Niagara hospital concerns

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A war of words is heating up between the mayors of Welland and Niagara Falls over the Niagara hospital.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati is anxious to get the job done, he doesn’t want to see anymore more delays. He sees groundbreaking on the new South Niagara hospital at Montrose and Lyons Creek happening by the end of next year, he’s been talking to the health minister.

But Welland Mayor Frank Campion is saying hold on a minute. “Jim has made that comment but I haven’t heard it from anybody from the ministry myself or from the NHS.”

3 years ago then NHS supervisor Kevin Smith recommended all the older hospitals, including Welland county and Greater Niagara General be replaced with one new state of the art hospital, a billion dollar project. Smith liked the location at Montrose and Lyons Creek in Niagara Falls, but the mayor of Welland does not.

“From our perspective we’re saying we need 3 hospitals, so we’re not disagreeing with Niagara Falls that they need a hospital we’re disagreeing with the fact that it should be the Southern Niagara hospital.”

But building a new hospital is a slow process, the Niagara health system still has to deliver it’s first capital planning report.