Gilmore Lodge expansion makes up for loss of beds
Regional officials give update on plans to redevelop three homes
The fate of Upper Canada Lodge is coming into focus as redevelopment plans at two other regional long-term care facilities move forward.
That fate is closure, in a few years, for the only regional longterm care site in Niagara-on-theLake.
Regional staff updated committee of the whole Thursday, outlining the $175-million redevelopment mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that will see both Linhaven in St. Catharines and Gilmore Lodge in Fort Erie rebuilt with expanded capacity.
Although designs for those two builds are in the early stages, the plan is for Linhaven to expand to 261 long-term care beds, from 248, with a new five-storey building on the site of the current home.
Gilmore Lodge will move to the old County Fair Mall site on Garrison Road, with a new threestorey building that will double capacity to 160 beds from the current 80.
Both new buildings are slated to open in 2022.
The new Gilmore Lodge is seen as a replacement for the 80 beds that will be lost after Upper Canada Lodge closes at the same time.
“We’re excited for what we will be able to offer seniors,” said director of senior services Henri Koning.
She said with the ministry mandating redevelopment of the three properties, the Region is trying to benefit from efficiencies of scale while improving standards of care.
She said most exciting is the addition of on-site seniors’ resource centres, including one in Niagara-on-the-Lake to ensure support remains in the town despite the closure of Upper Canada Lodge.
She said NOTL residents shouldn’t fear the loss of longterm care beds — not to be confused with retirement home facilities — because a private operator, Pleasant Manor, plans to expand by 119 beds.
“It’s a wash,” said Koning, referring to the number of beds in the town.
Currently, fewer than half the residents at Upper Canada Lodge are from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
She said there has been confusion over what the loss of municipally run beds, like those at Upper Canada Lodge, will mean in terms of wait-lists and costs for long-term care in town.
Municipal, non-profit and private long-term care facilities all have their accommodation rates set by the ministry, she said, with identical fees at all facilities and tiers of care.
“There’s no difference,” she said, adding that with Home and Community Care manages waitlists.
Although the Region has no hand in determining list placement, Koning said, those decisions are based on the preference of clients and family, weighed against the need for care.
Currently, the average wait time for a basic long-term care bed at Upper Canada Lodge is 573 days, although that can vary based on urgency of need for care.
Koning cautioned that while the Region is confident in the plan, every step balances on provincial approval and budgetary allocations at the regional level.
In total, redevelopment of the three homes is budgeted at about $175 million, of which $15 million has already been dedicated.
The rest will come from a $66million contribution from the provincial government, and allocations from the Region’s 2020 budget.