NEWS RELEASE
DOUG DOWNEY, MPP FOR BARRIE-SPRINGWATER-ORO-MEDONTE
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The Ontario government is making an historic investment in 80 new long-term care projects — including three homes in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte.
This means 198 new, and 122 upgraded long-term care spaces for seniors in our area. These spaces are part of the government’s delivery of 30,000 much-needed long-term care spaces over ten years.
The projects are:
- Grove Park Home
- 2 new spaces and 62 upgraded spaces. The project will involve renovation and addition resulting in a 145-bed home in Barrie as part of a campus of care.
- Victoria Village Manor
- 128 new spaces resulting in a 256-bed home through the construction of a new building in Barrie as part of a campus of care. The home will offer services to Francophone residents.
- Sara Vista
- 68 new and 60 upgraded spaces to create a 128-bed home through the construction of a new building in Elmvale.
“It is of vital importance to increase and upgrade spaces in our long-term care facilities, to better support our loved ones,” said Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie – Springwater – Oro-Medonte. “I know that our community has advocated for this. I have had many conversations with residents about long waitlists at our local LTC homes. This will help to bring down those waitlists. It is very rewarding to have had a part in making this happen. A big thank you to Minister Fullerton for her work on this project.”
In addition to modernizing the long-term care sector, these projects will help reduce waitlists and end hallway medicine. Province-wide, these investments also support key government priorities, including eliminating three and four bed ward rooms, creating campuses of care and providing new spaces for Indigenous, Francophone and other cultural community residents.
“Our loved ones in long-term care deserve a comfortable, modern place to live, near family and friends, with the support they need when they need it,” said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care. “These new and upgraded spaces, built to modern design standards, will help prevent and contain the transmission of infectious diseases and ensure residents have access to the care they need in a safe and secure environment.”
Criteria for selecting the projects being announced today included:
- Upgrading older homes in response to lessons learned around improved Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) measures, particularly the elimination of three and fourbed rooms;
- Adding spaces to areas where there is high need;
- Addressing the growing needs of diverse groups, including Francophone and Indigenous communities; and/or,
- Promoting campuses of care to better address the specialized care needs of residents.
QUICK FACTS
- These projects are part Ontario’s Long-Term Care Modernization Plan.
- As of December 2020, more than 40,000 people across Ontario were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed.
- Across the province, the Ontario government is moving forward with 80 new long-term care projects, which will lead to an additional 7,510 new and 4,197 upgraded long-term care spaces.
- Ontario is investing $933 million in these projects province-wide, on top of the $1.75 billion already earmarked for the delivery of 30,000 new spaces over ten years.
- With this new allocation, Ontario now has 20,161 new and 15,918 redevelopment spaces in the development pipeline.
- Ontario has committed to an average of four hours of direct care per day for our loved ones living in long term care homes. Ontario is the first province in Canada to take this important step.
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