Ontario Construction News staff writer
Construction is underway on a new 122-bed long-term care home in Toronto. Funding for Generations is included in the provincial government’s $6.4 billion plan to create more than 30,000 new beds and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province by 2028.
“I am pleased to celebrate the ground-breaking of this unique multigenerational campus, made possible in partnership with the City of Toronto and the Ismaili Council for Ontario,” Premier Doug Ford said at the ground-breaking ceremony.
“Our government is undertaking the most ambitious long-term care building program in Canadian history and this project is just one more way we are delivering the quality care, and access to affordable housing, that seniors across Ontario deserve.”
The new home will be operated by Multi-Generational Housing and Community Centre Toronto, a not-for-profit organization, and is expected to open in early 2026 with 122 long-term care beds and specific design improvements including semi-private and private rooms, larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home.
The project is a unique and comprehensive campus that will support seniors, affordable rental housing, early childhood development, and a range of other supportive access for its residents. This project builds on the legacy of community-centric social services and care facilities that reflect Toronto’s role as a leader for pluralism in the world.
With funding from the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto, the 60-acre property will include 390 affordable rental homes.
Generations is described as a “multi-dimensional campus” to serve residents in a place that feels like home. The model envisioned by the Ismaili Muslim community as a civil society-driven solution to care for the elderly recognizes the bonds of family and community are essential components of aging with dignity and joy, is rooted in human dignity and compassion, guided by solid evidence that reducing social isolation by increasing social and intergenerational connections enhances well-being and protects against illness and premature death.
“What makes Generations distinctive is its focus on a community-centric model of care. We are fortunate to be able to engage a wide range of volunteers in serving the campus residents, reducing isolation and loneliness across generations and backgrounds,” said Karim Thomas, vice-president, Ismaili Council for Canada.
Building new long-term care homes and redeveloping existing older homes to modern standards is part of the long-term care modernization plan, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
“Our government has a plan to fix long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe, and comfortable homes for our seniors,” said Paul Calandra, minister of long-term care. “Today’s event is a significant milestone for Generations in Toronto. When the building is completed, 122 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.”
As of June 2022, more than 39,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 120 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.