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A new nursing home has been opened in Oromocto that will be part of the provincial government’s Nursing Homes Without Walls program.
The new nursing home, known as Maple Ridge, has a capacity of 60 beds that are divided into four, 15-unit sections.
Some Oromocto residents, like Jocelyn Doucet, are excited by the opening of the new care home and what it means for seniors in her community.
“We have to take our family members outside of the Oromocto area, and there are a lot of good nursing homes in the Fredericton area, but sometimes it’s hard to get into,” said Doucet.
“It’s nice to be able to have them be able to come right here to have their spouse or their family member here come visit them.”
Doucet said she knows some of the seniors who are currently living in the home. Many of them were waiting in a hospital bed before moving into the Maple Ridge, she said.
WATCH | ‘This marks a significant step forward to ensuring that seniors have care’:
New nursing home in Oromocto adds 60 beds, but does not help waitlist
The 60-bed Maple Ridge facility is also joining the Nursing Home Without Walls network, which offers services for seniors who wish to stay in their homes.
“So now the people that are local to Oromocto can have their own place to come instead of waiting in the hospital,” she said.
Jason Lee, CEO of the building’s operator, Enhanced Living, said the home began operations on Dec. 22, 2025.
Within two months, the 60 beds were filled.
“Our goal was to have the the home at full occupancy within 60 days and we were able to achieve that, I believe, on Day 57,” said Lee. “We’re pretty happy to be at full capacity.”
The provincial Department of Social Development said in an emailed statement Friday there are 1,006 people on the nursing home waitlist, 471 of which are in a hospital.
In the Fredericton area, there are 94 people waiting in hospital for a nursing home placement.
Those figures do not reflect the total number of people waiting for all forms of long-term care in the province.
Lyne Chantal Boudreau, the minister responsible for seniors, said the 60 new beds will not reduce the number of seniors on the waitlist.
“I would say not really because it’s a building, it’s not a new building as we know,” said Boudreau.
The Oromocto nursing home was announced in 2024 by the Higgs government.
Since the Holt government took power, there have been no new nursing homes announced.
Minister responsible for seniors, Lyne Chantal Boudreau announced the opening of a new seniors home in Oromocto. (Ian Curran/CBC)
“When we are talking about health care in New Brunswick, that’s the most priority around the budget and for our government, for sure,” said Boudreau. “And, of course, seniors have to be part of this also.”
In January, Premier Susan Holt promised to have a long-term care strategy that would be released in February.
When asked about the status of the strategy, Boudreau said New Brunswickers will see this strategy “sooner rather than later.”