"I was in Carman at the RM of Dufferin Office and Shawn McCutcheon called me in and ran by the idea of possibly being in a joint venture on a new care home in Carman," says Raymond Franzmann, Chair of Boyne Care Holdings.

Roughly six years ago, this is where plans for the Boyne Lodge expansion started. At this point, there were a number of community members that got down to business fundraising before the project was officially approved last Friday by Minister of Health, Seniors & Active Living, Cameron Friesen.

This facility will accommodate residents with general dementia or other special needs."Our goal was $3.5 million I believe, and we've exceeded that value . . . We have a couple of committees and fundraising committees, and there seem to be a number of people throughout the region that have been very successful at raising for this project," notes Franzmann.

The new site in Carman will be constructed in two phases. In the first phase, a new, 80-bed facility will be constructed next to the existing 70-bed personal care home built in 1967 and Boyne Towers. This facility will accommodate residents with general dementia or other special needs. In the second phase, the current building will be renovated to add 30 beds and modern resident support space.

Mayor of Carman, Brent Owen says, there was a lot of excitement building in the area leading up to the announcement.

Owen says, "on behalf of the town of Carman and the neighbouring municipalities, it's a great day. It was a huge commitment and we all worked together with everybody to make this happen."

What started as a few people at a meeting has now expanded to a number of groups working together that include the Town of Carman, and Rural Municipalities of Dufferin, Thompson, Gray, and Roland.

"To be a partner in such a worthwhile project with five municipalities, and all the hard work [of] the group, all for a common goal to help our aging population. It's wonderful to see it reach fruition," adds RM of Dufferin Reeve, George Gray.

MLA for Midland and Minister for Growth, Enterprise & Trade, Blaine Pedersen, was also in attendance. He says this is a tremendous success for the entire region, not just Carman, and praises the many volunteers and advocates that now get to watch the building expansion become a reality.

Minister Friesen recounts a specific meeting that showed the government exactly how passionate the community is about the project.

"I can remember one meeting, in particular, a few months ago where Minister Pedersen and I were invited to provide an update. Where were we at? Why was there no announcement? What was needing to be done? Now my understanding that that was going to be a meeting attended by the two of us and three more people. We walked into the Town of Carman building, the RM of Dufferin building, and we walked into a room and I think there were about 40 of you, Mr. Mayor, around the table, and I said, 'people in Carman can't count.' It was definitely more than three, but you know, it was a respectful meeting and I was pleased to have it. There was a genuine interest around the table."

Related Article: Province Announces 110-Bed Personal Care Home In Carman