April 2021

New nursing home beds

Our community received some long-awaited good news from the Ministry of Long Term Care on March 18. After years of planning and months of advocacy, Bennett Centre Long Term Care at Bennett Village in Georgetown received Ministry approval to redevelop 66 spaces and add 94 new spaces.

When completed, the new 160 bed Bennett Village will set the standard for compassionate care for our seniors. It will include a dedicated dementia unit, in addition to a dedicated Francophone unit to serve the needs of our French-speaking residents.

Much of the credit for the announcement should go to Bennett Village’s Executive Director, Soo Wong and the Bennett staff and volunteers. As a former Registered Nurse, MPP, and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Soo brings a unique blend of skills and experience to her responsibilities at Bennett Village. Her passion for long term care is matched by local Bennett supporters Brian Clark, Barry Dawson, Eunice McGowan, Ron Stitt, Rosslyn Dowell, and Teresa Fritsch, all of whom played a significant role in the successful redevelopment proposal. The leadership of Town of Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, Town Council and staff should also be acknowledged. My staff and I were very pleased to offer our support.

All of us will be able to show our support for Bennett Village in the coming months, as their fundraising campaign begins.

By working together, in partnership, we are building to meet the future needs of our community.

The provincial budget

On March 24, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy presented the province’s 2021 budget in the Ontario Legislature.

The Minister’s speech was remarkable in several respects. He began by thanking the people of Ontario for “every act of kindness, consideration and patience that made this tough time a little easier.” While explaining the provincial government’s policies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, he went out of his way to praise the remarkable women who are leaders in the fight against the virus, including the Leader of the Opposition, Andrea Horwath.

For more information on the 2021 Ontario Budget, go to: budget.ontario.ca