Community fundraising is well underway for Carman's new personal care home project.

On Thursday, the Planning and Development Committee of Boyne Care Holdings held an open house at the Carman Community Hall.  Speakers included committee members, RM of Dufferin Reeve George Gray, and Town of Carman Mayor Bob Mitchell.

Phase one of the project includes a new 80-bed personal care home to replace the 70-bed Boyne Lodge. Conversion of the current lodge includes creating office space to be leased by Southern Health-Sante Sud on the main floor, and 30 'waiting placement' beds on the 2nd floor.

The total estimated cost of phase 1 of the project is $21 million.

Later phases will include supportive housing, assisted living, and life lease to create an 'Aging in Place' campus. Other future plans include additional assisted living facilities in neighbouring communities.

"Right now we have got tentative approval from the province," said Kelvin Smith, Chairperson of the planning committee. "They want us, our community, to show that we have the equity in place."

Smith said he wants the new care home to follow a 'small house' concept, where the structure, environment and social areas feel more home-like.

"Residents are happier in that type of environment as opposed to your institution style environment," he said.

The committee stressed, if a new care home doesn't happen soon, it might not happen at all. Speakers pointed out demand for care home beds is connected to the baby-boom generation, and after 30 years demand will drop and older facilities may close. If Carman wants to secure their town's care home for future years, it may be essential to update it now.

In terms of funding the project, $3.5 million must be raised through community efforts, $3.5 has been committed from the stakeholder municipalities, including Town of Carman, RM of Dufferin, RM of Roland, RM of Grey and RM of Thompson, where land-owning residents will be contributing. The Province of Manitoba has made a capital funding commitment of $10.6 million upon final approval of the project. Also, office space within the care home will be leased to Southern Health.

"It's unique that you have all these four municipalities, and a town working together to make this project happen," said Smith.

Carman Mayor Bob Mitchell

The committee noted the $3.5 million fundraising goal is essential, as the province will not move ahead with the project without assurance of the community's financial support.

Smith was happy to announce that $2.3 million dollars has already been raised.

"We felt out a few potential donors to see what level they would give, just to give us confidence that we could raise $3.5 million," said Smith.

The official public fundraising campaign started about a month and a half ago, he added.

The project has come a long way since its initial community meeting back in 2012. The town has since committed to acquiring land, municipal partners have committed funding, and the province has approved the committee to moved to the next step, which includes a more schematic drawing, cost estimate and committed community funding.

The new facility will be owned by a community corporation consisting of the Town of Carman and the four stakeholder municipalities.

"The original proposal did not have the province put in any equity into the overall project, they would just lease the facilities from us, and we would make our mortgage payments that way, from the revenue that the lease money provided. But since the new government came in, this past government, they have taken a different approach on new personal care home builds. They are going to provide some equity for the build, but it won't be sufficient to fund the entire project so we still have to rely on the communities," explained Smith.

The next anticipated decision from the province takes place in Fall or Summer of 2018. Smith hopes the new care home will be up and running by 2020 or 2021.