A proposed 96-bed long-term care facility is shovel-ready on the Fort William First Nation (FWFN), and it just needs the approval of Ottawa.
Chief Peter Collins says they filed an application back in the summer for $25 million under the Infrastructure Canada Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Fund.
After reports emerged that the FWFN was seeking $31 million in funding, both parties agreed to proceed with the rule laid out in the plan that caps individual applications at $25 million.
The estimated cost of the project is $40 million, and already has the approval of Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which would support operating costs with a per diem contribution.
“(Everyone) wants our project to be successful but it seems like nobody wants to ante up and help us get this off the ground,” Collins stressed. “It’s great that they make these funding announcements, but (I’d like to see them) really deliver and put money forward that helps produce good outcomes for our community.”
Collins stressed they’ve done all the work they can to get the project, including getting support from both MP’s Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River) and Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North) as well as Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro.
Things are moving ahead with the investigation of known and suspected burial sites within the Traditional Territory.
“We’ve got provincial funding for the venture,” Collins confirmed. “We just put up a job posting for it. We need someone to come in and take the lead on this file because there are so many moving parts that I can’t deal with on a daily basis”
FWFN hopes to have someone in the role in the next couple of weeks.
