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New long-term-care facility coming to Marylake in King City

Some groups question whether project meets conservation plan requirements

Yorkregion.com
April 15, 2021
Laura Broadley

The provincial government is making an investment in long-term-care for King Township.

Mariann Nursing Home and Residence has been allocated 76 new, and 64 upgraded spaces, that will be located in a new building at the Augustinian Fathers (Ontario) Inc.’s Marylake campus site.

These spaces are a part of the provincial government’s plan to create 30,000 long-term-care beds over 10 years.

With a population of 25,000 and having only 36 spaces, King Township is in need of more long-term-care beds.

“For the Augustinian Fathers, this announcement has been nine years in the making," said Quinto Annibale, board secretary for the AFOI. "The demand for long-term-care in King Township is overwhelming, and with this announcement the province has moved to fill the gap that existed. This is an investment in the seniors of King and one which will serve King well for years to come,”

But the building of a long-term-care building at the Marylake campus is not without controversy. Several groups have voiced their opposition to the project, based on environmental concerns.

“I have worked around the clock to ensure more long-term-beds come to King -- a community that is desperately in need of more supports for our seniors. With a growing population of 25,000 people, King only has 36 long-term care beds, notwithstanding long waitlists and an aging population. We owe it to our seniors to provide quality, modern, and dignified living for those we love. This investment will deliver a new 140-bed home, replacing an existing home for seniors,” Stephen Lecce, MPP for King-Vaughan, said in a statement.

The township will consult and carry out its due diligence with respect to the land, Lecce added.

“It is our expectation that the project will protect the natural environment for future generations,” he said.

The Marylake campus sits in the Oak Ridges Moraine and is covered by a detailed conservation plan, which was put into place in 2001. It has natural features such aswoodlands and wetlands.

A clause in the conservation plan states that if there was an existing-use building or structure for a particular purpose before November 2001, then there can be change and expansion. Much of the concern surrounds whether there was an existing-use of a long-term-care home on the Marylake campus prior to November 2001.

Mary Muter, a member of the Kingscross Ratepayers Association, as well as the environmental group Concerned Citizens of King Township, said she’s not convinced the new facility is a done deal.

“Stephen Lecce made it sound like this is finished with this announcement, but we don’t think it’s reached that point,” Muter said.

Muter said she’s waiting for King Township staff to provide a report on how the Marylake property meets the conservation plan’s requirements to allow for a long-term-care facility to be built.