New Brunswick is promising to spend almost a billion dollars in this year’s budget on senior care, but some argue it still falls short of the urgency needed in a growing crisis.
The province’s long-term care plan was announced Thursday and aims to create a system for seniors that adapts to evolving needs.
“The move to a flexible person-centred model that adjusts care level and funding as residents needs evolve,” said Premier Susan Holt.
At the end of 2025, nearly 1,100 people were waiting for a spot in a nursing home in the province, with almost of them waiting in hospitals.
To address that shortage of nursing home spots, the new plan includes the replacement of six aging nursing homes. The plan also includes 624 new long-term care beds in Shediac, Fredericton, Quispamsis and Riverview, with more locations to be announced.
The province is also committing $10 million for home care access and over $9 million for personal support worker wages.
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“There’s a way with home care to reduce the need for 180 beds. That’s five nursing homes,” said Holt.
“If we do special care homes and diversion better, we can reduce the need for 500 beds. That’s another 10 nursing home. So, we have to get ahead of this problem.”
The New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes says senior care in the province is in crisis, in part due to high staff turnover rates.
Richard Losier, the association’s CEO, says the plan lacks urgency in light of that crisis.
“I wish we had a short-term plan to put the fires out because you can’t build a house on a bad foundation,” he said.
He’s particularly concerned it doesn’t set a goal on increasing the hours of care. Losier says the province’s hours of care — or direct nursing or personal care per resident — sits at 3.09.
“We talk about increase of hours of care. What is the goal? It should be 4.1. Is that indicated anywhere? Absolutely not,” he said.
The plan does, however, commit $2.6 million to increase care hours.
“(But) $2.6 million for the hours of care is a drop in the bucket, or in a bathtub I should say,” said Losier.
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