A sod-turning ceremony took place at the future site of a new long-term care home in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
The building will house 128 beds and will be licensed to, and operated by, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte represented by Tyendinaga Mohawk Council.
In a release, Ontario says the home will provide “culturally appropriate services” for the Indigenous community and will be able to provide “private, modern rooms, 24-hour nursing and personal care, social activities and food services, and help maintain connections with language, culture, and community.”
The home is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
Ontario’s Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra says the tenacity of Chief R. Don Maracle helped make this project happen.
“When I first met him, I was actually new to the job of Long-Term Care Minister,” Calandra explained to media.
“I’m not embarrassed to say he knew more about long-term care than than I did. This has obviously been a passion of his for a long time. We are going to use him to get more First Nations homes built across the province.”
The new home is expected to be completed by the winter of 2026.
“(If I’ve learned) anything about this chief and this band council, it will be on time if not early. He pushes, so it’s going to be a great day when we finally get it all built and we start seeing people come back (to the reserve),” Calandra said.
