Ontario touts 370 jobs as Amherstburg LTC project hits 25 per cent completion

A long-term-care project in Amherstburg is set to create hundreds of jobs and beds for seniors.

Construction on a new long-term care home in Amherstburg is about 25 per cent complete, Ontario’s long-term care minister said Wednesday, as the province highlighted the project’s job creation and expanded bed capacity.

The redeveloped Chateau Park Long-Term Care Home at 140 Fryer Street will replace a 59-bed facility in Windsor and add 101 new beds, bringing the total to 160 beds once complete.

Natalia Kusendova-Bashta said the project is part of a broader provincial push to expand long-term care capacity, noting 164 projects across Ontario are either under construction or have received approval to build.

“We have needs everywhere, across all of our province,” Kusendova-Bashta said, adding the government’s Capital Funding Program now covers up to 85 per cent of capital costs — which she described as the most generous in Ontario’s history.

The project, which began construction in January 2025, is expected to cost approximately $75 million. The province previously announced nearly $35 million in support through the Building Ontario Fund and a construction funding subsidy top-up. Project officials said about $62 million in financing has been secured through partnerships, including Manulife.

Once complete, the home is expected to support about 370 jobs, including roughly 130 construction positions and more than 200 permanent roles in nursing, personal support work, dietary services, and administration.

Kusendova-Bashta said the investment is also aimed at supporting smaller municipalities.

“We’re trying to support smaller municipalities with jobs,” she said, noting the region has experienced employment losses in recent years.

“We want to support rural and smaller Ontario.”

The minister cautioned that while the target is to welcome residents in 2027, construction timelines can shift.

“It’s really hard from today to say whether the 75 per cent of the project that still needs to be complete will be completed on time,” she said.

“That is our hope. That’s what we’re working towards.”

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue called the development a significant milestone for the community.

“We’re celebrating a new long-term care home that’s going to be home for 160 people,” Prue said.

“We’re very pleased to have it here in Amherstburg.”

Prue said the municipality began preparing for the project early, upgrading nearby infrastructure and planning improvements to a park across the street to include walking trails for residents.

“This is a seniors’ corner, a seniors’ hub,” he said, pointing to nearby health and community services.

The mayor said he does not believe relocating the 59 Windsor beds to Amherstburg will negatively affect Windsor residents.

“I don’t think it’s taking away anything from Windsor,” Prue said, noting the communities already share regional services.

“If anything, it’s providing a better service.”

Prue added the town has approved a 10 per cent tax abatement for 10 years under its job-creation policy to support the development.

The new facility will include five resident home areas designed for up to 32 residents each, along with therapy rooms, activity spaces, and multiple courtyards.