Region stops short of fully endorsing lab proposal
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati had no patience for fellow regional councillors sitting on the fence over a proposal to endorse a made-in-Niagara solution to handle COVID-19 test results.
“If you don’t like this, what is your idea?” thundered Diodati at Thursday’s council meeting, which was held remotely with only Regional Chair Jim Bradley and key staff members in the chamber.
“You must have a much better idea about how you are going to save businesses and save lives. If you don’t, how can you not support this?
“I am taking phone calls from people who are losing their businesses. Families are crumbling. This is a dire situation, and we are worried about money? Really? They are not asking for money.
“All we have to do is support a good concept, and the province will do the vetting. There is no boogeyman here. I am proud to support someone stepping up with a good idea until a better idea comes along. I haven’t heard one yet.”
In the end, council voted 20-8 to offer support for all local COVID-19 initiatives, including the possibility of a publicly run, licensed laboratory in Niagara.
Council then voted unanimously to ask the province to “take all necessary steps to continue to ensure adequate testing capacity be provided for Niagara’s residents.”
The motion is the Region’s response to a proposal to build a multimillion-dollar laboratory and testing facility in Niagara, with the province and Ottawa providing the funding.
Executives from Niagara-onthe-Lake Hydro, Tim Curtis and Jim Ryan, came forward with the proposal.
They made a presentation last week to the Region’s health and social services committee. It was short on details, but promised a facility could drastically improve both capacity and turnaround time for local testing.
They aren’t under any illusions about the task they’ve set for themselves. Ryan called the plan a “moon shot.”
As well, he and Curtis don’t claim to have experience building and running a laboratory. Their background is in managing hydroelectric utilities and the MUSH sector (municipalities, universities, school boards, and hospitals).
They also helped run a hightech business with a similar corporate profile, the Niagara Broadband Network, a forprofit, fibre-optic cable company that brings internet service to businesses and rural areas. It is jointly owned by the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the City of Niagara Falls.
The presentation by Curtis and Ryan ran into some strong headwinds at the committee level. There was confusion about how much of an endorsement the plan had from Niagara Health, which runs local hospitals.
After the meeting, Niagara Health released a statement saying Dr. Thomas Stewart, its chief executive officer, “did not endorse this specific plan or provide Niagara Health’s support for it.”
Diodati, however, said he had a text message from Stewart saying he was all for “ramping up testing.”
Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Betty Disero told council the province indicated it has $100 million available to build labs, and already has accounting giant KPMG working on a study to suggest preferred locations.
“I realize this is an ambitious goal, but I think it’s achievable,” Disero said. “I just want to see it in Niagara somewhere.”
“This oozes of potential for mission creep,” Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop said of the proposal. “It also oozes of us going into something that isn’t our responsibility ... We can be cheerleaders, but we shouldn’t be involved in building the facility or using staff resources to see if this is necessary.”
Welland Coun. Pat Chiocchio said Niagara is a prime locality for a lab. “Why not have it in our backyard?” he said. “If any other companies come forward, we will support them as well. They haven’t asked us for money. If they do, that’s something we can deal with when it happens.”