Port Hope residents rallying to have former hospital demolished

Protestors took to the streets in Port Hope on Wednesday to express their frustration with town council regarding the state of the former hospital.

The building on Ward Street has been vacant for 12 years and nurses and residents of a nursing home next door want to see the hospital demolished and use the site as a seniors’ home.

But town council earlier this monthly approved designating the hospital  as heritage site.

Kathy Hensgens, 57, has been a resident at Hope Street Terrace for two years however the deteriorating conditions of the nursing home don’t meet Ministry of Health guidelines.

So property developer Southbridge Care Homes Inc. has been given until 2025 to fix it.

“They’re livable but I think they could be a lot better,” said Hensgens.

If the Ministry guidelines aren’t met in time, the home will have to close.

“That building has to be closed which would mean that the 97 beds that we have are going to have to be relocated elsewhere,” said Activity Aid of Hope Street Terrace, Melinda Brown.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That building has to be closed which would mean that the 97 beds that we have are going to have to be relocated elsewhere," said Activity Aid of Hope Street Terrace, Melinda Brown.

That’s why a group of employees and residents protested in front of Port Hope town hall Wednesday afternoon. They support demolishing the old hospital to add an addition to Hope Street Terrace and join the two facilities together to provide more beds, freedom, and keep residents in their hometown.

“We have an aging population here and its kind of something that they’ve always said that this town is going to be like a seniors town and now we have this opportunity to provide better quality of life and now they don’t want to do it,” said Brown.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have an aging population here and its kind of something that they've always said that this town is going to be like a seniors town and now we have this opportunity to provide better quality of life and now they don't want to do it," said Brown.

Port Hope town council unanimously voted to designate the old hospital as a heritage site.

“Port Hope has the highest percentage per-capita of heritage homes anywhere in Canada so this is known as a heritage municipality,” said Greg Burns, Deputy Mayor of Port Hope.

Burns adds that it’s council’s obligation to preserve heritage buildings but he says there is a need for long term care facilities and encourages companies to look into Port Hope.

“That hospital was built to look after soldiers coming back from World War 1 and some tremendous history involved and I think that’s where the passion is in the community that stood up and said we need to designate this building and save that building,” said Burns.

“I think that this town has too many times called something a heritage building and let it crumble away to nothing,” said Hensgens.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think that this town has too many times called something a heritage building and let it crumble away to nothing," said Hensgens.

Concerned residents have 30 days to appeal and the deadline is May 21.

The deputy mayor also encourages residents to attend the Tuesday, May 1 council meeting at 6:30 p.m. to express their concerns.