Whereas LifeLabs has announced its intention to close its Greater Sudbury laboratory, and the transfer of medical specimen processing from Northern Ontario to laboratories in southern Ontario; and
Whereas the Greater Sudbury laboratory provides essential diagnostic services to communities across Northern Ontario, including urban, rural, and remote municipalities, and plays a critical role in ensuring timely and reliable medical testing for Northern residents; and
Whereas patients with chronic illness, newborns, long-term care residents, and individuals on time-sensitive medications depend on predictable laboratory turnaround times to support clinical decision-making; and
Whereas transporting medical specimens long distances to southern Ontario increases the risk of delays, specimen degradation, and retesting, particularly during frequent winter highway closures—potentially jeopardizing patient outcomes; and
Whereas Northern Ontario is already experiencing shortages of health-care professionals, and the closure of this laboratory further undermines regional workforce stability, training capacity, and recruitment and retention efforts;
Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the City of Sault Ste. Marie call on the Province of Ontario and the Ministry of Health to take immediate action to ensure that essential medical laboratory services remain accessible within Northern Ontario, including maintaining local laboratory processing capacity in Greater Sudbury; and
Be It Further Resolved that the Province be urged to ensure reliable, timely, and medically appropriate laboratory turnaround times for Northern Ontario patients, recognizing the unique geographic and climatic challenges of the region; and
Be It Further Resolved that the Province be requested to protect and support the Northern Ontario health-care workforce, including medical laboratory technologists, by preventing further service centralization that disproportionately impacts Northern communities; and
Be It Further Resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Health, local Members of Provincial Parliament, FONOM, AMO, and ROMA.