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home / 世界杯决赛2022

holt pledges support for new hospital, reveals health-care plan

mayoral candidate chris holt has pledged his support fo...

by taylor campbell

sep 20 2022
read time 3 minute read
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windsor mayoral candidate chris holt speaks during a press conference in front of the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus on tuesday september 20, 2022. dan janisse / windsor star
mayoral candidate chris holt has pledged his support for a new regional acute care hospital and the city’s commitment to funding a share of the $2-billion project.
standing across the street from windsor regional hospital’s ouellette campus tuesday afternoon, holt told reporters the need for a new hospital is completely agreed upon.
“the need for a new hospital is not, nor will it be, up for debate,” he said.
although his dissatisfaction with the site selection process and reasons for voting against the county road 42 hospital location at council “still exist today as unaddressed issues,” holt said he respects the “direction and the will of the people.”
“i am here today to pledge to the residents of windsor that i will not hold up or stand in the way of that funding being allocated to this project when needed,” he said.
windsor mayoral candidate chris holt speaks during a press conference in front of the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus on tuesday september 20, 2022.
windsor mayoral candidate chris holt speaks during a press conference in front of the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus on tuesday september 20, 2022. dan janisse / windsor star
incumbent mayor drew dilkens has slammed holt in recent days for having voted against the mega-hospital land rezoning and related official plan amendment four years ago, as well as against the city paying its $200 million share for a hospital away from the downtown core in 2015. having released his own plan to expand health-care services in the city on sept. 13, dilkens on friday called on holt to answer questions about his opposition and to respond publicly.
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when asked on friday about health-care during his media event regarding plans for improving transit, holt told reporters he was looking forward to sharing his position in the coming days, and that his opponent was “manufacturing a crisis” by saying holt would put the mega-hospital project at risk if elected. holt called the idea that he “hates” health care “far from the truth.”
on monday, one day before holt released his health-care platform, dilkens’s campaign released a written statement that called holt’s “refusal” to answer questions about health care “a sign of poor leadership.”
“chris holt has been on the wrong side of this issue since day 1,” dilkens said in the statement. “he was wrong to fight against collecting the local share; he was wrong to oppose (windsor regional hospital’s) chosen site and it’s wrong to avoid public questions during an election campaign.”
on tuesday, holt said dilkens “continues to use the need for a new hospital as a political football field,” something holt believes dilkens has previously done by highlighting the hospital as a key platform issue for all provincial and federal candidates to support in recent elections.
windsor mayoral candidate chris holt speaks during a press conference in front of the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus on tuesday september 20, 2022.
windsor mayoral candidate chris holt speaks during a press conference in front of the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus on tuesday september 20, 2022. dan janisse / windsor star
after holt’s announcement tuesday, the dilkens campaign released another attack against his opponent, bashing him for alleged “flip-flopping.”
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holt said his opponent “seems to thrive off division and will use it as a political tool at any time … he stands to benefit.” holt called it “unacceptable,” and added, “that’s not leadership.”
one important health-care issue for holt is maintaining 24-hour emergency room and full services at the windsor regional hospital ouellette campus to ensure equitable access to health care “for those who need it most” in the city’s core.
another issue is the expense and timing of infrastructure needs in the area surrounding the new hospital. in 2021, holt tabled a motion at council to have a third-party consultant report back with a comprehensive outline of the cost and timelines for installing necessary infrastructure in the area, but that motion was narrowly defeated. if elected, holt said requesting an impact study would be one of the first things he does.
holt’s six-point health-care plan includes creating a community-wide health services table to explore 24/7 emergency room access in the core, as well as mental health, addictions, and other services; establishing a sandwich south infrastructure task force to determine area infrastructure needs and their costs as mega-hospital construction begins; prioritizing nurse recruitment by working with community partners; advocate for investments in mental health, addictions, and long-term care sectors, including adding eight new street outreach and mental health workers; prioritizing transit routes that will provide access to the mega-hospital; and expediting the creation of a climate action and energy plan for the sandwich south area.

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also in the running for mayor are benjamin danyluk, aaron day, matthew giancola, ernie lamont, and louis vaupotic.
election day is oct. 24.
tcampbell@postmedia.com
twitter.com/wstarcampbell
taylor campbell
taylor campbell

taylor campbell is a journalist and photographer with the windsor star currently covering city hall, municipal affairs, and more. she previously worked the police beat and extensively covered the covid-19 pandemic. a life-long windsor resident, campbell is a graduate of the university of windsor. you can reach her at tcampbell@postmedia.com or find her on twitter at @wstarcampbell.

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