Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen says city council is very pleased that its priority for more senior's housing is being realized. He says the announcement Friday of a major expansion at Rest Haven Nursing home is a big part of that.

"City council is very excited to see this moving forward. This is something that's been talked about around the community and around the council table for a number of years and we've

Mayor Chris Goertzeneven committed $1.5 million towards the Bethesda Foundation to further this cause. And so we're very pleased that the government is acting and allotting additional dollars for 80 new beds and 40 refurbished beds."

Goertzen says another big piece of the puzzle is the Bridgepark Manor assisted living complex that has come up in recent years as is the announcement of a new senior's high-rise to be built on the site of the former Steinbach Family Medical Centre along Loewen Boulevard. The city eased some development fees to help facilitate Bridgepark Manor.

Goertzen says the city really needs these facilities.

"Well we know that we are a destination for people who want to retire. Steinbach has lots of amenities that allow many people to say, 'Hey this is a great place to grow old in.' So we want to make sure that we have adequate spaces for them. We've had many people who've been ending up in other communities (for personal care) after having participated in life in Steinbach for so many years. It's good to have additional spaces for them to live out the rest of their life here in the City of Steinbach."