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CHATHAM — A deluge of rain did little to dampen the excitement of breaking ground on a new $65-million Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent on Monday.
After a short delay, caused by lightning from a passing thunderstorm, the outdoor ceremony took place for a new 5,388-square-metre (58,000-square-foot) treatment centre. Heavy machinery had already begun the work to prepare land at the end of McNaughton Avenue West in Chatham.
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“This is an emotional day for me, it kind of feels surreal,” said Donna Litwin-Makey, treatment centre executive director.
Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa attended the event to announce $58.9 million in funding for the project from the provincial government.
“I am some proud to be a member of the government that’s investing in these critical programs and services that families rely on,” Parsa told reporters.
Litwin-Makey said it is hoped the new centre will be up and running in spring of 2026.
She praised Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones for giving the project the momentum it needed.
Jones said after hearing the stories of families from Litwin-Makey and seeing the children and staff, “the onus is on me to share that story with my colleagues, with our premier.”
He said one reason Chatham-Kent is among the treatment centres in Ontario receiving this kind of funding is because the centre serves a big, important geographical area between Windsor and London.
Chatham-Kent is perfectly positioned “with the people in place, the leadership team and the generous community support to say, ‘Bring this project home,’” he said.
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When asked how the new centre will impact a current waiting list of 700 to 800 kids, Litwin-Makey said, “We hope a lot.
“We project we’ll be more efficient, more of our staff will be able to be housed at the centre and we’ll be able to do more with every hour we have,” she said.
The original plans called for a 5,110-square-metre (55,000-square-foot) facility.
Noting the new centre will be more than double the size of the current facility, Litwin-Makey said architects were able to find ways to use the square footage more efficiently.
The new centre will house a team of professionals providing a range of specialized rehabilitation and respite supports conveniently under one roof, including: speech-language pathology; occupational therapy; physiotherapy; services for children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; audiology; respite services; Ontario Autism Program services; coordinated care for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs.
“We do important work,” said Litwin-Makey, adding the centre saw more than 4,000 children and families this past year.
“We’ve needed a space now to grow to do more and expand our work,” she said.
Many kids are on a few caseloads, Litwin-Makey said, so when you take a snapshot of caseloads, it’s 7,300 kids who were served by 53,000 hours of direct service.
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