Ground was broken Friday for new long-term care homes in Madoc and Belleville, Ont.
In Madoc, the Clare McFaul Long-term Care home will offer 128 new beds. The single-floor building on St Lawrence Street West will be part of a campus of care and is expected to open to residents in the fall of 2025.
“I am happy to see this much needed long-term care home in Madoc get underway,” said Ric Bresee, MPP for Hasting-Lennox and Addington. “It will fill a gap and provide a home for so many in central Hastings County. So happy to see this government fulling its promise to provide high quality long-term care across all regions in the province.”
UniversalCare will run the new facility. Company president and CEO Joseph Gulizia says he thanks the Municipality of Centre Hastings council for making a long-term care home a top priority.
“Their leadership and dedication have been instrumental in making this a reality,” he said. “We also want to thank the Ministry of Long-Term Care for recognizing the need for such a home and their ongoing support. Additionally, we express our appreciation to MPP Ric Bresee and past MPP Daryl Kramp for their contributions. The Clare McFaul Long-Term Care home will undoubtedly contribute to the continued vibrancy of our community, benefiting our families and providing numerous employment opportunities.”
Belleville
In nearby Belleville, construction is underway at Neighbourhood Better Living for a new 160-bed facility that will also be part of a campus of care. The building on Sydney Street is also scheduled for a fall 2025 opening.
“It’s exciting news for Bay of Quinte residents to see construction start for the 160-bed Neighbourhood Better Living long-term care home, Belleville’s first new build in the sector in 20 years,” said Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith. “Working with our partners from SigNature Communities, Clearway Construction and UniversalCare Canada, our government is committed to delivering the modern, dignified living experience vulnerable seniors deserve, right here in our community.”
SigNature Communities vice-president Sebastian Mizzi said the company is “incredibly excited” to begin construction on the state-of-the-art long-term care home.
“From the outset, we wanted to build a place that could feel like home, where generations can receive exceptional care and stay in the Belleville area,” Mizzi said. “I have a deep connection to Belleville, with several of my family members living in this city. Like so many, they never want to leave. Today’s ground-breaking is an important step in ensuring that local residents have access to care within the community that they love. I would like to thank the Province of Ontario for its continued support of the project. We look forward to becoming a valued member of this wonderful community.”
The province says both homes are among 67 long-term care home projects being fast-tracked this fall with support from an increased provincial construction funding subsidy for construction starts before Aug. 31, 2023. Both homes will feature design improvements, including larger resident common areas and air conditioning. The design is centred around “resident home areas,” each of which has a living space for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.
Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care, visited both communities to mark the occasion. The province aims to build more than 30,000 net new long-term care beds by 2028 and upgrade more than 28,000 older beds to more design standards.
“Congratulations to the teams at Neighbourhood Better Living and Clare McFaul on their ground-breakings for their new homes,” Cho said. “Our government is fixing long-term care and ensuring we build homes for seniors in the communities they helped build.”
“Today marks a significant milestone for Belleville and Madoc. When construction is complete, 288 additional residents will have a new, modern and comfortable place to call home.”
The province notes as of September 2023, there were more than 43,000 individuals on a waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The average wait time is 123 days for an applicant to be placed in a long-term care home.
Comments