GN reviews proposals to run Rankin Inlet long-term care facility

Originally set for completion in 2023, project still does not have a contractor to operate 24-bed facility

An elder-care home under construction in Rankin Inlet still doesn’t have a contractor to operate the facility, which is expected to be completed this year. (File photo)

By Jorge Antunes

It remains unclear who will operate a new Rankin Inlet elder care home that’s expected to be completed sometime within the next few months.

Two proposals from companies interested in winning the 10-year contract are currently under review, according to tendering documents on a Government of Nunavut website.

There was no indication from the Department of Health when the contract to operate the facility will be awarded.

In June 2023, the government issued a request for proposals from companies interested in running the facility. That request came with a deadline of Aug. 25.

One applicant requested an extension to Sept. 29, which was granted; later, another applicant sought more time to register to operate in the territory and create a more comprehensive proposal.

The deadline was extended to Oct. 31, 2023.

The government’s original request for proposals said the contract would begin Jan. 2, 2024 and indicated operations would take effect Feb. 1, though the document noted the timetable was tentative and may be changed by the GN.

Work on the facility was originally slated to begin in 2020 and for it to be opened by 2023. Later, due to unspecified construction delays the completion date was pushed back to early 2024.

The 24-bed facility is one of three elder care homes planned for Nunavut. The other two are in Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay.

The Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit facilities are in the planning stages and the Health department has made funding for design, the next stage, available for this fiscal year, Hala Duale, a Community and Government Services Department spokesperson, said last week.

The design phase is estimated to take 18 months per project, with Cambridge Bay expected to start in early 2024 and Iqaluit in 2025.

 

 

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(1) Comment:

  1. Posted by GRUMPY on

    Contracting means the lowest bidder not the best care provider wins. Is that what elders deserve?
    Look at the Iqaluit boarding room with bug infested food . Elders deserve better.

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