The Ontario government announced on November 12 that it will invest a further $761 million to build and renovate 74 long-term care homes across the province.

The money comes as part of the province’s new approach to funding the construction and accelerating the delivery of long-term care homes. It is expected to support the construction and renovation of 74 such homes and create nearly 11,000 new care spaces for seniors quicker than before.

The announcement was made at the Maple View Lodge in Athens—a community near Brockville.

"Our government has been taking historic steps to improve the quality of life for our loved ones by adding capacity and upgrading Ontario's long-term care homes," said Long-Term Care Minister Merrliee Fullerton. "We introduced the modernized funding model to build and renovate these homes faster, and we're already seeing results, with thousands of new, safe, and comfortable spaces in progress."

Announced in July, the province’s new modernized funding model pledged $1.75 billion over to help the government deliver on its commitment to create 30,000 beds over 10 years. The model moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach, and instead, provides tailored incentives to address the needs of developers in different markets: rural, mid-size, urban, and large urban. It also introduces an up-front development grant to address high-cost barriers to construction.

"Bringing the long-term care funding model into the 21st century means we have a targeted approach for improving and expanding long-term care capacity in our communities," said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark. "For example, under the modernized funding model, Maple View Lodge will receive an additional investment of close to $7 million. This will help the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville build 132 new and much needed spaces in Athens township sooner."

The modernized funding model has already boosted support for 74 projects, representing 10,753 long-term care spaces: 3,957 new beds, and 6,796 older beds being redeveloped to modern standards. Of the 74 projects, 49 involve the construction of new buildings.

Under the previous funding model, these projects would have received $8.1 billion, which includes one-time funding, 2019 construction funding subsidies over 25 years, and operational funding over 30 years. Thanks to the modernized funding model, the projects will now receive an increased amount of $8.9 billion.

As of June 2020, more than 38,500 people are on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed.