6 A site in north Whitby has been chosen as the location for a possible new hospital. Lakeridge Health announced on Thursday, Jan. 6 that an expert panel recommended a site in Whitby be protected for a proposed future hospital in Durham region. The site covers 50 acres of land south of Highway 407, west of Highway 412, east of Lake Ridge Road and north of Highway 7/ Winchester Road. Whitby had been vying for the new hospital site with Pickering and Oshawa. In a statement, Sharon Cochran, chair of the Lakeridge Health board of trustees, said, "A proposed future hospital in Durham region will serve all the communities in Durham. We are pleased to accept the expert panel's recommendation regarding the Whitby site -- this is an important step in advancing the development of a new hospital as envisioned in our master planning process." Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell said, "Today is an exciting day for residents from across the entire Durham region. I want to thank the site selection independent expert panel and Lakeridge Health for their due diligence, transparency and efforts throughout this process. "This robust process ensured fairness in determining the best site on behalf of all Durham residents. I would also like to recognize the members of Whitby council for their ongoing support through this process and for this site," Mitchell added. Regional Chair John Henry said in a statement, "Today is a historic day in Durham Region, as Lakeridge Health announced the preferred location for a proposed future hospital. This decision moves our collective communities one step closer to a new hospital for Durham region." The provincial government hasn't approved a new hospital for Durham, so Lakeridge Health officials will soon be meeting the Ministry of Health officials to discuss the matter, the hospital said. "Lakeridge Health will commence discussions with the Ministry of Health for a new hospital on the basis set out in its master plan and advance the next steps in the ministry's multi-stage approval processes," the hospital said in a release. The master plan identifies capital investments needed over the next 25 years to meet projected demand in Durham region, including a proposed new hospital. Although Oshawa was notified several weeks ago that the city was no longer in the running because its proposed sites were within 10 kilometres of an existing hospital, Mayor Dan Carter has vowed to keep advocating for a new hospital in his community. "I think my constituents expect me to fight as hard as I can until the day they put the shovels in the ground," he said. Carter said the city will be releasing its proposal in full at the end of January, but identified two potential sites for the hospital: north of Highway 407 on the east side of Simcoe Street or in the Simcoe Street South and Britannia Avenue area on the west side of Simcoe. The mayor said benefits of the potential sites in Oshawa include serving a large geographic area in an expedited time, proximity to the Oshawa airport for medical flights, the city's relationship with post-secondary partners and the city's more than 100-year history supporting Lakeridge Health. "It's already ready for water and sewer, it's already transit supported, it's easily accessible from the north, south, east and west." Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan was disappointed the hospital site proposed in the Seaton area of the city was rejected by the panel. "We were informed (Wednesday, Jan. 5) that Lakeridge Health made the disappointing decision to pass on Pickering as the site of its new hospital. Pickering will have the largest population in Durham region and is the only city in the region to not have a major health-care facility." Cynthia Davis, the president and CEO of Lakeridge Health, said, "The identification of a site is an important step in supporting the future of healthcare delivery in Durham region. "We thank the expert panel for their work, and members of the community and subject matter experts who provided their valuable input throughout this process," she added. Lakeridge Health will start discussions with Whitby on the next steps in the process, as well as further consultations with community stakeholders as required. Meanwhile, Carter believes that it's not too late for a change and says other proposed hospital sites in Ontario have changed in the past. He plans to continue making the case for Oshawa both provincially and locally. He points out that a new hospital needs provincial funding to the tune of $1.5 billion and hospital officials will look to the Region of Durham to secure an additional $300 million in support. "I look forward to the next 10 years of a battle that has just begun, because the reality is a shovel's not going in the ground in the next 10 years." For additional details about the site selection process, visit the Lakeridge Health website at www.lh.ca. - With files from Reka Szekely WHITBY SITE CHOSEN FOR NEXT DURHAM HOSPITAL KEITH GILLIGAN kgilligan@ durhamregion.com NEWS Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell is pleased his community has been chosen as the site of a possible new hospital in Durham Region. Lakeridge Health announced a 50-acre site in north Whitby should be protected for a hospital. Sabrina Byrnes/Metroland