Town of Huntsville CAO Denise Corry told Huntsville Council at its April meeting that with the Province’s recent announcement that it would be adding more long-term care beds to the system, Fairvern’s redevelopment plans are on hold.
Currently, the redevelopment plans call for a new 96-bed facility on lands behind the Huntsville hospital. “They do have their schematic design that they’re trying to finalize with the consultant but until there’s a final number [of beds], pending what the Province has recently announced, they are sort of in a hold mode right now,” said Corry, who sits on Fairvern’s capital redevelopment committee.
Mayor Scott Aitchison told his colleagues that in order for the new Fairvern to be successful it will require more than 96 beds.
One of the things that the folks at Fairvern have brought to our attention is that at 96 beds, the new Fairvern still won’t be quite big enough and generate enough revenue to really be sustainable long-term.Huntsville Mayor Scott Aitchison on Fairvern’s redevelopment plans
At 96 beds they would probably start running into some of the very same issues that plagued them in the past. “They would get a little bit of money saved and something would go wrong with the elevator and they’d be broke and scrambling for money,” said Aitchison. “So what they have analyzed is that if they had a minimum of 32 more beds on top of the 96, that would be approaching the right critical mass of size and revenue at a minimum [so] that it could continue to operate as a not-for-profit community home.”
The Province has announced that it plans to add another 15,000 long-term care beds to the system in the next five years, of which approximately 6,500 of those will be added this year, said Aitchison. In that context, Aitchison said the board of Fairvern asked him to reach out to Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott and Premier Doug Ford to see if they’d consider approving more beds for Fairvern “because now is the perfect time. You know they’re ready right now to add those beds,” said Aitchison, noting that if beds were added in future it would be costlier and more disruptive.
Aitchison told his fellow councillors that he wrote a letter to the Minister as well as the Premier and was pleasantly surprised to get a call from the latter.
“I explained it to him in a little more detail and he was very supportive of the idea and said that he’d be talking to the Minister and see what they could do to make sure we got some extra beds here,” said Aitchison of his conversation with Premier Ford. He said the Premier also recognized that long-term care beds in communities like Huntsville are very much needed, as many people chose to retire here.
Councillor Tim Withey, who previously sat on the Fairvern redevelopment committee, said the approval process for initially going from 76 to 96 beds “was unbelievably brutal.”
He said the project cost, half of which was being provided by the District of Muskoka which had committed to $10.5 million in funding at the time, had gone from an estimated $22 million to “I believe $26 [million] and climbing” without adding more beds.
He said part of the deal with the Ministry is that Fairvern come up with 50 per cent of the project cost and take out a loan for the remainder, which would then be paid back by the Ministry over a number of years.
“I remain bullish on this project. It’s something that’s dear to my heart having been closely involved with it. I hope that this new government can move things a little bit quicker than in the past and I don’t know where the extra funds are going to come from,” Withey said, adding that perhaps another visit to the District may be in order.
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Why in the first place didn’t we apply for the 128 beds, not the 96… I totally don’t understand… now we have to wait… and all the money we spent on Architecture has now been wasted… Now we have to start all over… and now New board is goin with totally different Architects…. omg more money ?
Marlene
Well said, we the staff also should of found out b4 reading it on the Doppler… When we had our staff meeting with board members there, just b4 Christmas,we were made to believe that the district was goin to take us over… well I guess we all know now… NOT THE CASE…. I can say so sad as I have worked at Fairvern for 32 years
Muskoka has 510 long-term care beds across four homes. There was a wait list of 986 names for those beds in May.
The answer is simple. All of us senior citizens will just have to look after ourselves
as best we can and die at home. Those lucky enough to still have a home that is!
When we die the government collects HST for the services. We are worth more to the
powers that be dead than alive. Simple, No?
In the design phase of the proposed new facility I wonder if they considered making the foundations strong enough to allow for a second storey which could be added in the future if required?
As yet another former member of the Fairvern Redevelopment Committee, I am totally onside with the thrust of this article. With the additional leverage of the Premier vacationing in Muskoka, and the Mayor being a potential Tory candidate in October (albeit for the Feds); our chances are definitely enhanced.
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With all the additional costs associated with satisfying the accessibility requirements of the AODA, 2005; including a project manager with specialized knowledge in accessibility; the present is the time to include 33% more beds. At the very least, a memorandum of understanding should be acquired from the province to fund the additional 32 beds within the near future; and the plans should be revised to reflect a 128-bed facility (with the maximum utility of expansion from the possible 96-bed model at this time).
Right on Marlene!!! It will only cost that much more in the future if they have to expand Fairvern to accommodate future residents as the price goes up for the materials to build.
I have been an PSW at Fairvern since 1995. I have been a paddler in the Paddle for Fairvern raising funds to go to the new build. We all know we need a new Fairvern. The building we are in is old and outdated. A new build is only part of the answer. We certainly need more then 96 beds. Our population is aging and LTC beds have waiting lists. It’s sad when people who have lived their entire lives here in Huntsville have to take beds in other communities. Fairvern has been known as the home with heart. We have dedicated staff and residents who are like family living in our home. So I guess short of a financial miracle, we will once again wait. Wait for more beds. Wait for more financial support.