It was a time of celebration in Carman on Friday morning as officials from five municipalities were joined by representatives from the provincial government and the local health authority to officially open the first phase of the new 105-bed personal care home.
Construction of the new Boyne Lodge got underway in spring 2019 after years of planning and collaboration. Boyne Care Holdings, which is represented by elected officials from the Town of Carman and surrounding municipalities of 
At Friday's ceremony, Deputy Premier Kelvin Goertzen praised the multi-faceted partnership, saying this is the kind of thing that makes communities special.
"Sometimes there are rivalries between communities. Those rivalries are fine in hockey, they are not when they are trying to compete for things when (instead) we could come together," said Goertzen. "We all benefit when we can have that regional approach, and I want to thank the different levels of government who have seen that. That is true vision sometimes, when you say we can partner together, and it might not be located just in my community, but our residents can benefit."
“Boyne Care Holdings (2016) Inc. is pleased to see the opening of this care home which is the largest capital project our region has had,” said Brent Owen, chairperson of Boyne Care Holdings (2016) Inc. and mayor, Town of Carman. “The collaboration with all our partners in the surrounding communities is appreciated and we thank everyone who has contributed to making this personal care home a reality. We are excited for the residents to move into their new home and enjoy this wonderful facility.”
Taking a moment to acknowledge all those who helped make the project a reality, Owen zeroed in on former Carman mayor, Bob Mitchell, and former R.M. of Dufferin reeve, Shawn McCutcheon, who he says took an idea and turned it into a concept. Owen also pinpointed all those who stepped up to fund raise and collect local pledges, noting donors were an integral part of the process. "Once again, our region gave in support of this great project," he said. "With cash in hand, we proved to the government that we were committed to propel this project to the next steps."
Following a review in 2016, Southern Health–Santé Sud officials determined there was sufficient demand to support additional personal care home (PCH) spaces in Carman, stated a provincial news release. Population demographics also showed projected long-term growth for seniors living in the area.
“As evidenced in our 2016 review as well as our 2019 Community Health Assessment, long-term care needs are significant in the Carman area, with many families in the area seeking housing options for their loved ones,” said Jane Curtis, chief executive officer, Southern Health–Santé Sud. “We are grateful to all project partners, including the Manitoba government and Boyne Care Holdings, who were instrumental in helping to move this capital project forward.”
“For quite some time, there has been a demand for more personal care home spaces for people living in Carman and the surrounding communities,” added Health and Seniors Care Minster Audrey Gordon. “We are very pleased the first group of residents will be moving into Boyne Lodge and that we are able to build on our government’s commitment to increasing the number of personal care home beds to serve Manitobans closer to home.”
The first phase of the new Boyne Lodge features clusters of single resident rooms with washrooms and showers that form a local neighbourhood of nine to 10 resident rooms. Each neighbourhood includes kitchen, dining and activity spaces, as well as private lounge areas, storage, utility and resident-use laundry. The overall facility includes large, multi-purpose gathering spaces offices, staff areas, maintenance and housekeeping service areas and exterior patios, walkways and parking.
"For many of us, this is a very personal thing," added Midland MLA, Blaine Pedersen. "My grandmother was in Boyne Lodge, my uncle lived there and my mother also lived there...and this new facility will just create that home atmosphere that we all want for our loved ones."
The new, 79-bed Boyne Lodge is located next to the original 70-bed personal care home built in 1967, and Boyne Towers, a seniors' apartment complex owned and operated by Southern Health–Santé Sud.
The second phase of the project will see the original personal care home space be renovated to add 26 beds and modern resident support space. The provincial government is providing $21.9 million of the $39.1 million total project costs.
Fri, May 3, 8:25 AM
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