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Ontario commits $10 million for new francophone healthcare facility

No timeframe for when construction will start on the Kent Avenue facility
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New funding will allow a French-speaking community health care centre to expand and offer services under one roof.

Ontario has announced over $10 million for a new facility for the Centre de santé communautaire de Timmins (CSC Timmins) at 120 Kent Ave.

"The francophones of Timmins and surrounding areas have long awaited this news. We are very relieved to know that francophones will be provided with equal health care services under one roof," said Michelle Stevens, CSC Timmins executive director, in the news release. 

CSC Timmins was created in November 2018 and began offering services in late 2019.

The non-profit organization, funded through the Northeast Local Health Integration Network, provides primary care services and community programs to the francophone community in Timmins and its surrounding areas. It's in two temporary locations, including a site at the Timmins Square.

 The government says the new site will allow services to expand to include childhood education, physiotherapy and psychology services. It will also be able to offer practical training for medical students. It will be able to accommodate 18,000 visits and 20,000 group attendances each year. 

"With this new facility, patients will be able to access a wide variety of health services under one roof—all in their language. Not only will the new facility make healthcare more accessible, but it will also help to improve patient outcomes," said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry.

There is no timeframe for when the construction will start or building will be complete.

For the next steps, Ontario says it will work with CSC Timmins on the next stage of the planning process — designing the new facility and assessing further needs that could be addressed through the project.

"Today’s announcement by the Ontario government is truly uplifting for such a large and important segment of the Timmins population. This new and vital primary care health centre for our francophone citizens addresses a long-standing need," said Mayor George Pirie in the announcement,