The Ontario government is investing $35 million through the Local Priorities Fund (LPF) to help long-term care (LTC) homes better support residents with complex needs.

Originally launched in 2022, the LPF invests in staffing, equipment and services to support people’s transitions from hospitals to long-term care homes, meet the needs of LTC residents with complex conditions, and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.

“Our government is protecting our long-term care system by investing in the specialized equipment and staffing needed to address complex conditions,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, minister of long-term care. “Providing consistent, multi-year funding to the Local Priorities Fund will ensure long-term care homes across the province have access to the tools they need to provide the care that residents deserve.”

Minister Kusendova-Bashta made the announcement last week in Scarborough at the Midland Gardens Community long-term care home. The facility received $67,000 in funding through the program in 2025-26 to purchase diagnostic and specialized equipment, such as a vital signs machine, to help reduce emergency department visits.

Last year, the fund supported 1,168 projects at 394 LTC homes and service providers, including:

• 20 specialized beds with enhanced clinical staffing for high-acuity residents arriving from hospital to Idlewyld Manor in Hamilton;
• Nearly 170 projects in Northern Ontario, with an investment of almost $8.9 million, to support residents with specialized needs including complex dementia, mobility issues and cardiovascular conditions, and improve their care;
• An enhanced Mental Health and Substance Use model to strengthen mental health supports and staff education at Sunnyside Home in Kitchener; and
• Enhanced wound care services at the Peter D. Clark Centre in Ottawa.