Ninette Sanitorium to be restored by new owner

Work is underway to restore a former sanitorium in the province and turn it into a museum and apartments.

A restoration project is underway to preserve and refurbish a piece of Manitoba’s history.

A new owner took possession of the Ninette Sanitorium in June 2023 and has been working to restore it.

It has been nearly a quarter century since the historic site on the shores of Pelican Lake in southwestern Manitoba has sat vacant.

“It’s wonderful for the community, for our municipality. Hopefully we’ll create more reason for people to come to our area and enjoy what we have to offer,” area’s reeve Darren Seymour told CTV News.

“Anytime we can bring tourism to the municipality, we certainly greatly support that.”

The sanitorium was built in 1909 to treat patients with tuberculosis and closed in 1972.

After its closure, the site was utilized as a care centre for patients with intellectual disabilities, and briefly as a Christian conference centre.

Owner of the site Geoff Gregoire told CTV News the project includes converting some of the buildings into apartments and a museum. Gregoire added that it is still in the beginning stages and is expected to be a multi-year project.