Mega hospital campaign aims to show province there's public support for project

A new local campaign is meant to show the province there's support for a new mega hospital in Windsor.

The WE Can't Waitprojectbeing led bythe Windsor-Essex Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC) will use localvoices to show the importance of having a modern hospital.

"It's not a secret that when the province came out with their capital budget long-term plan, our project had been bumped out of the next five-year window, and we've been leapfrogged by a number of other hospital projects like this," said WEEDC CEOStephen MacKenzie.

"That's the wrong direction. We have to put this back in the right direction."

According to a media release, the campaign will deliver messages of support from community leaders in Windsor-Essex including front-line medical staff, business owners, community organizations and labour organizations.

MacKenzie saidthe WE Can't Wait campaign has a budget in the "low six figures," but wouldn't give an exact cost.

He saidthe hospital project is certainly about public health, butis also important to the region's economy.

The project aims to show theprovince there's support for a new hospital, which has taken years for approvals and still requiresthe provincial government to release money for the next step.

The decision on the siteof new hospital nearthe Windsor International Airport is in a lengthy appeals process before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Much of the public opposition to the new hospital project has come from the groupCitizens for an Accountable Megahospital Planning Process (CAMPP) who are not opposed to the project but its location, nearthe southern border of the city on County Road 42.

The primary argument of the group has been that the southern location is too far removed from the core of the city.CAMPP spokespersonPhilippa Von Ziegenweidtsaid the location will not be helpful in attracting specialized doctors to the region.

"A hospital out in the middle of nowhere because that's essentially where it is right nowis not going to be conduciveto the quality of life of a new physician," she said

She said there needs to be amenitieswhere people live and work and that "we need to build an attractive city."

"I don't think this is a strategy that's going to make Windsor an attractive place to live."