residents who support an actual urban location (vs. one on active farmland) for the new hospital are a sizable constituency. We deserve to be accurately and constructively represented by our elected officials. CAMPP has consistently called for our new hospital to be responsibly located in an established, already developed and serviced neighbourhood, if the two current, centrally located Windsor Regional Hospital campuses are to be shuttered. Yet, we've never identified a precise, preferred site, since it needs to be determined through an open and transparent process with appropriate site selection criteria. What is the ideal location for a hospital? Ideally the new hospital will be built somewhere that's already developed and well populated. It should also be accessible by multiple types of transportation (car, public buses, bicycle or on foot) for the greatest number of people in Windsor-Essex.

Our goal is to ensure that: all voices are heard and counted in the planning of Windsor-Essex’s new hospital financially, socially and environmentally responsible urban planning principles are followed. What is selfish about asking that this $2 billion provincial investment comply with these common sense objectives?

The City is here for you to use   For more reading on the importance of free speech in Windsor's civic conversation, please go to: ‘We must speak with one voice’ is just another way to say ‘you must be silenced.’

Weekly round-up of comments from our friends and neighbours:

"We always need to listen to others. It makes every plan, idea and life better." ~ "They havent made provisions for all the BOOMERS coming of age, in need of long term care facilities.  The whole thing is so stupid to be taking it away since the renovations are barely over a decade old." ~ "Funny how we are concern of democracy in other countries but are having difficulty recognizing challanges in our own village. What unnecessary demonstration of power for an issue that was resolvable by a rutine conversation among administrators.Amazingly lost understanding who is to SERVE here." ~ "I don`t think they have support for their plan from the province as it stands. but it is puzzling why they wouldn`t amend their plan instead of going through this whole process" ~ "No one is saying we don't need a new hospital. They're saying put it in a location that makes sense. That's all that's going on. It makes absolutely ZERO sense putting the hospital where they want it." ~ "Why should Windsor be stripped of medical facilities to support bedroom communities? And, no, the site is not part of Windsor proper. It is a freaking field with absolutely no infrastructure." ~ "I continue to be concerned about the long term costs to support a sprawling community like Windsor. Municipalities will already be impacted by Bill 108 which - i'm assuming - will lead to increased property taxes. What will the impact of additional urban sprawl be on taxes?" ~ "So grateful to everyone driving this effort forward. Thank you"