Funding will connect long-term care residents to the right care, closer to home
The Ontario government is investing $35 million to help long-term care homes across the province support residents with complex needs. The Local Priorities Fund (LPF) supports initiatives that connect people with the right care for them, reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and hospital stays. This investment is part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario by ensuring long-term care residents get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve.
“Our government is protecting our long-term care system by investing in the specialized equipment and staffing needed to address complex conditions,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Providing consistent, multi-year funding to the Local Priorities Fund will ensure long-term care homes across the province have access to the tools they need to provide the care that residents deserve.”
Minister Kusendova-Bashta made the announcement in Scarborough at the Midland Gardens Community long-term care home, which received $67,000 in funding through the program in 2025-26 to purchase diagnostic and specialized equipment, such as a vital signs machine, to help reduce emergency department visits. Originally launched in 2022, the Local Priorities Fund invests in staffing, equipment and services to support people’s transitions from hospitals to long-term care homes, meet the needs of long-term care residents with complex conditions, and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.
Last year, the fund supported 1,168 projects at 394 long-term care homes and service providers. Projects receiving funding include:
- 20 specialized beds with enhanced clinical staffing for high-acuity residents arriving from hospital to Idlewyld Manor in Hamilton
- Nearly 170 projects in Northern Ontario, with an investment of almost $8.9 million, to support residents with specialized needs including complex dementia, mobility issues and cardiovascular conditions, and improve their care
- An enhanced Mental Health and Substance Use model to strengthen mental health supports and staff education at Sunnyside Home in Kitchener
- Enhanced wound care services at the Peter D. Clark Centre in Ottawa.
Supporting long-term care residents with complex needs is one more way the government is ensuring Ontarians get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve. The plan to improve long-term care is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe, and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.
Quick Facts
- Since its launch in 2022, the Local Priorities Fund has invested in more than 3,700 projects across Ontario.
- The Local Priorities Fund is administered by Ontario Health, an agency of the Ministry of Health.
- More than 60% of long-term care residents have a dementia diagnosis.
- As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address waitlists, the government is building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
- Ontario is offering incentives to eligible PSWs to launch careers in long-term care and in the home and community care sector.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
