District funding commitment for Fairvern redevelopment ‘a Christmas wish come true’

– with files from Dawn Huddlestone

A commitment of up to $10.5 million by the District of Muskoka towards the redevelopment of Fairvern Nursing Home is a Christmas wish come true, said the home’s administrator Tracey Badger.

The funds are contingent on the Province approving an additional 20 beds for Fairvern, making it much more sustainable from an operational standpoint, noted Tim Withey who sits on the Fairvern board. The redevelopment at 96 beds would cost an estimated $22.6 million.

Rick Williams, District Commissioner of Community Services for the District, said part of the redevelopment costs would be carried by the Province but the owner of the not-for-profit nursing home, in this case the Board of Fairvern, would be required to contribute up to $10.5 million. “They have no means of generating that type of money so the District has agreed to contribute up to that amount if the Province confirms its funding, which is expected,” he said, adding that the Province would also be expected to commit to funding the operation of the 96-bed facility.

Williams said the Province manages over 70,000 long-term care beds in Ontario and there are redevelopments happening all the time. He is optimistic that an additional 20 licensed beds is doable. He said the board of Fairvern will be the lead in the capital redevelopment project. In terms of the long-term operation of the home, a group will be formed in the new year to look at options from a cost and effectiveness perspective.

Among those options would be the status quo where the Fairvern board would continue to operate the home, looking at the idea of Fairvern becoming a District home – the District already operates 160-bed The Pines Long-Term Care Home in Bracebridge – or hybrid models between the two, according to Williams.

I think there is a lot of support for this at [District] council and if the Province is able to confirm the beds both from the capital as well as the operating sense, I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to move forward and Fairvern really does need to move forward. It’ll be a great day to have a new facility for the residents and the families there. District commissioner of community services Rick Williams

Williams also noted it will mean additional jobs for the community. Fairvern currently employs about 100 full- and part-time people and with an additional 20 beds, staffing needs would increase by approximately 30 per cent, said Williams.

The resolution to commit the funding was passed almost unanimously by District council on December 19 with Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young voting against it. He said he agrees with the project and knew it would pass, otherwise he would not have voted against it if he thought it would jeopardize it in any way. He said his was more of a protest vote related to how the District funds such projects from the tax base, which is allotted according to assessment. “As I tried to tell people the payment model is flawed because the $10.5 million just comes out of the tax base, which means the townships once again pay two-thirds of it,” said Young.

Either way, in the end it passed and the Board is ecstatic, said board chair Rob Laver. “We’ve got a great financial backer here and there’s nothing holding us back,” he said. “It’s been a slow process, obviously we’ve been talking about this a long time but this piece with District this week is a huge check mark in one of the boxes that we needed to get passed.” He said he’s keeping his fingers crossed and is hopeful that shovels might hit the ground this summer on the lands donated for the redevelopment at 450 Muskoka Road 3 North by Greystone Project Management’s Pat Dubé, who also sits on the Huntsville Hospital board.

“That’s an exciting leap forward in the process and now the work begins,” Mayor Scott Aitchison told Huntsville council at its December 20 meeting about the funding announcement at District. “I would be remiss if I didn’t pay special note to former Councillor Tim Withey who worked hard to get on that Fairvern board and then worked very hard along with me… at District Council to make sure they got that support. This is really a significant thing; I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so pleased about winning a District vote in my life. This will move Huntsville forward. I’m very pleased about that. I want to pay special tribute to Mr. Withey for his hard work and the entire Fairvern board. They’ve been really fantastic to work with. It’s great for Huntsville, great for healthcare.”

See related stories below:

Fairvern land donation a win-win for all; now funding is needed

Fairvern turns to Town and District for help with redevelopment needs

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