The provincial government has broken ground on construction for St. Angela's Meadow Care Centre, a redeveloped long-term care home in Chatham-Kent which will feature 160 beds for the region.
It's part of the province's $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028, and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
The new home is being built on a new site in Chatham, and will provide 61 new and 99 upgraded beds in private and semi-private rooms.
St. Angela's Meadow Care Centre is a redevelopment of the previously named Meadow Park Nursing Home and is expected to welcome its first residents by spring 2026.
In addition to projects like St. Angela's Meadow Care Centre in Chatham, the provincial government is also supporting the development of other long-term care homes in Chatham and Blenheim.
The three projects will provide 84 new and 268 upgraded long-term care beds, for a total of 352 beds built to modern design standards when all are complete.
Minister of Long-Term Care, Paul Calandra, says the province is committed to fixing long-term care, and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe and comfortable homes for seniors.
"It's good and bad news, right? It's good news that we're building these new and upgraded beds, but it's bad news that it's taken this long for governments to realize. And that's why last November with Trevor Jone's advice we doubled funding for long-term care builds to get us back on track so we could get maximum amount of shovels in the ground before August 31 of this year," he said.
Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones says this investment isn't just about erecting bricks and mortar, it represents the embodiment of hope, dignity, and support for our most vulnerable.
"Larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centered around creating five, distinct, resident home areas."
He says each of those areas creates a more intimate and familiar living space with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms for up to 32 residents.
Jill Knowlton is the Director Of Long Term Care Operations at Jarlette Health Services, which will operate the home once it's built.
"This home in Chatham will be only the second full Butterfly home in all of Ontario. Which focuses on a motion-focused care, people living well, staff working well, and families doing well," she said.
Once completed, the home will also be part of a campus of care, which helps integrate the long-term care home into the broader health care system and ensures residents can conveniently connect to the care they need.
- with files from CTV Windsor