Is keeping the new Vaughan hospital's emergency room closed our best option?

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 29, 2021
Opinion -- Richmond Hill resident

I find it hard to believe that keeping the new Vaughan emergency room closed is the best option for Ontario.

York Region residents (Vaughan and Richmond Hill in particular) are already underserved by hospitals. A year ago, even before COVID-19, Mackenzie Health was the most overcrowded in the province. I have even seen stats suggesting that the new Vaughan hospital will be overcapacity the day it opens.

Good government requires logical thinking and analysis of all angles. It goes beyond simple solutions that are easy to explain and defend to the public. Is there a reason why we cannot use a floor or two of the multiple hospitals on University Avenue downtown? What about the "Reactivation Care Centre" at Jane and Finch? Is it really necessary to use the entire new Vaughan hospital and delay the opening of the vital new emergency room only weeks before schedule?

Or will the building sit mostly empty as it slowly fills up through February, perhaps never fully filling up due to COVID-19?

I am not an expert on this and my concerns may be unwarranted. However, I hope somebody has already asked these questions in government.  We all deserve to know the answers.

Jason Cherniak
Richmond Hill