The mayor of Essex is again pushing for hospital officials to meet with Essex County council to discuss the new Fancsy Family Hospital. During Wednesday’s county council meeting, Sherry Bondy questioned administration about the timeline for meeting with hospital representatives. Bondy first requested the meeting in February 2025. A meeting had been scheduled for Nov. 20, 2025, but was cancelled by the hospital due to details that were “unavailable or unclear.” A new date was not set. Administration said during Wednesday’s meeting it had been waiting for the new Windsor Regional Hospital CEO and president, Kristin Kennedy, to settle into the role before scheduling a new meeting. Bondy said it is imperative county council members receive information on construction stages, when shovels will be in the ground, funding for the hospital and which health-care services will be affected once the new hospital opens. Bondy said she is disappointed by the lack of movement and does not want the issue to fall off the radar. “The hospital should’ve had shovels in the ground already. That is one of the worries — not seeing it. There’s a lot of people out in the community saying, ‘it’s going to be not in our lifetime,’ and I really want to put those rumours to rest because I do think that we will see action soon. There are some memos that go out, but nothing is a face-to-face meeting, and I hope we can make that happen.” She said she would like a meeting to happen before the municipal election in October. “The next term of council will be busy in their first six months with orientation and budget, and learning the ropes. We know how new councils set new priorities, and then the next thing you know here we are two more years later with residents still asking the same questions.” Meanwhile, during Thursday’s Windsor Regional Hospital board meeting, Kennedy said they are working with the county to set a new date. Kennedy said it is difficult because there are many moving pieces with the new hospital. “I want to be able to provide a wholesome report to them, so we are working through that right now with the CAO of the county, and I’m hoping that we’ll have some updates to that specific date by the end of the summer. I’m not saying it will happen in the summer, but that we’ll have a date scheduled on the books with the county by the end of the summer.” The county originally approved a $100-million commitment to the new hospital. The cost of the hospital was estimated at $2 billion 10 years ago. The updated estimated cost has not been released. During Thursday’s board meeting, Kennedy said they are closer to sharing that figure, but it is difficult while requests for proposals are still underway. Phase 1 of the new hospital is expected to begin in mid-2026 and will include construction of a three-storey education and administrative centre and simulation centre, a 700-vehicle parking garage and other site infrastructure. The Fancsy Family Hospital will be a state-of-the-art facility located at Cabana Road East and the 9th Concession.
