Push is on to raise $19M for new Wiikwemkoong long-term care home

The clock is ticking as a First Nation on Manitoulin Island launches a campaign to raise $19 million to build a new long-term care home for its elders as the existing facility is set to expire in 2025 under provincial guidelines.

It was a day to celebrate inside the council chambers on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Wednesday as officials kicked off the fundraising campaign for a new long-term care home.

The existing nursing home doesn't meet current regulations set by the Ministry of Long-Term Care in Ontario and will have to shut down by 2025.

"We cannot renew it because the current facility doesn't meet provincial standards, but I will say we will have our license renewed when we have our new facility. I have that belief in the team that's working on the development project as well as the campaign committee," said Wiikwemkoong Chief Rachel Manitowabi.

If the fundraising goal isn't met by 2025, other accommodations will have to be made for the seniors living at the facility, but the chief says officials are confident they can make it happen.

"Our elders currently residing in the nursing home are our family members," she said.

"Our mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunties, uncles and siblings. Our people, the Anishinabek, hold family to heart and we hold everyone there at the nursing home as part of our family and we look towards you as our family members in doing this work on behalf of the elders and the community."

The campaign kicked off with two major donations, including $750,000 from TD Commercial Banking.

TD Bank presents $750K cheque for new care home in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. Jan. 25/23 (Ian Campbell/CTV Northern Ontario)

"TD's relationship with Wiikwemkoong spans close to 40 years and it's both a privilege and a pleasure for me to be here with you today as one of TD's representatives to celebrate this campaign launch with the community and the entire Manitoulin region," said John Doris, district vice-president for the bank.

Hydro One also committed a donation of $75,000 to be spread out over the next three years as part of the capital campaign.

Hydro One presents $75K cheque to Wiikwemkoong for new long-term care home. Jan. 25/23 (Ian Campbell/CTV Northern Ontario)

"As a turban-wearing Sikh, I can tell you that I had a grandmother who lived in a long-term care facility. It was very tough to put her in that elders' care home, but when we did place her there, it was very important that she could get that quality of care, that she could have the appropriate food, that culture was represented, that people could communicate with her in her native tongue (Punjabi). So I can appreciate how important this is on a personal level," said Simmer Anand, the director of Indigenous relations for Hydro One.

Officials have been working on plans for the home since 2017 and the community engaged in a consultation process that focused on the need for a new facility.

"We reached out to community members to inform them what was going on, what the plans were and to gain feedback on the initial plans. Since that time, there was a slight gap in movement on the project because of the worldwide pandemic, which has impacted us in many ways. As soon as we entered into the easing of restrictions plan in our community, the project team came back together again," said the Wiikwemkoong director of operations, Shelley Trudeau.

"This past year we've been back at the tables with plan updates which include discussions on design plans, timelines and community outreach and engagement."

The team has since come up with design concepts of what the new home will look like.

Mock up design of new senior's care home Wiikwemkoong is fundraising $19 million for. Jan. 25/23 (Ian Campbell/CTV Northern Ontario)

It'll be built on a large piece of property near the public works building facing east, to face the sun when it comes up in the morning, for sunrise ceremonies.

"We want to ensure that every need of our elders is met. We want them to feel like that they're at home. We want them to feel like they're embraced by their home, embraced with warmth, care and culture," Trudeau said.

"We continue to work on outreach with ministries and funding applications, our goal is to be shovel-ready by the fall of this year."

She said the community leadership is working hard with management and staff at the facility to make sure they meet all deadlines.

Walter Manitowabi is on the capital fundraising committee and tells CTV News they've already achieved about 18 to 20 per cent of the fundraising goal.

"The camaraderie, the teamwork amongst all our people from Wiikwemkoong was amazing today. But to do the announcements with the two major sponsorships and donations makes it all… I guess worthwhile," he said.

"And we're a step closer to that goal and we're going to make that goal."

A big part of that will be government money and there are high-level talks right now with various levels of government, Walter said.

"Obviously, the deadline is the deadline. We need to have a new facility operational, otherwise, our license will not be renewed," he said.

"There is really serious and large enhancements we have to do with respect to the facility, on the size of the facility, the heating and cooling system, the size of the residents' rooms. All of it will have to be done. And if we don't make that deadline of 2025, we may have to close and relocate our elders. But that's not going to happen."

Six residents attended the presentation on Wednesday, including James 'Jett' Francis.

Wiikwemkoong elder James 'Jett' Francis speaks at launch of capitol campaign for new care home. Jan. 25/23 (Ian Campbell/CTV Northern Ontario)

"It's like home to me, eh," Francis said.

"When I wake up in the morning, I know I'm home."

Not only will the new facility be located in the centre of the community, I will also have 96 beds, up from its current 59 beds.

Algoma – Manitoulin – Kapuskasing member of Parliament Carol Hughes made the trip for the announcement.

"It's an awesome day to receive the funding and another big push towards realizing this dream of theirs, not only a dream but really a home for the elders," Hughes said.

"This is something that's been a long-time coming and it's something that will be beneficial to the community, but also to the elders who want to remain in their home community."

The facility currently has a waitlist of 24 applicants.

"We all deserve a place to live our full potential, but we are especially excited to give this generation of elders, who have seen and lived through so much, the continuity of care and cultural connection they require," said former Chief Duke Peltier.