Fort Erie, Port Colborne urgent care centres closing overnight permanently

Ford government appeals Bill 124 decision The Ontario government is appealing a court decision that struck down a law limiting wages for public-sector workers.

Niagara Health says its urgent care centres in Port Colborne and Fort Erie will no longer operate overnight as it faces physician staff shortages.

President and CEO Lynn Guerriero says today in a statement that the hospital network has made the decision in order to keep its three emergency departments operating in Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines.

She says Niagara Health's emergency department physician group had warned that in the coming months the ERs would have been short 274 physician shifts.

The urgent care centres will close from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. daily beginning July 5.

A spokesperson says the decision is considered permanent at this time, as Niagara Health doesn't believe the staff shortages will be resolved any time soon.

Niagara Health's decision comes one day before the ER in Minden, Ont., is set to close permanently, with Haliburton Highlands Health Services transferring all emergency services to its Haliburton site, about 25 kilometres away.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.