BELLEVILLE — Construction is underway at Neighbourhood Better Living in Belleville and Clare McFaul Long-Term Care in Madoc. These two new homes are among the 67 long-term care home projects fast-tracked this fall with support from the Ontario government’s increased provincial construction funding subsidy for construction starts before August 31, 2023. This is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to build more than 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
“Congratulations to the teams at Neighbourhood Better Living and Clare McFaul on their ground-breakings for their new homes. Our government is fixing long-term care and ensuring we build homes for seniors in the communities they helped build,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care. “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.”
Once complete, Neighbourhood Better Living in Belleville will provide 160 new beds. The home will be part of a campus of care, which helps integrate the long-term care home into the broader health care system and ensures residents can conveniently connect to the care they need. The home is expected to welcome its first residents in fall 2025.
Clare McFaul Long-Term Care in Madoc will provide 128 new beds in a building designed with an emphasis on energy conservation and infection control. The home will also be part of a campus of care. It is expected to welcome its first residents in fall 2025.
Both homes will feature design improvements, including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout. The design is centred around ‘resident home areas’, each of which creates a more intimate and familiar living space for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.
The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get 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
- As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address sector waitlists, the government is building more than 30,000 net new long-term care beds in Ontario by 2028 and upgrading more than 28,000 older beds to modern design standards.
- Building more modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors is part of the Government of Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
- The province is taking innovative steps to get long-term care homes built, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
- As of September 2023, more than 43,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 123 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
Quotes
“The ground-breaking for the two brand new homes in Belleville and Madoc signifies a significant stride towards Ontario’s target of adding 30,000 new long-term care beds. This achievement is of great importance to the people of Hastings County, as upon completion, these facilities together will become a new home for 288 residents. I look forward to the opportunity of visiting both homes upon completion.”
– John Jordan
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care
“I am happy to see this much needed long-term care home in Madoc get underway. 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.”
– Ric Bresee
MPP for Hastings—Lennox and Addington
“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. 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.”
– Todd Smith
MPP for Bay of Quinte
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the entire Municipality of Centre Hastings Council and the residents of Madoc for warmly welcoming The Clare McFaul Long-Term Care Home into their community. Mayor Deline and his Council have made securing a long-term care home a top priority, and their leadership and dedication have been instrumental in making this a reality. 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.”
– Joseph Gulizia
President and CEO UniversalCare
“We are incredibly excited to begin construction of Neighbourhood Better Living, a state-of-the-art long-term care home in Belleville. 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. 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.”
– Sebastian Mizzi
Vice President at SigNature Communities
SOURCE Province of Ontario
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