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New Afrocentric long-term care facility proposed for MODG

  • January 15 2025
  • By Alec Bruce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter    

GUYSBOROUGH — The Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) council is considering a $175,000 contribution towards a proposed seniors’ centre that organizers hope will serve as a model Afrocentric long-term care facility and cultural hub for Nova Scotia.

“The big idea is building a unique place strategically located within an affordable housing pocket community with the goal of creating something that can be replicated in other historic African Nova Scotia communities,” Tera Dorrington, a member of the Upper Big Tracadie Seniors Action Club’s advisory committee, told the council’s committee of the whole (COTW) on Jan. 8.

Advisory committee members Catherine Hartling and Nathan Sparks emphasized the urgency of the project, which has been in planning for two years. “African Nova Scotian communities have been in population decline for a long time – not just in this county, but across the province,” Sparkes said. “For seniors, being waitlisted for care often means leaving their homes and families,” creating a cycle of displacement, he added.

The proposed centre aims to break that cycle by allowing elders to remain in their community, which could also encourage younger family members to stay or return home. “We want it to be a place people can come back to,” Hartling said in an interview. “For example, as a senior, if I downsize to move there, my home could be available for someone else who wants to return – perhaps grandchildren or others.”

According to the advisory committee’s report, “An Afrocentric facility with kitchen, social spaces, gardens, Black medical staff and community events [would] promote culturally meaningful healthcare tailored to the values and experiences of African Nova Scotians.” It would feature long-term care, affordable housing, recreation spaces, study rooms, shops and gardens, welcoming all community members.”

District 2 Councillor Mary Desmond, a key contributor to the project, emphasized that the facility would engage elders as active participants. “This is not about warehousing clients to passively ‘look out windows.’ When clients enter the facility, they will be productive citizens. They will use their expertise to sustain the facility – selling quilts, making flower beds and telling our stories,” she said.

With a projected three-year timeline, proponents are seeking municipal support for hiring a project manager, bookkeeper and web designer, as well as funding for promotions, community consultations and site development. Dorrington noted, “We have identified possible land in Sunnyville and are already exploring it as an option.”