Ontario Construction News staff writer
A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week at Glen Hill Gardens, a new long-term care home in Bowmanville.
“Congratulations to Glen Hill Gardens on their ground-breaking for a new home,” said said Paul Calandra, minister of long-term care. “Two new long-term care homes have opened in Durham Region since spring 2021 and with the addition of Glen Hill Gardens, 224 residents will have a new place to call home in Bowmanville, near their family and friends.”
Glen Hill Terrace Christian Homes Inc., a not-for-profit long-term care organization, is proposing to operate Glen Hill Gardens pending final government approvals. The home is expected to open in early 2025 and will provide 125 new and 99 upgraded beds
The new building will have specific design improvements, including private rooms, no ward rooms, larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. It is also eligible to apply for the government’s time-limited construction funding subsidy increase, designed to help fast-track the start of construction of new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province by the end of summer 2023. The additional construction subsidy increase of up to $35 per bed, per day for 25 years will help more beds get built sooner.
Another 11 projects are planned in Durham Region, including the development of long-term care homes in Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Newcastle, Bowmanville, Courtice, Port Perry, Cannington and Uxbridge.
The Ontario government has announced a plan to build 30,000 new long-term care beds by 2028, and redevelop older beds to modern design standards.
As of August 2022, more than 39,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 125 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
“The new Glen Hill Gardens long-term care home will provide a safe, modern and comfortable home for our residents,” said Ruth McFarlane, CEO, Durham Christian Homes Society Inc. “Today’s ground-breaking brings the vision of our Durham Christian Homes membership closer to completion.”