Ontario’s new Capital Funding Program (CFP) is meant to get more long-term care homes built faster, especially in regions like the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and northern Ontario.

The CFP will shift to a flexible, percentage-based funding model from the previous fixed, cost-per-bed model to better address construction and land cost variations across Ontario, explains a release. The CFP specifically replaces the construction funding subsidy top-up introduced in 2022.

The new funding program means there could be an increased ministry funding equivalent to a maximum of 85 per cent of total eligible expenditures with a maximum that’s determined by location across four market segments.

Ministry funding distribution will be determined by the operator type. Not-for-profit operators will receive more ministry funding earlier so that projects can advance to construction, the release adds. Eligible hospital and Indigenous operators may be able to receive the entire amount of ministry funding during their project’s construction period.