Like many smaller and rural communities, Port Colborne faces healthcare challenges, including limited access to primary care, growing demand for community-based health services, and the need for health equity among residents. Addressing these challenges requires more than a one-size-fits-all solution. It calls for collaboration, innovation, and a shared vision.
Healthcare Advisory Committee
To help lead important work related to healthcare, City Council has established a Healthcare Advisory Committee. Learn more about the work of the Healthcare Advisory Committee.
Community Health & Wellness Action Plan
The City of Port Colborne and the Healthcare Advisory Committee invited residents to review and provide feedback on the City's first draft of the Community Health & Wellness Action Plan through a range of engagement opportunities held from May 5 to July 2, 2026. Feedback collected through this phase of engagement will be shared with Council in August and used to refine the Action Plan before it is finalized.
Printed copies of the draft Community Health & Wellness Action Plan are available by request at City Hall.
- Council Presentation on the Community Health and Wellness Action Plan
Watch Here
Healthcare Advocacy Timeline
| March 25, 2024: Mayor Steele, CAO Luey and Dr. Vandenberg meet with the provincial Minister of Health at Queen's Park |
| Mayor Steele, CAO Luey and Dr. Vandenberg met with the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones and her policy advisors to discuss primary care reform. |
| August 19, 2024: City Staff attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, and meet with the provincial Deputy Minister of Health and Chief of Staff |
| CAO Luey, Councillor Elliott and Director Long met with the deputy Minister of Health, Deborah Richardson and the Minister's Chief of Staff, Blair Hains to discuss primary care reform. |
| September 5, 2024: Meeting with the federal Minister of Health, Mark Holland and MP Vance Badawey |
| The Mayor and CAO of Fort Erie hosted the minister at their municipal offices, where a round table discussion was held about the importance of primary care reform in South Niagara. The City of Port Colborne's Mayor Steele, CAO Luey, and Director's Boles and Long were in attendance and participated in the discussion. |
| December 3, 2024: Proposal from Niagara Health & Lockview Medical Group |
On December 3, 2024, Port Colborne City Council considered a request from Niagara Health for a $6.2-million local share contribution to the South Niagara Hospital, and a proposal from the Lockview Medical Group to expand primary care services in Port Colborne.
At that meeting, Council requested that staff bring back a comprehensive public engagement plan to gather feedback from the community regarding the primary care proposal, the local share contribution, and the future of the Niagara Health site in Port Colborne. |
| January 21, 2025: City staff attend the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference and meet with the provincial Minister of Health |
| Mayor Steele, Councillor Hoyle, Acting CAO Boles and Director Long met with the Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and her team to advocate for primary care reform and discuss the Lockview proposal presented at Council on December 3, 2024. |
| January 28, 2025: Community Engagement Plan Approved |
| Port Colborne City Council approved a proposed community engagement plan aimed at gathering feedback about the future of healthcare in Port Colborne. Report 2024-19:https://pub-portcolborne.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=14452 Meeting recording: Port Colborne Council Meeting - January 28, 2025 - YouTube |
| January 29, 2025: Online and Paper-Based Survey Launches |
| Online and paper-based surveys launched. The paper survey was distributed and made available for residents at City Hall, the Vale Health & Wellness Centre, the Port Colborne Public Library, and select local healthcare facilities and other locations around the community. |
| February 10-14, 2025: Pop-up Engagements |
| Over a period of four days, staff promoted the survey at pop-up events on-site at various pharmacies and grocery stores. |
| February 19 and 20, 2025: In-person Open Houses |
| Two in-person open houses with interactive information stations were held at the Vale Health & Wellness Centre-Golden Puck Room for residents to learn more about the proposals and fill out the survey. |
| February 21, 2025: Virtual Town Hall |
| A virtual town hall was held at the Lighthouse Theatre which included a moderated Q&A discussion with a panel of key spokespeople. Virtual Town Hall recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8R_u75BQ2o |
| February 24, 2025: In-Person Town Hall |
| An in-person town hall was held at the Lighthouse Theatre which included a moderated Q&A discussion with a panel of key spokespeople. |
| March-April 2025: City Committees and Working Groups |
| Throughout March and April, meetings were held to seek input from working groups and committees such as the Seniors Advisory Committee, Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee and the Social Determinants of Health Committee. |
| March 25, 2025: Mid-Point Survey Results Delivered to Council & Healthcare Advisory Committee Established |
Once the first phase of engagement was completed, Council received the following reports for consideration:
Council established the Healthcare Advisory Committee and approved the Terms of Reference, proposed that a draft Healthcare Services Strategy be developed and brought to Council before the end of 2025, approved a motion for a letter to be sent to the province regarding healthcare advocacy efforts and directed staff to forward the petition regarding the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre to the Ontario Minister of Health. |
| March 27 – April 22, 2025: Recruitment for Healthcare Advisory Committee |
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Based on direction from Council, recruitment for the Healthcare Advisory Committee opened on March 27 and the application process closed on April 22. The committee mandate is found in the Terms of Reference and established that the committee members contribute to the development of a clear, evidence-based, and realistic healthcare services strategy to improve healthcare in the community. For more information: Healthcare Advisory Committee - City of Port Colborne |
| March 31, 2025: City Staff attend the Good Roads Conference |
| Mayor Steele, Councillor Beauregard, Acting CAO Boles and Director Long attended the conference and met with the provincial Minister of Health Chief of Staff Blair Hains and Manager of Stakeholder Relations Alex Millier to discuss primary care and the Lockview proposal. |
| April 9, 2025: Provincial Healthcare Advocacy Letter and Motion |
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Council approved a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones. The advocacy letter advocates for continued services at the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre. |
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June 2, 2025: Letter received by Niagara Health "Decision Requested-Partnering for the future of healthcare in South Niagara" |
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Niagara Health requested a decision from the City of Port Colborne on the proposal brought forward to City Council on December 3, 2024, regarding the purchase of the Port Colborne Site and local share commitment of $6.2 million to the South Niagara Hospital. The letter indicated a response was expected by September 12, 2025. View the letter. |
| June 9, 2025: A message from the Mayor of Port Colborne re: Port Colborne UCC Closures |
| June 10, 2025: Mayor Steele to take part in media conference about Niagara Health's planned summer UCC closures |
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Mayor Steele to take part in media conference about Niagara Health’s planned summer UCC closures |
| June 11, 2025: Port Colborne and Fort Erie joint media conference on UCC Closures |
| June 12, 2025: Healthcare Advisory Committee holds inaugural meeting, elects Chair and Vice-Chair |
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The City issued a Media Release announcing the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Healthcare Advisory Committee. Committee Members: Sydney McDowell, NP, Chair
Dr. Philip McGarry, MD, Vice-Chair
Tina Triano
Carmen Tamas
Matt Lallouet
Councillor Monique Aquilina, Non-voting member
Councillor Ron Bodner, Non-voting member
Mayor Bill Steele, Ex-Officio
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| June 27, 2025: Niagara Ontario Health Team-Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara announces new Primary Care Access Clinics |
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South Niagara Residents Have Added Access to Primary Care this Summer |
| July 8, 2025: Full Community Engagement Results delivered to Council |
| Read the full report of the community engagement results on healthcare here. |
| July 8, 2025: Response to Niagara Health letter received June 2, 2025 "Decision Requested: Partnering for the Future of Healthcare in South Niagara" |
| Read the full response by the City of Port Colborne here. |
| July 24, 2025: Letter to Mayor and CAO Boles from Niagara Health |
| Read the letter from Lynn Guerriero, CEO of Niagara Health. |
| August 7, 2025: CAO Boles attends meeting of the Port Colborne Health Coalition |
| CAO Boles accepted an invitation to attend the Port Colborne Health Coalition meeting as a guest presenter and shared updates regarding the City's work on healthcare and advocacy efforts. |
| August 15, 2025: Letter of Support from Niagara Health to Mayor and Port Colborne City Council |
| Read the letter from Lynn Guerriero, CEO of Niagara Health. |
| August 15, 2025: Letter to Dr. Jane Philpott Re: Request for Consultation on Healthcare in Port Colborne |
| Read the letter from Mayor Steele. |
| August 17-20, 2025: Mayor, City Council and City Staff attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. |
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Mayor Steele, CAO Bryan Boles, Council members, and city staff joined their Niagara counterparts at the 2025 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, taking the opportunity to meet with provincial ministers and parliamentary assistants to discuss key local initiatives. They made it clear at each meeting with the province that healthcare is the number one issue in Port Colborne. Niagara Health representatives joined the City delegation on meetings specifically relating to healthcare as a sign of support on this important topic, in addition to providing a letter of support signed by Niagara Health CEO Lynn Guerriero.
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September 10, 2025: Thank you letter from the Ontario Medical Association |
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December 15, 2025: Work begins on the Port Colborne Health Analysis Report by KPMG |
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The City commissions KPMG to author a report combining rigorous data analysis with targeted community engagement to create a clear, evidence based foundation for strategy development and planning. |
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January 19, 2026: City of Port Colborne attends ROMA Conference |
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Mayor Steele, councillors and senior staff attended the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference (ROMA) in Toronto where they met with over 12 ministries, including Health Minister Sylvia Jones. |
| January 7, 2026: Healthcare Data Dashboard development with Esri Canada Launches |
| A new project with Esri Canada focuses on gathering and consolidating GIS layers into a healthcare data dashboard which represents the current state of health and equity of the city. This visual tool will be used to demonstrate how evidence-based decisions are made using current data and analysis. |
| March 10, 2026: KPMG presents Health Analysis Report to Council with Recommendations |
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The City of Port Colborne Healthcare Analysis Report prepared by KPMG, was presented to Council with recommendations for consideration to help guide the development of the City’s Health & Wellness Action Plan to improve healthcare access, equity, and long-term health system planning in Port Colborne. |
| March 30, 2026: City of Port Colborne attends Good Roads Conference and federal minister meetings in Ottawa |
| City of Port Colborne leadership and members of Council attended the Good Roads Conference in Toronto, and travelled to Ottawa to meet with federal ministers about capital grant funding. |
| April 14, 2026: Legal analysis received from Cathi Mietkiewicz Law |
| City Council received a healthcare legal and policy review letter from Cathi Mietkiewicz Law. Details to be shared with the community through a City Hall News article scheduled for August. |
| April 28, 2026: Council endorses draft Action Plan and Phase Four of Engagement is Launched |
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At its April 28, 2026, meeting, Council received Report CAO 2026-65, Community Health and Wellness Action Plan, endorsed the draft Action Plan, and directed staff to undertake Phase Four of community engagement activities to gather feedback from residents on the proposed Plan. |
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May 5, 2026: Phase Four of Community Engagement on the draft Action Plan begins |
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City staff launch Phase Four of community engagement on healthcare, requesting residents provide feedback on the draft Community Health & Wellness Action Plan through a survey or through attending one of four open houses and a variety of engagement opportunities. The Virtual Information Session can be viewed here. |
| June 10, 2026: Mayor, members of Council and the Healthcare Advisory Committee tour the Cowan Community Health Hub in Paris, Ontario |
| After meeting with staff from the Municipality of Brant and Brant Municipal Enterprises earlier in the year, the City of Port Colborne travelled to Paris Ontario to learn from their innovative community health hub built in 2019. Learn about the facility here. |
| June 26, 2026: The City retains Stockwoods Law based in Toronto to provide a legal review. |
| July 2, 2026: Community Engagement on draft Action Plan Concludes: Over 500 Surveys Received |
A full engagement report will be brought to Council on August 11. |
| July 9, 2026: MPP Oosterhoff Welcomes Expansion of Primary Care in Wainfleet, Port Colborne and Fort Erie |
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As part of the plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the province invested more than $12,214,700 to connect up to 23,667 people to primary care in Niagara, as well as Brantford, Hamilton and London. This regional investment in primary care in Niagara was funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams receiving funding expected to attach another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario. Each team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist. |
| August 11, 2026: Draft Action Plan returns to Council |
| August 15-19, 2026: Members of City Council and Senior Staff to attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa, and meet with Health Minister Sylvia Jones about healthcare priorities. |
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