Hospitals in KW

[the_conestoga_guy]

The plan to make this the only Emergency department has been in the details all along  This is why I was saying, north Waterloo is stupid.  People will die by the time the ambulance gets you to the hospital if you live in Kitchener..

This is correct. The only consideration I give to having the hospital in the North of the city (i.e. Waterloo) is that it's supposed to act as the major hospital servicing the area between here and Owen Sound. With that said, any serious emergencies from that distance will be via helicopter. Therefore, the primary reasoning for selecting the location should be to minimize the travel time within Kitchener and Waterloo for the greatest number of people.

I understand some people think there's a 'debate' to be had regarding if transit users deserve to have equitable access to the hospital, or if car owners deserve priority. But the argument is moot when you consider that the greatest densities in our cities conveniently align with our rapid transit corridor.

The site selection process should be simple. Perform a study to determine the location(s) that minimize ambulance response times within KW for the greatest number of people. Once those locations have been determined, find the closest available plot of land to these locations and build there. The further you build from these locations, the more people will die during emergencies. It's up to the people in charge to rationalize any deviations from this plan.

To put it bluntly, it's idiotic to build on the periphery of KW (e.g. the Boardwalk). People will needlessly die, and our decision makers have a duty of care to avoid this outcome.

It may be 'hard' or 'inconvenient' or 'require complex planning' to select an ideal site like the Aud lands. But this is what we should expect from our well-paid public servants, to be able to grind through hard work to offer the most equitable outcome for the greatest number of people.