The Future of Health Care in Fort Erie and Port Colborne

A Press Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 1 p.m. at Fort Erie Town Hall in Council Chambers.

Fort Erie and Port Colborne Mayors Respond to “Unacceptable” UCC Closures

June 9, 2025—This morning, Niagara Health informed the Town of Fort Erie and City of Port Colborne that they will reduce regular hours of the Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) in both communities this summer. This news follows recent meetings when Mayors Wayne Redekop and Bill Steele offered to work with Niagara Health to support physician recruitment efforts to keep the UCCs operational, and to help with efficient emergency room (ER) operations.

Niagara Health has details about the summer schedule for UCC operations in Fort Erie and Port Colborne available on their website. There is deep concern about these planned closures occurring during the busy summer months and over holiday weekends.

“This decision is completely unacceptable and deeply disappointing,” said Mayor Redekop. “Our Urgent Care Centre is not a luxury — it is an essential service. Scaling back operations during the busiest months of the year, when thousands of residents and visitors depend on timely access to care, shows a troubling disregard for the needs of our community. We have made every effort to collaborate in good faith and find solutions, yet those efforts have been met with decisions that only move us further apart. We are not prepared to stand by while vital health services are further eroded. Niagara Health must take our concerns seriously and reverse this short-sighted decision. It should not be acceptable to the Province that funds Niagara Health.”

These closures have the potential to impact residents and the thousands of visitors who come to Fort Erie and Port Colborne throughout the tourism season. In Fort Erie alone, a record 75 events are planned over 170 individual days and high visitor volumes are expected across both communities. Access to urgent care is more important than ever.

These UCCs provide vital health services to our residents, and we are deeply concerned about any decision that will further erode access to care in our communities.

Niagara Health has been asked to reconsider this decision and prioritize solutions to maintain local access to urgent care.

A joint media conference is scheduled for Wednesday to address the vital health care situation.

All media and residents are welcome and encouraged to attend this Press Conference and join a call to action on this issue.

For media inquiries, please contact: 905-871-1600

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