On Tuesday, October 13, North Glengarry Council unanimously opposed a proposal to relocate 70 long-term care beds from The Palace in Alexandria to a new facility in Cornwall, calling for alternatives that would maintain or expand local capacity. Council is urging the Ministry of Long-Term Care to consider the effects on seniors, families, caregivers, and the broader community before approving the proposed licence modification.
Southbridge Care Homes and Yorkville Development LP’s proposal under Project No. 26-017 would incorporate The Palace’s 70 licensed beds into a proposed 320-bed long-term care facility in Cornwall. The Palace would close once the new facility is completed.
Mayor Jamie MacDonald acknowledged that the existing building needs to be replaced, but said the township wants to keep the beds in Alexandria.
“The Palace itself needs to be replaced. We understand that the cost of renovating would be too high,” MacDonald said.
He said that the township proposed discussing a new facility that would retain the existing 70-bed licence in Alexandria. MacDonald also raised the possibility of transferring the licence to a new, not-for-profit facility, although he acknowledged that it was unclear whether this would be possible.
The resolution asks the ministry to reject the proposed licence modification and relocation unless satisfactory measures are identified to maintain equivalent or greater long-term care capacity within North Glengarry.
Councillor Michael Madden highlighted the potential impact on the township’s overall long-term capacity, even with the planned expansion of Maxville Manor.
Madden said Maxville Manor currently has 122 beds and is expected to gain 38, bringing its total to 160. With The Palace’s 70 beds, North Glengarry would have 192 long-term care beds. If The Palace’s beds were relocated to Cornwall, the township would have 160, a net reduction of 32 beds from the current total.
“When we look at our demographics, we have 27 per cent of our population who are over 65,” Madden said, adding that an aging population would require more services over the coming decades.
“To lose beds at this point is absolutely daft, for lack of a better term. It should be growing. It shouldn’t be decreasing,” he said.
The report states that the township did not receive direct notification of the consultation from the ministry, the applicant, or the facility’s owner or operator. Chief Administrative Officer Michael Fawthrop said the township learned of the proposal in the same way as residents and subsequently issued public notices encouraging people to participate.
Fawthrop told council that the township supports modernizing long-term care infrastructure but believes all available options should be considered before beds are moved outside the community. He also noted that the proposed relocation would eliminate Alexandria’s only operating long-term care home and could increase travel distances for family members, friends, and caregivers.
HGMH raises concerns
Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) has also asked the ministry to consider the effects of removing the beds from North Glengarry.
In a letter dated Thursday, October 1, hospital President and CEO Robert Alldred-Hughes said the hospital supports modernizing long-term care infrastructure but is concerned about relocating all 70 beds to Cornwall, approximately 40 kilometres away.
“The removal of 70 long-term care beds from Alexandria would represent a significant reduction in local health care capacity,” Alldred-Hughes wrote.
The hospital warned that reduced local capacity could affect hospital discharges, alternate-level-of-care pressures, caregiver burden, and residents’ ability to remain close to their families and existing support networks. It also asked the ministry to assess current and projected long-term care needs in North Glengarry, including population aging, rural geography, hospital utilization, and access to community services.
HGMH is undertaking long-range planning for its campus and the integration of health and community services. Alldred-Hughes said this could create an opportunity to explore whether long-term care could form part of a broader local health-services strategy.
The hospital clarified that it is not proposing to become a long-term care operator but is willing to explore how its campus, clinical services, and community partners could contribute to a local solution, including the possibility of redeveloping all or some of the 70 beds within North Glengarry.
MacDonald said a meeting with Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Stéphane Sarrazin was scheduled for Friday, October 16, as the township continues its efforts to retain the beds in Alexandria.
