New manors for Montague, Tyne Valley delayed

Some residents of Montague are disappointed that construction slated to start this year on a brand new manor, has been once again put on hold. According to the town's mayor, Richard Collins, this is the second delay.

"They were supposed to be breaking ground a couple years ago under the five manors announced by the province, but there was a delay and now this is the second delay,"

Back in April 2015, Premier Wade MacLauchlan announced the new 49-bed manor would be built on the site of the old Montague High School.

Earlier this year, the province was calling for bids on site preparation and foundation work to replace the nearly 49-year-old structure, with work slated to begin this summer. But the town's mayor said he recently received an update from the province's Department of Infrastructure, and officials confirmed that construction isn't expected to get underway until 2017.

According to mayor, province waiting on funding

"The explanation passed on to me is that the province is hoping to get new infrastructure money through the federal government, that would help pay for this new manor in Montague."

Collins said people in the area aren't happy about the delay, because a new manor for Montague is already long overdue. He said residents complain the manor is outdated, hasn't been renovated in years, and that it's hard on the patients who live there, and their families.

"As I speak to people on the street, they have expressed to me disappointment that the manor has been delayed again," said Collins. "They are anxiously waiting for this project to get underway, to be built and be opened."

Collins said he's wasn't given a timeline in terms of when an update might come, but remains optimistic that a new manor will be built, as recently promised, in the spring of 2017.

Tyne Valley Manor also delayed

The province confirms that construction on manors in both Tyne Valley and Montague was supposed to get underway this year, Montague in June and Tyne Valley this fall, but both projects are now slated to start sometime in 2017.

Officials refused to comment on the cause of the delay, but say money has been set aside for both manors in the last few capital budgets.