Port Colborne City Council has approved the Community Health and Wellness Action Plan and directed staff to develop a business case for a potential Community Health Hub. The decision, made at a Special Council Meeting on August 11, 2026, lays out a long-term roadmap for improving local healthcare access as the city prepares for the planned 2028 closure of the Niagara Health Urgent Care Centre.
The action plan is built around the vision “Connected Care, Close to Home, for Every Stage of Life” and identifies eight areas of focus, including better access to advanced primary care, which residents ranked as their top priority. According to a KPMG Healthcare Analysis Report, 84 per cent of Port Colborne residents live in areas with high or highest social determinants of health risk, compared to 15 per cent provincially.
City staff will now develop a comprehensive business case for the health hub, covering governance options, financial analysis, partnerships, potential sites, and capital funding opportunities. The completed business case will be presented to the next Council after the October 2026 municipal election. The city’s preferred timeline is to have the hub operational by the end of 2028, when the urgent care centre is set to close.
More than 500 residents responded to the latest community survey, with 93.5 per cent supporting the plan’s guiding principles and an average of 91.3 per cent support across its eight focus areas. The potential hub could include primary care physicians and nurse practitioners, after-hours and urgent care, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, pharmacy, mental health supports, rehabilitation, visiting specialists, outpatient clinics, and community services.
Mayor William Steele said healthcare has been one of the most important issues facing the community. “Residents have been very clear that they want access to quality care close to home,” he said.
Betty Konc, co-chair of the Port Colborne Health Coalition, told council the group supports the hub concept but will continue advocating for 24-7 services. The coalition has been vocal in pushing for urgent care services to be maintained after the urgent care centre closes.
The city has been working on healthcare planning for more than 18 months, including establishing a Healthcare Advisory Committee in March 2025. That committee, chaired by nurse practitioner Sydney McDowell, reviewed the KPMG analysis and visited model facilities like the Cowan Community Health Hub in Paris, Ontario.
