WELLAND — Construction is underway at the new Foyer Richelieu Welland, a long-term care home in the Niagara Region. This is part of the Ontario government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province. The home is one of 39 long-term care projects in development across the province where services for Francophone residents will be provided.
“Congratulations to Foyer Richelieu Welland on their ground-breaking for a brand new, 128-bed home. Our government is fixing long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today marks a significant milestone for Foyer Richelieu Welland. It’s also an important day for Ontario’s Francophone community as Foyer Richelieu will offer all 128 beds to Francophone residents so they can receive care in French that is tailored to their cultural and language needs.”
So good to have @PaulCalandra and @SylviaJonesMPP in Niagara today to meet with local long term care leaders, frontline staff in hospice, and see the progress on our new hospital in West Niagara!
+ the ground breaking of a brand new Foyer Richelieu LTC home in Welland! pic.twitter.com/o6FQ32AWDc
— Sam Oosterhoff (@samoosterhoff) May 2, 2023
Foyer Richelieu Welland is expected to finish construction and start welcoming its first residents in summer 2025. The redeveloped home will provide 66 new and 62 upgraded beds in private, semi-private and basic rooms. The new building will feature design improvements, including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centred around ‘resident home areas’ that aim to create more intimate and familiar living spaces for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.
The redevelopment of Foyer Richelieu Welland is enabled by the ministry’s Not-For-Profit Loan Guarantee Program. Securing capital development loans has been a long-standing barrier faced by the not-for-profit long-term care sector. The program helps unlock lending and reduces borrowing costs for eligible non-municipal, not-for-profit long-term care development projects – and ensures that Ontario’s seniors will have access to a range of choices for their long-term care needs.
The Ontario government is also providing up to $4.6 million to Hospice Niagara for a new 10-bed residential hospice co-located with Foyer Richelieu Welland. Construction is expected to start in spring 2023 and be completed in winter 2024/25.
Ontario is supporting another 12 long-term care projects in the Niagara Region, including the development of homes in St. Catharines, Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland. Together, these 13 projects will provide 810 new and 1,541 upgraded long-term care beds, for a total of 2,351 beds built to modern design standards.
The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors experience the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.
Quick Facts
- The Foyer Richelieu Welland long-term care home is a designated agency under the French Language Services Act. This means the home has met the designation requirements and demonstrated capacity to provide part of its services or programs in French to residents.
- The Ontario government provided $24,889 to Foyer Richelieu Welland in 2022-23 for diagnostic equipment, an infusion pump and stand, a suction machine and specialized dementia training for staff, in order to provide better care and help keep residents out of the hospital. This was part of a $20 million investment in 189 projects provincewide through the Local Priorities Fund, operated by Ontario Health. The fund is part of a broader investment of over $120 million in 2022-23, with additional funding moving forward, to provide access to a range of specialized services and supports, so that long-term care residents with complex needs can access connected and convenient care in the comfort of their long-term care home instead of a hospital.
- The Ontario government is providing a supplemental increase to the construction funding subsidy to stimulate the start of construction by August 31, 2023 for more long-term care homes across the province, including Foyer Richelieu Welland. Not-for-profit homes have the option to receive a portion of the funding as an up-front construction grant payable at the start of construction. The supplemental increase is part of the funding for long-term care home development.
- As of February 2023, more than 39,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 130 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
Quotes
“I’m very pleased that our government’s investment of $4.6 million for Hospice Niagara will create additional hospice beds and provide compassionate end-of-life care for patients and families in the Niagara Region. By co-locating this new hospice with Foyer Richelieu in Welland, residents of the long-term care home will be able to remain close to family and friends in their community and receive hospice care in a familiar setting, close to home.”
– Sylvia Jones
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
“Foyer Richelieu Welland, designated under the French Language Services Act, is a front-line institution serving the Francophone community. Its expansion demonstrates our commitment to improving the delivery of French-language services throughout the province. My colleagues and I will continue to work closely to ensure the well-being of the Francophone community, and to meet its needs.”
– Caroline Mulroney
Minister of Francophone Affairs
“All seniors and those in need of care in our province deserve to receive care with dignity and respect. The excellent new project being built at Foyer Richelieu Welland will allow for more residents of Niagara to receive world-class care, when and where they need it.”
– Sam Oosterhoff
MPP for Niagara West
“This will help build much needed long-term care beds for Welland and will also create a community within a community for approximately 250 residents living in our Francophone hub of care. For the first time in Ontario, there will be the following services along the continuum of care, including: independent retirement living, assisted living, long-term care, hospice, plus a community and cultural centre, all on one campus of care.”
– Muriel Thibault-Gauthier
Board Chair, Foyer Richelieu Welland
“Foyer Richelieu Welland is blessed to have so many great partners to make this dream a reality. Today marks a very important, red-letter day for the francophone population of Southern Ontario.”
– Sean Keays
Chief Administrative Officer, Foyer Richelieu Welland
SOURCE Province of Ontario
Leave a Reply