Waiting on the province

HJ McFarland Home expansion plan moves to design

The County has a big and expensive plan to build a $97 million long-term care home. But CAO Marcia Wallace made it quite clear that without subsidy funding from the province, the County simply cannot afford it.

At last Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Director of Long-term Care Kyle Cotton told council the redevelopment team have been working on the pre-design phase that drives the form and function of the home, including resident rooms, communal spaces such as dining room and lounges, support services, community and outdoor areas, admin services and staff amenities as well as central and building services.

Current plans would see a 160-bed facility on four acres of municipally-owned land adjacent to the existing H.J. McFarland Memorial Home. The new home would be about double the size of the existing home, at 114,000 square feet. The current home would remain in full operation while the new building is under construction.

According to Cotton, the County would be able to allocate approximately $2.3 million from development charges to support the long-term debt. Cotton added that there are plans to launch a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $1 million.

The provincial Ministry of Long-Term Care has advised staff it is currently evaluating potential funding and subsidy opportunities. The County is expecting the province to fund the bulk of the capital expenditure required to build the home. An announcement is expected soon.

Questions arose regarding when and if funding would come. The County is currently subject to a deadline of 2025 to upgrade the existing home by adding a sprinkler system throughout the facility. “Is the provincial government coming with money? If not, are there plans to equip the existing building with what is needed, such as fire protection?” asked Councillor Brad Nieman.

Shire Hall officials don’t know the province’s answer yet, but the signals remain positive.

But we got a very strong signal to keep moving forward with planning.” said Chief Administrative Officer Marcia Wallace. “The impression we were left with is that the intention is to bring out some funding.”

She went on to say that other municipalities are getting the same signals, and the idea is to remain as shovel-ready as possible.

“We are seeking council direction to create the capital project pending that money. There is still no way we can afford this project without the accelerated funding,” she added.

Staff are not recommending upgrading the sprinkler system, as it is seen as a barrier to redevelopment by the province.

“It doesn’t make great fiscal sense to devote a significant amount of money into a building for sprinklering when we are going to be vacating it. Waiting until we know exactly what is happening with the accelerated fund subsidy makes sense,” said Cotton.

Cotton added that if all goes to plan, shovels could be in the ground as early as mid to late fall next year.