Five communities now on board for locum housing project

Submitted by
Laura Singleton

The locum house project, outlined in a public meeting last fall, is well underway! Here’s the update about what has happened since then.
Elections in the fall and Christmas put the project on hold until January, but since then the Rainy River Health Care Committee, comprised of representatives from four local municipalities and a number of volunteers, has been meeting to develop the plan. Rainy River Mayor Deb Ewald is chairing the committee.
Recently, Big Grassy First Nation has come on board, giving its full support to the project and bringing the number of partners to five. At the invitation of Chief Carol Copenace, Dr. Singleton addressed the March 1, 2011 meeting of Chief and Council to outline the purpose and the plan. Big Grassy committed both funding and manpower, with Councillor Deb Whetzel appointed to the committee.
Claude Lord of Kenora, who specializes in waterfront home designs, was commissioned to design a floor plan and elevation for the building, and he subsequently met with the committee to discuss the project. The floor plan is very suitable and has been approved in principle. We’re awaiting the results of the estimates and funding commitments before deciding on the details.
Several major funding initiatives have been initiated and are in the works.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has been approached for their agreement to rent one unit for part of the year, and there have been several federal and provincial granting programs applied for. Corporate funding is being investigated also, and a campaign to enlist the support of local businesses and organizations will begin shortly.

The Rainy River Medical clinic has prepared information about our medical services in the form of a set of Q&A sheets and has been distributing them at the hospital, clinic, and various other spots in the area. The information is intended to explain in some detail how our medical services work, how locum housing fits into the big picture, and why it’s more important than it might appear to be. Residents who would like to see this are invited to pick up a copy at the clinic.

Another public meeting will be announced soon, with Dr. Singleton giving a presentation about the project. This will provide an opportunity for questions to be addressed. In the meantime, you can contact your local municipal representatives with any inquiries.