Work to rebuild the Golden Manor and increase the number of beds it offers is moving ahead.
At the Feb. 4 Timmins council meeting, a recommendation to allow the facility's committee of management apply to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was approved.
The application is for a hybrid redevelopment project that would see the 176 existing long-term care (LTC) beds redeveloped, and create 16 new LTC beds. The new 192-bed building would be located on the empty land in the northwest corner of the current location.
“The application is the first step in the process to receive approval from the Ministry to begin our planning," administrator Carol Halt explained to council.
"There will be lots of opportunity as we move through that process to bring key information and key decision points back to council, but this is the first step that we need to get an application in before the end of March so that they can review our readiness to actually start off on our planning phase."
In 2017, a feasibility study for the redevelopment of the Golden Manor was done. In 2019, Halt said there was an analysis of the redevelopment options and the committee of management supported the option to rebuild.
Last October, the province announced it's creating 15,000 new LTC beds and redeveloping 15,000 older LTC beds by 2024. The deadline for those applications is March 30, 2020.
Coun. Joe Campbell said redeveloping the facility will make it a better home for the residents.
"The washrooms are going to be more accessible, the logistics in the building for the residents are going to be more attractive,” he said.
If the plan moves ahead, the report notes the future of the existing building will be decided at a later date.
"The City will borrow the funds for the redevelopment project. Once the project is complete and meets all applicable conditions, the MOLTC will provide the City of Timmins with a Construction Funding Subsidy (CFS) which is a per bed per day (per diem) funding paid over 25 years to assist with paying down the debt," reads the staff report.
"The city will be eligible for one-time $250,000 planning grant once a Development Agreement has been signed with the Ministry of Long-Term Care."