New Nursing Home for Antigonish

A new 25-bed nursing home will replace the Bethany facility presently used by the Sisters of St. Martha in Antigonish.

The current facility has a number of safety concerns including the lack of a sprinkler system. The new building, funded by Shannex, will provide a safe, modern facility and, when the nursing home beds are no longer needed by the sisters, they will become available for community use.

"This is great news for the sisters and the broader community of Antigonish," said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. "We need to make wise and strategic investments to meet our current and future continuing care needs. This is an important piece of infrastructure for the region."

"We understood the challenges the Sisters of Saint Martha were facing with a building that was not up to code and one that their population could not manage," said Jason Shannon, president and COO of Shannex. "We spoke with the sisters about our campus model and after many thoughtful discussions, we are happy to be working on this project together."

The agreement for a new facility has been arranged between Shannex and the sisters. It will be licensed by government.

"We are comforted to be entering into a partnership agreement with Shannex," said congregational leader, Sister Brendalee Boisvert. "We see this arrangement as unique as Shannex can offer multiple levels of care in one campus, allowing our congregation to stay together. They also have a successful history of community partnerships just like this one."

The project will include licensed, long-term care beds, assisted living and retirement living suites. The facility is expected to be complete in the winter of 2018.