Two ministers toured Bonnyville's seniors' facilities last week in response to local requests for more housing.
Minister of Seniors and Community Supports, Mary Anne Jablonski, and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Jonathan Denis, arrived by charter aircraft the morning of Nov. 8 and visited the hospital, Bonnylodge, and Extendicare with a group of local MD of Bonnyville and Town officials, and MLA for Bonnyville- Cold Lake Genia Leskiw.
After the tour, the group met at the Neighbourhood Inn's Alberta Room for an open session on how to address the growing need for seniors' accommodations in Bonnyville.
“Unanimously, at our board and on both (MD and Town) councils, we agree on one thing: the option of doing nothing is not at our disposal,” Town Coun. Ray Prevost told the ministers. “And it's not going to get any better in the near future.”
“No one is questioning the service that you're giving to your seniors with what you have, you just need more,” Jablonski said at the meeting.
MD of Bonnyville Coun. Fred Bamber asked the ministers whether future growth projections are factored into the housing needs estimate, noting that northeast Alberta is predicted to grow 90 per cent by 2019.
He said new residents could bring seniors as they move to the region, which could increase seniors' housing needs.
Jablonski said any project would need to be viable: “You can't overbuild and have too many rooms that you can't fill in the next one or two or three years.”
Bamber and the minister agreed that any building project should leave room to expand.
Jablonski encouraged Town and MD of Bonnyville officials to apply for an Affordable Supportive Living Initiative grant. She said she hoped the grant would become available after the budget in February.
She advised officials to find a partner so if the ASLI grant becomes available, locals would be ready to apply.
Last year ASLI and Alberta Capital Bonds provided $105 million for seniors' housing projects. The program received 120 applications and granted only 13.
Jablonski also encouraged officials to look into providing assisted living units. The lack of assisted living accommodations in Bonnyville backs up waiting lists as people go into long-term care who do not need to be there.
“We know that seniors' accommodations throughout the province is a big concern and we're working very hard to try to address those concerns in every area of the province,” Jablonski said after the meeting.
Denis said the province's affordable housing initiative would build 11,000 units by 2012 throughout the province.
“I think it's very important that we start looking at this and planning for the next generation of seniors, which is really at our doorstep,” he said after the meeting.
He recommended partnering with for-profit or non-profit groups to work on a plan.
“That is, I think, the most important thing moving forward because they can manage these facilities more economically than the government can.”
A Lakeland Lodge and Housing Foundation housing study conducted in 2009 recommended constructing eight to 10 life lease seniors units and six to eight manors immediately.
It also recommended demolishing the original lodge and building a new lodge with 100 units, as well as a main floor “campus-like facility” with recreation, fitness, and meeting rooms.
