The CEO of a local hospital system is looking forward to going through the appeals process concerning the planned location of a new acute-care facility.
The Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process (CAMPP) will appear before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) over three days next month, to persuade the tribunal to reverse the decision made by Windsor City Council to rezone a section of land on County Road 42 for a new regional hospital. CAMPP contends that the city officials used incorrect or outdated data to back their decision to rezone the land, and they are also concerned about the distance of the planned hospital from the downtown core.
David Musyj, president and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, said to bring it on.
"I'm not concerned," said Musyj. "The City of Windsor did a great job in coming to their conclusion to approve the secondary plan."
Musyj said the process in deciding where the hospital will go lasted several years, and opponents to the plan had ample opportunity to express their concerns. Once the provincial government officially signed onto the project in December 2017, Musyj had been encouraging CAMPP to stop fighting the process and discuss their ideas.
The CEO told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that the appeals process will not help anyone. Musyj said Windsor-Essex as a region needs a new hospital, and the more time that passes, the more difficult the hospital preparation will be.
"This is not a situation where ten years from now we can lift our heads up and say 'We need a new hospital,'" said Musyj. "If you want it 10 years from now, you got to think about it today. You've got to start that process today, and you've got to be actively moving forward."
CAMPP has retained the services of respected Canadian urban planner Jennifer Keesmaat as an expert witness in preparation for the LPAT hearings, which begin October 8 at Windsor City Hall. A GoFundMe page was set to raise money for their legal representation. As of Friday evening, it was over $30,000 short of its $100,000 goal.
Several of the area's business improvement associations have come out in favour of CAMPP, including the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA).
At least two additional groups, meanwhile, have begun their own efforts in supporting the hospital location. The group 42-Forward is planning a petition drive and an October 3 rally. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has begun distributing lawn signs.
