Ontario Supporting Long-Term Care Residents with Complex Needs in Newmarket
August 14, 2025
Local Priorities Fund invests in specialized equipment and innovative programs
NEWMARKET — The Ontario government is investing $35 million to help long-term care homes across the province support residents with complex needs. The Local Priorities Fund (LPF) is designed to support programs that connect people with the right care for them, reducing emergency department visits and hospital stays. This investment is part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario by ensuring long-term care residents get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve.
In 2024-25, the LPF allocated $35,590 to Southlake Village and $127,096 to Southlake Health to obtain specialized equipment, services and staff training. This will enable the facility to admit new residents with specialized needs and support current residents with complex needs.
“Our government is protecting our long-term care system by investing in the tools and training to ensure residents can get the right care in the right place,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care. “This funding will expand the specialized equipment and innovative services available at long-term care homes across our province, so those with complex needs get the support they deserve.”
“Thanks to the LPF, Southlake Village is better equipped to care for the residents it serves,” said Dawn Gallagher Murphy, MPP for Newmarket—Aurora. “Specialized equipment and services mean that long-term care home residents can get the care they need without the stress of a trip to the hospital.”
Originally launched in 2022, funding through the LPF helps long-term care homes purchase items such as IV equipment, bariatrics equipment bed support, bladder scanners and ECGs, as well as everyday items like slip-proof floor mats, wraparound bed rails and grab bars.
Helping long-term care residents with complex needs is one more way the province is taking action to meet the needs of Ontario’s aging population and their caregivers by improving and expanding supports for seniors living in long-term care, congregate settings and in the community. The government’s plan to improve long-term care for residents is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe, and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.
QUOTE
“The communities Southlake Health serves are among the fastest growing and aging in Ontario, with seniors now making up more than half of all patients admitted through our Emergency Department. This investment through the Local Priorities Fund will help us meet the evolving needs of our communities and continue delivering leading-edge care, close to home. We’re truly grateful for the Ontario government’s ongoing support.”
QUICK FACTS
- The Local Priorities Fund is administered by Ontario Health.
- Seniors — people age 65 and older — make up the fastest growing age group in the province.
- More than 60% of long-term care residents have a dementia diagnosis.
- As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address waitlists, the government is building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
- Ontario is offering incentives of up to $35,400 to PSW students and eligible PSWs to launch careers in long-term care homes and in the home and community care sector.
- The Ontario government invested up to $4.9 billion between 2021 and 2025 to create thousands of new positions for personal support workers, nurses, and allied health professionals in long-term care.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES