‘I’m not going to be bullied’: Tensions rise between Doug Ford, Whitby mayor over new hospital

There were strong words this week from Premier Doug Ford criticizing Whitby’s mayor, Elizabeth Roy, and questioning the legitimacy of the town’s community advocacy campaign to continue the push for a new hospital in Whitby.

“I’m not going to be bullied by that mayor out there that’s constantly going out and offering everything under the kitchen sink,” Ford told reporters in Vaughan on Wednesday morning when asked about delays about the planning grant for the new Whitby hospital.

Ford was referring to the town offering raffle prizes to residents who take part in a survey to raise awareness and support for the new hospital to be built.

“Maybe the integrity commissioner should be looking into ‘Are politicians allowed to offer gifts if they get your email?’ It’s really unbelievable,” Ford said.

“Holding a lottery, that if you give me your name and email address, you get a free gym membership or free iPhone watch or you get all these little treats… I don’t know … you can ask the minister. I don’t think that’s proper.”

The comments came amid a separate event at Whitby Town Hall on Wednesday, as the mayor was announcing the next steps in the community advocacy campaign, Care Closer To Home, which launched on Feb. 7.

“I’m very surprised and taken aback, especially with the comments made regarding the purpose of the campaign,” Roy said. “I just hope it’s not trying to disperse or push away the attention to the conversation, which is about a planning grant.”

The town also said the prizes were paid for in kind and denies any politicians having access to the email.

“And to the residents of the community who have signed up, your emails went directly to Premier Ford,” Roy said.

In a statement, Whitby chief administrative officer Matt Gaskell called the comments “entirely inaccurate, and frankly disrespectful of the nearly 4,000 call-to-action letters and personal stories shared by residents from across the region.” Gaskell added that the campaign was “multi-purpose,” aimed at educating and engaging the community.

“The offer of prizes to help drive participation is standard practice used by many municipalities,” Gaskell said.

This comes just a week after Roy expressed her frustrations over the 2024 provincial budget failing to include a $3-million planning grant for the hospital.

Two years ago a two-stage site selection process resulted in choosing Whitby as the preferred site for a new proposed hospital in Durham Region. Since then, Roy said the town has been pushing for the planning grant from the province, which is needed in order to move forward with the process.

“A lot of residents believe the hospital is going forward. They do not understand that we need to have a planning grant in order to move forward,” Roy said.

2:56 No planning grant for new Whitby hospital in provincial budget, ‘completely unacceptable’

Over the span of the eight-week campaign, almost 4,000 residents across the region signed a call-to-action letter and shared a personal story about the importance of the new hospital. The town announced on Wednesday that its next steps will be papering municipal facilities with orange hearts to raise awareness and continue the advocacy for the new build.

Amid the tension, Ford continues to commit to a hospital in Durham.

“To the residents of Durham, we’re showing them a tremendous amount of love,” Ford said. “They’ll be getting a hospital, and we’ll choose the site.”

In the meantime, Roy said her next steps are to reach out to the premier and local MPPs.

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