Mayor George Fontaine was jubilant when he announced late last year that more seniors’ housing was expected for
Flin Flon.
But seven months later with no government announcement, he has reverted to a wait-and-see position.
“You get told a lot of these nice things and they sound good and then nothing happens,” said Fontaine.
“Until you see a cheque in the bank or [work] starting [on] something, then it’s just talk.”
Addressing businesspeople last December, Fontaine said the province had made verbal commitments to build more affordable seniors’ housing in the community.
At the time, he expected a formal announcement by the first half of June.
“I feel real disappointed,” Fontaine said last week. “You get real positive remarks coming your way, you expect something to happen and then they say, ‘Well, but we can’t do it because we’re waiting for this’ or ‘We can’t do it because we’re waiting for that.’”
Fontaine said the local entrepreneur who has applied for government assistance to open a
new housing facility is still committed to the project.
What remains to be seen is whether the province approves the requisite funding.
A Manitoba government spokesperson said the province is currently reviewing 2014 funding applications for seniors’ housing projects.
The province must complete this review before next steps can be determined, the spokesperson said, providing no time frame for completion.
Fontaine said the demand for seniors’ housing is high and will only grow as more workers, including those from Hudbay’s aging labour force, retire.
“We don’t have the facilities to deal with these people and yet they want to stay in this community,” he said.
Fontaine sees an immediate need for at least 60 housing units for seniors. He said Evergreen Manor, near the Aqua Centre, alone has a waiting list over 50 names long.
Rotary Court still offers affordable units, Fontaine said, but they are small, aging and will not last forever.
Tenants are living at the Hemlock Drive apartments and Jubilee Residence for longer periods, he said, because space is limited at the Personal Care Home and Northern Lights Manor.
The Personal Care Home and Northern Lights Manor are the only local facilities that provide around-the-clock care for the elderly. The housing complex now being contemplated would not offer such care.
The last seniors’ housing complex to open in Flin Flon was the the 12-unit Evergreen Manor in 2008.
