The committee that is working to bring a new nursing home to Estevan hasn’t given up on its objective.
Don Kindopp, who chairs the new nursing home committee, said they received more than 600 signatures through a letter campaign that started in June. The committee created a letter for people to sign, showing their support for a new nursing home in Estevan.
“We collected those signatures starting in the summer at the fair, and at various locations around the community,” said Kindopp. “We had several people who had taken the signature sheets and had canvassed their areas, and got signatures that way.
“So we’re very pleased with the response on the part of both those who signed and those who wanted to see the letter signed.”
Those letters indicated the community’s belief in the project, and reminded the government that Estevan had raised $8 million for a new nursing home, which represented 20 per cent of the new nursing home’s projected $40 million cost. The committee had to have 20 per cent of the projected cost before the government could allow the project to proceed.
“It will be three years in January that we raised our portion of the funds, and now we’re waiting on the government to get the project in the works,” said Kindopp.
Kindopp said people regularly ask him when the new nursing home will be constructed, and they’re disappointed it hasn’t moved ahead yet. The new nursing home committee also continues to receive memorial donations.
The letters were scheduled to be delivered to Health Minister Jim Reiter on Monday, but poor road conditions during the morning shelved those plans. The committee now hopes to deliver the letters on Jan. 9, 2018.
Kindopp said the committee will continue to collect more signatures between now and the meeting date.
“If anybody is interested in signing the letter, let us know. We’ll get it to them,” said Kindopp. “We haven’t had any active campaigns right now, because we thought this was the end of it.”
When the committee meets with Reiter, Kindopp said they would remind him about the concerns of privacy, safety and convenience at the current nursing home, and stress the funds the committee currently has.
Kindopp said he thought it would have been appropriate for the committee to present the letters to Reiter on Monday, which was the first day of the new Saskatchewan Health Authority.
