Use the 60 acres for a UCC and future hospital regeneration

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    I always thought the 60-acre lot requirement for future hospital regeneration was a load of crap. I mean it was true, under the Liberal government anyway, that the Ministry preferred 40-50 acres and were unlikely to accept less than 30 acres. As described for Niagara's hospital, the province has what is called a legacy plan:
 

“A legacy plan identifies the need to be able to replicate a new hospital on the same site 40 or 50 or 60 years from now while the existing hospital operates, and then when the new hospital opens, the old hospital on the same site is demolished, that becomes your parking area, so it’s all contained on one site." (Niagara Falls Review)

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However, Vancouver is building a 700 bed hospital on 18.5 acres right downtown where property is normally scarce. Humber River hospital in Toronto was build on just less than 30 acres.

Now reserving space for a future hospital would make sense if the best location in 50 years could be accurately predicted, but it can't. Changing population trends along with changing hospital technology make prediction improbable. I find it ridiculous to sacrifice healthcare today, for the sake of a plan that might not even work tomorrow.

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The hospital committee and board seem to insist on possibly buying the property on CR 42 provided zoning is approved. I disagree, but rather than for a hospital it might be okay for a satellite facility like the Urgent Care Clinic. The 60 acres could be on reserve if perchance the time ever came where a hospital being located there made sense. I could even see other satellite services being added there, but I still think it is a poorly accessible location for both the county and the city.

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Now imagine building a UCC in such a remote location, seems ludicrous to most. Why would anyone consider building a hospital there? The one advantage though, for those who argued the UCC was good enough for the entire city certainly can't argue it isn't good enough for the county.

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