New Long-Term Care Home will have a 'Premier' view of Lake Nipissing

Premier Doug Ford was on hand at the old St. Joseph's McLaren Hospital site for a groundbreaking long-term care home announcement.  

The Premier, accompanied by Rod Phillips, the new Minister of Long Term Care and Vic Fedeli, Nipissing MPP, were joined by other dignitaries for the announcement about the new $55 million redevelopment project which will be considered one of the biggest new construction projects in the city. 

"We are going to build the nicest long-term care home this town has ever seen," said Premier Ford. 

"We are happy to be able to break ground today on the site of Water's Edge Care Community which will soon be home to 160 long-term care residents. We are getting shovels in the ground to get much-needed long term care spaces throughout the province."

See related: Company plans to 'move ahead' with new 160-bed long-term care facility 

The current Water's Edge facility is located off Lakeshore Drive in North Bay.

The Water’s Edge Care Community long-term care home will provide 12 new and 148 redeveloped, safe, modern long-term care spaces in North Bay.

"The Ontario government made an initial funding commitment of $46.6M to the Water’s Edge Care Community long-term care home," stated Amber Irwin Director of Communications, Ministry of Long Term Care.  

"Thanks to the modernized funding model announced last summer, this long-term care home has received an additional $7.6M. This brings Ontario’s total commitment to Water’s Edge Care Community to $54.2M."

A redevelopment plan to move the facility to the old hospital site was announced back in 2018 and the new facility is expected to be complete by the spring of 2023. 

Ford says the project is part of the province's $2.6 billion investment into long-term care in Ontario.