Housing project in Mattawa to help dozens of seniors find an affordable place to live
A seniors housing project in Mattawa, east of North Bay, is well underway as the redevelopment of an old nursing home continues.
The apartment project at the location of the old Algonquin Nursing Home is aimed at giving affordable housing to 30 seniors by the spring of 2022.
The town bought the building two years ago. It's a $5.5 million build.
"We're going to redevelop it to something that a lot of people can use for years and hears to come," said Francine Desormeau, of the Town of Mattawa
Ellie Humphrey began advocating for more affordable seniors housing back in 2012. And nine years later, she is overjoyed this project is underway.
"This is a senior community," Humphrey said. "I was happy and I told my daughter, 'I did my duty!'"
The units will either be a studio apartment or two bedrooms. Town councillor Gary Thibert, who sits on municipal committees that participated in surveys for affordable housing, said the project is needed.
"We realized the demand was there," Thibert said. "People were telling us they wanted affordable housing. By the year 2036, there's going to be 40 per cent seniors in our community."
"Thank you to all of the people that stood behind me and help me get this every inch of the way," Humphrey added. "We got it done."
Construction is on track to be completed by the spring of next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.