As seniors face wait times to access Ontario’s long-term care homes, a Lake Erie beach town looks to put a dent in the queue as it breaks ground on a new 100-plus bed facility.
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As seniors face wait times to access Ontario’s long-term care homes, a Lake Erie beach town looks to put a dent in the queue as construction begins on an expanded facility.
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Queen’s Park announced Friday construction was underway on a 128–bed long-term care home in Port Stanley – a Central Elgin community about 40 kilometres south of London – that is operated by -Extendicare, a Markham-based long-term care provider.
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“Congratulations to Extendicare Port Stanley on the redevelopment of their home,” Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta said in a Ministry of Long-Term Care news release. “Today marks a significant milestone for Port Stanley. When construction is complete, 128 residents will have a safe and modern place to call home,” she said.
The construction will add 68 beds along with the redevelopment of 60 beds, with Kusendova-Bashta noting the provincial Progressive Conservative government “is fixing long-term care by building capacity where Ontarians need it.”
The project was a recipient of the construction funding subsidy top-up that is part of the Ontario government’s plan to “fix long-term care and address sector wait lists” by building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across province, the release said.
Health Quality Ontario – a provincial that connects and co-ordinates Ontario’s health care system – said the median number of days Ontarians waited to move into a community long-term care home was about 200 days in 2022-23.
During the same time period, the median number of days residents waited to get in to three long-term care homes near Port Stanley were 228 days at Caressant Care on Bonnie Place and 248 days at Valleyview Home that are both in St. Thomas, and 393 days at Elgin Manor that is several kilometres east of the city.
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A spokesperson from Kusendova-Bashta’s office stated by email that, as of November 2024, Extendicare Port Stanley is eligible to receive up to $194.7 million in ministry funding, which includes a construction funding subsidy of approximately $65.8 million during 25 years, including $40.9 million in construction funding subsidy top-up cash.
An Extendicare spokesperson said the cost of the facility’s redevelopment is pegged at $52.7 million and the home will be about 7,400 square metres (80,000 square feet) when construction is complete.
“Our government is committed to accelerating the construction of long-term care homes, ensuring that our communities’ seniors receive the care and support they deserve.”
Upon completion, the two-storey home will consist of four 32-bed “resident home areas” that are designed to create an intimate and familiar living space for residents, the ministry release said. Each area for residents will include a dining section, activity spaces, lounges and bedrooms, as well as areas for visitors.
Extendicare Port Stanley expects to greet its first residents in early 2027, the ministry said.
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