THUNDER BAY – Four long-term care homes in northwestern Ontario will see improvements to their ventilation systems, thanks to millions in new federal-provincial funding.
Four LTC homes in Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Rainy River, and Atikokan will receive a total of $5.6 million for the upgrades, the governments announced Friday in a joint announcement.
The federal government will contribute $4.5 million of that, while the province will kick in roughly $1.1 million.
The majority of the funding will go to upgrade HVAC and other ventilation systems, as well as sprinkler systems, the governments stated.
The Atikokan General Hospital, which operates a 26-bed long-term care wing, will receive $1.86 million.
The Rainycrest long-term care home in Fort Frances, operated by Riverside Health Care, will receive $1.95 million.
The Rainy River Health Centre, also operated by Riverside, will receive $1.48 million
Finally, Hogarth Riverview Manor in Thunder Bay, operated by St. Joseph’s Care Group, will receive $340,000.
The investment comes through a $3 billion “COVID-19 resilience stream” in the federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), which funds 80 per cent of eligible provincial projects, and 100 per cent of projects in territories and Indigenous communities.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has found that "adequate ventilation can contribute to reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission" indoors, though it stresses ventilation is only one risk factor.
“Upgrading ventilation systems to ensure cleaner air in Ontario’s long-term care homes will be critical to the health and safety of residents and the people that care for them,” said Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski in a statement.
“Our government’s investment of 80 cents on every dollar for these projects not only protects our loved ones but creates jobs in our region.”
The funding is part of a $99.4 million province-wide investment announced Friday by the two governments, which will support 95 projects across Ontario.
“We are making sure our loved ones have the comfortable and safe living spaces they deserve,” said Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford. “During COVID-19 we continue to put the safety and well-being of long-term care residents at the heart of everything we do.”
