Port Colborne (General Hospital) Heliport

Healthcare Restructuring. The heliport was closed as a direct result of the Niagara Health System's decision to downgrade the Port Colborne General Hospital from an acute care facility to a site with limited services. With the removal of the 24/7 emergency department and inpatient critical care capabilities, the primary need for a medical evacuation (medevac) heliport was eliminated. This was part of a broader regional strategy to centralize specialized medical services in larger, more modern facilities for economic and logistical efficiency.

The site is the Port Colborne Site of Niagara Health. The building no longer functions as a full-service hospital but houses an Urgent Care Centre (with limited hours, not 24/7), various outpatient clinics, and long-term care beds. The physical helipad, a ground-level paved area on the west side of the property, still exists but is no longer certified, maintained, or used for aviation purposes. Faded markings may still be visible on the ground and in satellite imagery.

The Port Colborne (General Hospital) Heliport was a vital component of the region's emergency medical services network. Its sole and critical function was to facilitate medevac flights for critically ill and injured patients. Air ambulance services, primarily Ornge (and its predecessors), used the heliport to rapidly transport patients requiring a higher level of care from the Port Colborne area to larger, specialized trauma, cardiac, or stroke centers in Hamilton and Toronto. The heliport ensured that residents of this smaller community had timely access to life-saving tertiary care that was not available locally.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening the heliport. Its operation is entirely dependent on the restoration of a full-service emergency department and acute care services at the Port Colborne site. This is contrary to the current and long-term regional healthcare strategy, which is focused on service consolidation and the construction of a new central hospital for the South Niagara region. Therefore, any future reopening of the heliport is considered highly unlikely.