HALDIMAND — Haldimand Council has directed County staff to take a second look at a recommendation to deny any financial support to the in-development Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice (NHCH), included in a report reviewed at a Council meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley spoke to the need for the bereavement and counselling services provided by NHCH.
“We need that in this community…. We need to have this service. We need to have this hospice,” said Bentley. “We have an aging community here in Haldimand and Norfolk. Our cancer rates are skyrocketing, and we don’t have a hospice.”
Bentley criticized the staff recommendation.
“Jesus Murphy, you think we could try just a little bit harder. Perhaps we can go back to the table and look at this again, because we need this service,” she said. “Imagine this headline: the hospice ends up in Haldimand, but Haldimand County is not supportive. That’s nonsense and I don’t believe in it.”
Bentley previously brought a draft motion forward in November 2025 asking staff to look into waiving planning application fees and development charges for the project and covering the cost of installing a waterline to service the proposed development site. In total, the estimated cost for that support would be in the $850,000 range.
In a lengthy report, County staff laid out the reasoning for recommending denying financial support, including: there is currently no municipal mandate for funding hospice care; such care is a provincial responsibility; and no dedicated funding source exists, which would lead to reduced funds for existing municipal services, set a precedent for future funding requests, and lead to increased long-term financial risk.
Of note, Norfolk County Council has committed to a $750,000 contribution to the project. The hospice has also been the recipient of an outpouring of community support, from a gift of land to house the hospice and a $1 million donation from the Williamson family, to the Live Like Luke campaign which raised $300,000 thanks to Port Dover resident Dan Johnson’s bike ride across Canada. Numerous other community groups and individuals have rallied together, hosting events, fundraisers, and more in support of the hospice.
NHCH Board Member Shannon Porter spoke passionately as a delegate at the March 3 meeting, outlining his own personal story.
He shared how his mother-in-law ended up spending her final days at Norfolk General Hospital due to no available hospice care close to home, and how when his own mother neared the end of her life, his family were her primary caregivers.
“My mother passed away at home with us giving the care with support from nurses and an outreach program, but it was not us spending time with my mother; it was us taking care of her,” said Porter.
Bentley shared her own heartbreaking story: “I lost my sister during Covid. She died in the Norfolk hospital because she was misdiagnosed. She was full of cancer when she entered the emergency room. I put her in an ambulance and I never saw her again until I got the call that she was dying. That’s cruel,” said Bentley. “Her neighbour died two months later, and she had to go to the hospice in Brantford and her family had to travel there.”
Porter detailed the 141 years of combined experience shared by the various members of the NHCH team, including Beth Ellis, an accreditor with Hospice Palliative Care Ontario with 30 years of hospital experience; Norfolk General Chief of Staff Dr. Robin Godley, who has been involved in palliative care since 2005; and Executive Director Andrea Binkle, who has 40 years of experience as a registered nurse, with her last 20 spent exclusively in palliative care.
“Haldimand Norfolk residents should be proud to have an incredible team working on their behalf,” said Porter. “I understand that Haldimand has not traditionally supported such capital projects, yet Haldimand County has provided capital funding for both (Haldimand War) Memorial Hospital and West Haldimand General. Haldimand County also operates the Grandview Lodge long-term care facility. Palliative care is provided at that facility.”
He argued the new facility would help to reduce the cost of providing that care.
“It is unfortunate, but death does have a price. Hospice care is far less expensive than a hospital visit. A hospice facility helps alleviate strain on hospital emergency rooms and allowing hospital beds to open up earlier for hospital use,” said Porter.
With development of the facility slated to take place over the next three years, Porter urged the County to consider allotting a portion of funding in either the 2027 or 2028 budgets. He asserted that, contrary to the County staff report, such a donation would not be precedent-setting, citing Norfolk’s contribution along with similar contributions made by Niagara Region and Simcoe County toward hospices in their communities.
“We’re an organization that is providing a service to everyone in the area,” said Porter, adding that the project has achieved 60% of the needed funding to get the doors open so far, including $200,000 raised by the NHCH fundraising team in addition to the numerous fundraisers and events held by the Norfolk and Haldimand communities over that same time.
He shared a concern that a lack of County support could jeopardize potential future donations.
“We need to show a united front for this build to be successful,” said Porter.
Haldimand’s councillors agreed with the need for the hospice.
“What you’ve done so far goes beyond words,” said Councillor Dan Lawrence. “I’m going to be blunt; we need to support this 100%. We owe it to the taxpayers and residents, but more importantly… we owe it to our families to support this venture.
“When it comes to projects like this … you can’t put a price on it,” said Councillor John Metcalfe. “I know there’s creative ways to finance this…. I think there are numerous ways we could make this happen.”
Councillor Patrick O’Neill pushed for a higher-than-requested contribution: “I think $1 million from Haldimand makes sense to me.”
Council voted unanimously to defer the motion to a later date where it could be discussed further.
“If we could get that expedited that would be fantastic,” said Bentley.
