Nicola Valley bands developing plans for Elder care

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A project years in the making that will give Nicola Valley Elders a place to live when they retire and need additional care is finally getting attention from the provincial government.

While the site overlooking the Nicola River and Coquihalla Highway is bare now, a 50-bed care facility, the Nicola Native Lodge, will likely be started soon.

Work has been ongoing for many years to try to have built a supportive living facility on the site for First Nations Elders and other seniors. The land formerly was owned by the Catholic church, but now is owned by the Nicola Native Lodge Society. On April 22, the Minister of State who oversees long-term care facilities was in Merritt to discuss the potential of the project and see where it will be built.

On the invitation of Yale-Lillooet MLA Dave Chutter, Katherine Whittred, along with representatives of B.C. Housing, were given a short site tour by Grand Chief Gordon Antoine, chairman of the Nicola Native Lodge Society, and other First Nations leaders involved in the project. She heard that the lodge will provide an opportunity to bring Elders back to the community, as well as provide jobs for First Nations people in the health care industry.

"Our first choice is to go with the 50-unit model; our information at this stage is that we need to have 50 to be economically viable," Antoine told Whittred as they stood on a rise overlooking the Nicola River and the fields of River Ranch. "In the short term, if we need to stage it, we will, but we must meet provincial rules."

The project, estimated to cost around $4.5 million, is reliant on government support to move forward, and is also waiting for approval from the Interior Health Authority. Merritt city council recently agreed to consider reducing development cost charges. Antoine said local First Nations have been working towards acquiring a lodge since the early 1970s.

"When this first came up, the government wasn't sure how to deal with First Nations people. The politicians were for this, but the state wasn't able to go into the relationships," he explained. The climate is better now, he added.

Antoine said the lodge will not only benefit Elders, but is also aimed at providing jobs for members of local bands. He said the nearby Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, in partnership with the University College of the Cariboo, has developed programs to train care aids who will be eligible for employment in the facility.

"We want to make sure our people can work," Antoine said.

Five local bands are involved in the society.

Whittred said the project is unique.

"This is a very unique project in bringing five Aboriginal nations together to look at a common purpose," she commented. "There are two or three other inquiries from First Nations, and we're very pleased about that. It shows there is an interest in looking after the Elders and accepting that responsibility."

The April 22 meeting was intended as an informal discussion to determine how the project may fit into the government's overall supportive living strategy, and no decisions were going to be made, Whittred said.

"There are still a lot of things to be done-we have to look at the business plan, and so on," she said. "The criteria for ministry assistance is very broad . . . we have to look at the project as it stands, and see if there is a need in the community."

Chutter said he was pleased to have Whittred in the community to discuss the proposal, but that it is still early for the province to provide its support.

"It's an interesting site, and I'm interested to learn about the need, not only for Merritt, but for smaller communities in the area as well."