North Glengarry Township is urging residents to speak up before October 16.
What is being proposed
Southbridge Care Homes proposes to develop 320 long-term care beds in Cornwall. That would include 248 beds from three existing homes. Those three homes would be closed once the new Cornwall home is complete.
The three homes named in the proposal are:
- Heartwood, a 118-bed long-term care home on 11th Street in Cornwall
- Pinecrest, a 60-bed long-term care home in Plantagenet
- The Palace, a 70-bed long-term care home on Centre Street in Alexandria
Together, those three homes account for the 248 beds that would move into the new Cornwall development.
Why a township is pushing back
North Glengarry Township is urging residents to express their opposition to the proposal before October 16. The township says the closure will affect residents' ability to access care closer to home. It also says the change could require family members and friends to travel greater distances.
That concern is a practical one. Long-term care residents often depend on regular visits from relatives, and a home in a familiar community makes those visits easier.
What we do not know yet
The material available so far does not say how the process will unfold after the October 16 date. It does not say when the new Cornwall home could be completed, or what would happen to current residents and staff of the three homes in the meantime. Those details have not been announced in the sources we have seen, and ottown will update this story when more is confirmed.
What it means for readers
Anyone with a family member in one of the three homes, or who lives in the affected communities, has until October 16 to make their views known, as the township is urging.
Sources: Cornwall Seaway News
