New Elder care home will bring 128 much-needed long-term care beds to Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

NationTalk: TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY — Construction is underway on a new Elder care home to be operated by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, a First Nation community on the shore of the Bay of Quinte. This is part of the Ontario government’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.

“Congratulations to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte on their ground-breaking for a new long-term care home. Our government is committed to our shared journey of healing and reconciliation with the Indigenous people of Ontario,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “We are also fixing long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors. Today’s ground-breaking represents a significant milestone for both priorities. When the home is completed, 128 First Nation residents will have a new place to call home near their family and friends that is tailored to the needs of their community.”

The new state-of-the-art 128-bed home being developed in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is expected to welcome residents in winter 2026. The not-for-profit home will provide 128 new long-term care beds and culturally appropriate services for the Indigenous community. The home will provide private, modern rooms, 24-hour nursing and personal care, social activities and food services, and help maintain connections with language, culture, and community.

Once built, the home will also feature design improvements including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centred around ‘resident home areas’ to create more intimate and familiar living spaces for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms. The new home will be licensed to and operated by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, represented by Tyendinaga Mohawk Council.

The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.

Quick Facts

• The Ontario government is on track to build 30,000 much-needed new long-term care beds in the province by 2028, and is redeveloping older beds to modern design standards. Through a $6.4 billion investment, Ontario has 31,705 new and 28,648 upgraded beds in the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process. This will help increase overall bed capacity, address long-term care waitlists and hallway health care, and provide our seniors with the care they deserve.
• Building more modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors is part of the Government of Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
• The province is taking innovative steps to get long-term care homes built, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
• The Ontario government is providing a supplemental increase to the construction funding subsidy to stimulate the start of construction by August 31, 2023 for more long-term care homes across the province, including the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte project. Not-for-profit homes have the option to receive a portion of the funding as an up-front construction grant payable at the start of construction. The supplemental increase is part of the funding for long-term care home development.
• As of April 2023, more than 40,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 123 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.

Quotes

“Officially breaking ground on the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Elder Care Home project is not only a great achievement for our community, it also demonstrates the success of the Chief’s Committee on Long-Term Care working collaboratively with licensing and funding partners from the governments of Ontario and Canada. MBQ’s Elder Care Home will become just the fifth licensed long-term care facility on a First Nation territory. This will allow folks to remain on-territory as they age and require more care. This is crucial as leaving the community when care is needed can re-traumatize those who have been impacted by the residential school system. As work begins on constructing this new 128-bed, net zero carbon project, we will continue working with community partners such as First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) to train nurses and PSWs in order to hire local as much as possible. The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are excited for this project to become a reality.”

– R. Donald Maracle
Chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte

“The Elders in our community deserve to have good places to live out their final years in close connection to their own communities. I’m grateful for this government living up to its promise and partnering with all levels of government to provide this needed housing.”

– Ric Bresee
MPP for Hastings—Lennox and Addington

“Supporting the health and well-being of Indigenous people across Ontario remains top priority for our government, and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are no exception. As part of our commitment to advancing meaningful reconciliation, our government is improving community infrastructure and strengthening cultural ties to promote a high quality of life in First Nation communities across Ontario.”

– Greg Rickford
Minister of Indigenous Affairs

Additional Resources

2023 Ontario Budget: Building a Strong Ontario

Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care

Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery

Media Contacts

Jake Roseman
Office of the Minister of Long-Term Care
Jake.Roseman@ontario.ca

Ministry of Long-Term Care Media Line
Communications Branch
MLTC.Media@ontario.ca