Ottawa’s investments in the creation of a new Franco-Ontarian multigenerational community center in Welland are doubling due to the pandemic. Le Foyer Richelieu — one of the only French-speaking long-term care homes in southern Ontario — obtained financial assistance of $2.7 million on Tuesday, bringing the total sum of the federal government’s investment in the project to nearly 5 million.
In April 2021, the federal government granted $2 million to the project, which will be able to accommodate hundreds of residents, family members and employees of the long-term care home. The construction costs of the building which could open its doors in March 2025 have doubled since the first announcement according to Sean Keays, the general manager of the Foyer Richelieu. The financing of 4.7 million represents approximately 45% of the project costs.
The new building of nearly 1,000 square meters will include the community center as well as 130 long-term beds, while the current building — in which there are currently 65 long-term beds — will be transformed into an assisted living facility. The new building will offer services to residents, such as physiotherapy or hairdressing, as well as shows. “It will be a meeting place”, summarizes Muriel Thibault-Gauthier, the president of the board of directors of the home.
A way to keep French
Many of the residents of the long-term care home — one of only two offering services in French in the south of the province — are descendants of Quebec migration to Welland at the turn of the 20e century. Quebecers landed in the municipality of the Niagara region originally to work in a textile mill. Over time, however, their population has declined. In 2021, French is the mother tongue of approximately 4,000 residents of the community, which is 15% less than in 2016.
Muriel Thibault-Gauthier believes that the new community center will enable Francophones to continue to express themselves in their language and to express their pride. “Increasingly, unfortunately, we are in an anglicized environment,” laments the president. The new center will allow the hostel to organize more cultural activities. The current building has little space and therefore often organizes activities outside, which requires the rental of buses.
“Seniors are the pioneers of the Francophonie [dans la région] “, maintains Muriel Thibault-Gauthier. “It came to get me to see them this morning since they are people who have fought for a long time,” she continues. According to the President, the Foyer Richelieu will become one of the largest Francophone employers in the Niagara region when the new building is built.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.