Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy has issued the following statement related to Ontario’s 2023 Budget released today, March 23, without funding for a proposed Durham hospital:

“I am extremely disappointed that Ontario’s 2023 Budget released today does not include the planning grant required to support a new hospital in Durham Region. This is completely unacceptable.

More than a year has passed since Lakeridge Health announced an independent, expert panel had selected a site in Whitby as the preferred location for a proposed hospital in Durham. Since then, progress has stalled.

Lakeridge Health has requested and needs to secure a $3 million planning grant from the province as a critical next step to move the project forward. And while many other planning grants have been announced by the province to support hospitals outside of Durham, this is now the second provincial budget to be tabled without funding for this planning grant. In addition, Ontario’s 2023 Budget did not include an important planning grant for mental health services for Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. Our region is rapidly growing, and Durham is being left behind in terms of health care support. 

I am calling on the Government of Ontario to immediately release funds for the planning grant and confirm support for Durham’s new hospital to be located on the recommended site in Whitby. Whitby was chosen because it is centrally located in Durham near major highways and roadways, offering quick access from any direction so that those who need critical care can get it fast. This location in the heart of the region, will be critically important for trauma services and will bring care closer to home for residents from across Durham. Our residents can’t wait any longer for this project to move ahead.

We cannot allow the location of this new hospital to be influenced by politics or developer interests. We also cannot allow this process to be delayed any further.”

Quick Facts

• The province first recommended a new acute care hospital for Durham Region in 2015, recognizing the significant, rapid, and continued growth expected to occur in the region.
• The site selection process for the proposed Durham hospital was overseen by a fairness advisor and involved an independent, non-partisan expert panel with no connections to the region to ensure objectivity.

More Resources

For more information, visit whitby.ca/NewHospital or Lakeridge Health’s website.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Office of the Mayor
Jillian Follert, Public Affairs Coordinator, Office of the Mayor
Phone: 289.387.9101 Email: follertj@whitby.ca

Corporate Communications
Erin Mikaluk, Manager, Communications and Creative Services, Town of Whitby
Phone: 289.314.6913 Email: mikaluke@whitby.ca