Councillor McCann Meeting Report (May 17, 2022)
Waterfront Advisory Committee Meeting
On Monday afternoon, May 9, 2022, I attended the Waterfront Advisory Committee meeting in Council Chambers. Our second meeting since coming together, this was the first in which we really got down to business. We discussed the possibility of doing something with the West Parry Sound District Museum regarding the model train installation. The model is done to scale and infused with a great deal of history which relates to our waterfront. Among other things we talked about arrangements for the arrival of the HMCS Oriole to our harbour, the Great Lake Cruise Ships visiting Parry Sound this season. The committee will be treated to a boat trip on board Bob Corrigan’s Cambrian in early June, generously hosted by Mr. Corrigan.Belvedere Heights in the News
I would like to speak to the news item, “Lakeland proposes new 160-bed long-term care facility, close Belvedere Heights Home for the Aged”, “Belvedere would close, its beds moved to new site” published online by the Parry Sound North Star, Wednesday, May 4, 2022 and in print on Thursday, May 12, 2022. This news item has upset a number of readers, one said she was “shocked”, while others who harbour a great deal of affection for Belvedere were caught off guard and very concerned about the perceived ‘doomed fate’ for the home. Those who live there, the families of residents, staff, volunteers, fund raisers understandably feel like they have been blind sided.
Although the news item spoke to a number of timeline actions, it is my belief that it does not reflect the true story in so far as the “who is doing what” and the overall “spirit” of what this initiative, a ‘Campus of Care’ model is intended.
Point one, Lakeland Long Term Care did not ask the province to let it assume management of Belvedere Height’s Long-Term Care beds and move them to the West Parry Sound Health Centre. It was the Belvedere Board of Management asking each of our municipalities to put forth to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, a request to take back the beds. It was the first step necessary to move the beds into a ‘Campus of Care’ model. The North Star paper printed a more accurate description of the timeline on August 13, 2021 when it wrote, “The request is part of plans from Belvedere Heights, Lakeland Long Term Care and the West Parry Sound Health Centre to recreate Belvedere Heights on a new "campus of care," a provincewide initiative to bring community support services, housing options and long-term care beds closer together and run them under one umbrella.” This quote speaks precisely to the spirit and principle of what we are trying to do.
Point two, to say that Belvedere is managed by the West Parry Sound Health Centre is misleading. The Belvedere Board of Management continues to be in full control over its facility. Following the resignation of our last CAO the Belvedere board considered several options. The board opted to reach out to the West Parry Sound Health Centre with a contractual means of subscribing to services which include an on-site administrator, financial management and some human resources. While senior level staff from the health centre participate in the Belvedere Board of Management meetings, they possess no voting privileges.
I will sincerely state that the Health Centre has provided Belvedere with invaluable expertise.
As a Councillor in the Town of Parry Sound and as a board member of Belvedere Heights, I have been most passionate about preserving the ‘Belvedere brand’. Belvedere has garnered a real love and great sentiment for the home. It has outgrown its location and for many sensible reasons needs to be relocated to allow for expansion.
I understand that the ‘Campus of Care’ Ad-hoc Committee is preparing a public release strategy which will be aimed at establishing a contextually correct baseline to serve as an accurate point of reference.