By July 2037, the Town of Bracebridge will contribute up to $10 million worth of funds, land, or in-kind goods and services to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s (MAHC) local share.
The decision still needs to be approved during the town’s Sept. 13 council meeting.
Stephen Rettie, Chief Administrative Officer, explained during the Sept. 5 General Committee meeting the town’s timeline aligns with Huntsville’s. The belief is July 2037 is when they will both be able to raise the needed funds. “This project is in its early stages,” he said. “There will be many decision points along the way.”
The contribution could potentially include 300 Pine St., which the town purchased from Fowler Construction Ltd. for $1.3 million in June. Rettie said the property value has more than doubled since the town purchased it. He noted it was originally valued in 2015.
In April 2023, MAHC announced 1975 Muskoka Beach Rd. as the preliminary preferred property for the new hospital.
300 Pine St. and land along Hwy. 118 W. are the two other properties being considered.
However, Paul Judson, Director of Finance/Treasurer, and Rettie noted in a report to committee that a final decision has not been made.
While hopeful MAHC will choose the town-owned property, the report states that “the property would still hold significant value in advancing the town’s priorities of shaping the future of the community and encouraging long-term economic development.”
The $225 million local share is part of the price tag for the two hospital redevelopment project. It amounts to around 30 percent of the total cost. The remaining 70 percent – $967 million – will be covered by the Ministry of Health.
The local share covers things like furnishings, fixtures, equipment, and other aspects of hospital care not funded by the ministry.
The Huntsville District Memorial Hospital will be built at 100 Frank Miller Dr., which is where the current hospital is. However, 75 Ann St. in Bracebridge, the site of the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, is not big enough to build another site on.
Bracebridge follows Huntsville and Gravenhurst in agreeing to contribute to the local share. The two municipalities approved funnelling $10 million and $1 million respectively to MAHC.
It was explained by Scott Lucas, Gravenhurst’s Chief Administrative Officer, during the town’s Aug. 15 council meeting that without a plan by MAHC to raise the local share, the ministry will not fund the project.
A plan must be submitted to the ministry by the end of the month.
“Staff anticipate the Towns of Bracebridge and Huntsville are likely to make the largest direct contributions among the lower-tier municipalities in Muskoka, reflecting the proportionately higher benefits the towns stand to gain from having the new hospitals located within their geographic boundaries,” explained Judson and Rettie in their report.
They added that multiple communities in East Parry Sound have agreed to contribute a total of $9,500,000 to the project. They expect the District of Muskoka to discuss its potential contribution in Sept. or Oct.
“There is a lot of pressure around that table to get this $225 million and have the most concrete submission to the province so that this project stays top of mind for them so that they fund it and it gets done,” said Rettie. “They don’t wishy-washy stuff, they want commitments.”
Mayor Rick Maloney said it’s up to other municipalities to decide what is the right number for them to contribute. He added this process isn’t about pitting community against community, rather it’s about figuring out how to work through a “pretty significant nut to crack.”
