No mention new hospitals in throne speech concerns NDP

There was no mention of any new hospital construction during the throne speech delivered at Queen's Park on Monday.

While the speech mentioned hospitals, it didn't mention new hospitals or reference Windsor, which has been pursuing a new mega-hospital to replace Windsor Regional Hospital on Lens Avenue.

"Since 2013, seven new hospitals have been built in five communities. Over the next five years, 18 more hospitals across Ontario will complete major renovations or rebuilds, and approximately 20 more major projects will get underway," the speaker said Monday.

Neglecting to mention "new hospitals" concerned Windsor West NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky.

She wants to make sure plans for the mega-hospital are on track.

Gretzky and her fellow NDP MPPs will be following up with the minister of health, she said.

"A few months ago we were promised everything was moving forward OK. So now we're going to contact the minister of health again to make sure this hasn't changed anything, that this speech, the fact they didn't specifically mention new hospitals, hasn't changed anything."

The fact "new hospitals" weren't mention doesn't have proponents of a new Windsor-Essex mega-hospital worried.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj fully expects the project to move forward.

He said a throne speech is not typically a time to share details about new spending.

"They'll have the next budget speech in the spring of 2017. I would imagine that's usually when they start talking about new hospital funding or major infrastructure projects, is during a budget speech," he said.