Ontario election won't disrupt new mega-hospital in Windsor, CEO says
The Windsor-Essex region's mega-hospital project will not be disrupted or derailed by the upcoming provincial election, according to Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj.
-
'It's done' hospital CEO says about site of Windsor's mega-hospital
-
Premier says 'final decisions' on new hospital locations haven't been made
Musyj says his confidence stems from the fact there's support from all three main political parties for the project.
"We're not concerned," said Musyj. "The one thing we prided ourselves is we didn't politicize any of this process in the sense of we made sure that the process could stand on its own and have merit that as we move forward with the project, no matter which political party is in power, we're going to work with them."
The new hospital will be located on County Rd. 42, near Windsor Airport, and serve more than 400,000 people.
The project is slated to start accepting quotes for construction by 2021. Musyj has estimated the cost of the mega-hospital to be $2 billion.
Opposition group against location
But Philippa von Ziegenweidt, spokesperson for Citizens for an Accountable Megahospital Planning Process (CAMPP), has told CBC News her organization still sees "huge gaps" in planning and public consultation for the site.
"He said it's a done deal, but there's a huge process that has to take place yet," she explained. "Basically, it's a farm field right now … so it has to go through the whole zoning process first and that involves making sure the plan is in line with the official plan as well as Ontario planning policy."
Von Ziegenweidt urged community members to "get active" and call their city councillors if they want to express concerns about the location.
There will be a lull in progress during the Ontario election campaign, Musyj admits. However, he expects communication to resume once the vote is held on June 7.
The project is already in Stage 2, which Musyj said means it can't simply get pushed off the table.