CLINTON, Ont. -- As you might imagine, Clinton residents aren’t happy about the impending overnight closure of their hospital’s emergency room (ER).

The Clinton Public Hospital ER will be closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. starting Dec. 2.

A shortage of qualified nurses is to blame.

An hour-and-half north, the Chesley District Hospital has closed their ER in the overnight hours due a similar shortage.

Anne Campbell is in charge of the Clinton hospital’s nursing recruitment efforts.

She says there are other hospitals in rural Ontario that are “one retirement” away from facing a similar nursing shortage.

She hopes the Clinton ER closure is short term, but she there is no reopening timeline, as of yet.

A community meeting to discuss the temporary closure of the emergency room is taking place Tuesday night in Clinton at the Libro Hall.