Seniors assisted living facility under construction in Bonnyville

Bonnyville will soon have a new place for seniors who need care.

The former Midtown Motor Inn, which has been vacant for several months, was purchased by Care Connect Support Services Limited, and will offer an assisted living facility for area seniors by the fall. 

Under the umbrella of Bridge to Care Inc, a non-profit for special needs and seniors across the province, the Town of Bonnyville passed final readings to rezone the area to fit the facility’s use.

Praise Abraham, CEO of Bridge to Care, said they are based in Spruce Grove and operate in Edmonton, Calgary, and Whitecourt. 

He says the facility will have 44 assisted living beds and 11 for palliative care.

“We are focused on the northern region now because we are reaching out to northern Alberta. So we were trying to find a place somewhere in northern Alberta — Cold Lake, or Fort Mac or Bonnyville during that time, and we found this building is on sale.

“We thought that this will be the right place. And we needed to do some research there. I understand there is not much of a senior care living facility there. There are small facilities, but I don’t think there is anything major happening for the seniors.” 

Work has been underway at the site for several weeks, with a focus on making the bathrooms in each room barrier-free. Changes to the flooring, electrical, and plumbing are also ongoing.

The restaurant site willbe converted into the kitchen area, while a recreation room will also be built.

Abraham said it will be a “beautiful facility” once its completed. They hope to start accepting clients in October.

“We are AHS service providers. The moment we say that, okay, we have a 55 bed facility in Bonnyville and we will send this proposal to the government, they would send us referrals because a lot of people are on our waitlist. They would say, okay, there are few beds available at this facility and they will contact the families. If it can even happen through families,” said Abraham. “We are getting calls from locals.” 

Once they begin intake of clients, they will publicize this on their website with more information on how to register.