Ontario Construction News staff writer
The construction of a new building at The Village of Winston Park, a long-term care home in Waterloo Region was recently completed, adding 224 beds.
The third and final phase of construction is expected to be completed in spring 2024 and will add 64 additional new beds after renovating the original building. The home is licensed to and operated by Schlegel Villages Inc.
“Congratulations to The Village of Winston Park on reaching this important milestone. Our government is fixing 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. “This redeveloped home is a significant milestone for the city of Kitchener and Waterloo Region – today’s opening means that 224 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.”
The new design includes private and basic rooms, lounges, dining and activity areas – larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. Once completed, the 288-bed Village of Winston Park will be part of a campus of care.
In addition, Ontario is funding another 12 projects in Waterloo Region including the development of long-term care homes in Cambridge, Wilmot, Woolwich and Kitchener. Together, these 13 projects will provide 1,467 new and 1,010 upgraded long-term care beds, for a total of 2,477 beds built to modern design standards.
The government says it is on track to build 30,000 new long-term care beds in the province by 2028 and is redeveloping older beds to modern design standards at a cost of $6.4 billion. More than 31,700 new and 28,600 upgraded beds are now in the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process.
As of November 2022, more than 39,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 126 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
“We’re extremely proud of the new neighbourhoods we’ve opened at The Village of Winston Park,” said James Schlegel, president and CEO, Schlegel Villages.