Vaughan Grows Into MegaCity But Still Doesn’t Have A Hospital
Posted September 12, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It may not share the limelight of bustling metropolises like Toronto and Montreal, but Vaughan is now the tenth largest city in Canada and one of the fastest growing with a population of 235,000. In the next ten years that number is expected to increase by 100,000.
But unlike most large cities, it’s lacking what many consider a basic necessity — a hospital.
“We have to go to the hospital in Richmond Hill or Etobicoke General Hospital,” explained Vaughan resident Mahmood Asghar from a local walk-in clinic.
Mayor Michael Di Biase is hoping to change that.
He already has his eyes on a location where the city’s first hospital could potentially be erected. All he needs now is the province’s approval.
“In speaking to the Minister of Finance, Greg Sorbara, he said within the next ten years. That’s not enough. We need more, and we need a hospital and we need an announcement.”
York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill is only a few minutes away from the Vaughan border, but the problem isn’t distance.
With Richmond Hill and Vaughan residents both using this hospital, wait times can reach intolerable lengths.
“Waiting for sometimes four, five hours, even if it is an emergency,” explains Asghar. “The residents of Vaughan direly need a hospital.”
This summer, the province gave the city approval for a health care centre. It’s similar to a hospital but has no overnight beds. The mayor says it’s a step in the right direction but an actual hospital is what’s really needed.
