If you are in favour of the location of the new acute care hospital in Windsor-Essex on County Road 42, there is a new petition you can sign.
It was launched this week by Joe McParland, who is also organizing a rally October 3.
The location, proposed by Windsor City Council, has been endorsed by mayors across the region and Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj, but McParland said his group is not affiliated with the political leaders. He insisted 42 Forward is a grassroots group intent on making their voices heard by Queen's Park.
"We don't want this to pass us by. Already Ottawa has been the recipient of money, and they were behind us," said McParland. "We just want to ensure that we are being heard. We decided this was the time for us to speak up and make sure the silent majority becomes the vocal majority."
The petition launched on Thursday is the second in favour of the hospital in recent months. Back in May, Brian Finn of Essex started one that gathered just shy of 4,200 signatures.
Philippa Von Ziegenweidt with the group Citizens for an Accountable Mega hospital Planning Process submits a petition to Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky's office on April 15, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
It is addressed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal calling on it to reject an appeal of the location by another local group, Citizens for an Accountable MegaHospital Planning Process which argues the city used out of date information when it approved rezoning for the hospital on the property on County Road 42 at the 9th Concession.
Related story: Leamington fires back at CAMPP over suggestions of cuts at Erie Shores Healthcare
"CAMPP wants this site moved deeper into City of Windsor's core. This is a regional hospital and should be readily available to all county and city residents," the petition read. "If this is approved [the appeal], it will cause a long delay looking for a new site, getting it approved, and the government could cancel our funding."
McParland agreed the region can no longer wait for the construction of a new hospital.
"We have aged infrastructure here in Windsor at our two main hospitals that just can't have any further cosmetic work done to it," he said. "Remember about a year and a half ago there was a bad flood at Hotel-Dieu [Ouellette Campus], and surgeries were put off. Some of the best health care professionals anywhere work here, but I say they're working in an outhouse kind of scenario."
The rally on October 3 will start at 6 p.m. and include food and entertainment at Signature Tribute Event Centre at 3310 Dougall Ave.