Care facility ditches Sechelt for new location in Gibsons
A 135-bed long-term care home originally slated to be built in Sechelt will be built in Gibsons instead, a 30-minute drive away.
Trellis Seniors Services has been contracted by Vancouver Coastal Health to build and run the facility, while 108 beds at two government-run care homes in Sechelt are to close. Originally, the plan was to move the residents from the aging Shornecliffe Intermediate Care Facility and Totem Lodge to a private facility to be built and run by Trellis in Sechelt.
However, this sparked significant opposition in the community and from unionized staff at the two facilities.
Sunshine Coast residents packed public meetings and asked Sechelt council to voice their displeasure.
So, when Sechelt deferred zoning changes and amendments to the Official Community Plan required for the project, Trellis began making other plans.
“When Trellis realized that the project in Sechelt was facing uncertainty and delay, we began looking for alternatives and revisited the site priorities as required by VCH,” reads a release by the company, which already runs care homes in Kamloops, Prince George and Penticton. “It was important to find a location that could advance in a timely manner and with certainty.”
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe lauded the move as an opportunity to bring 150 jobs to his town and satisfy a pressing need for longterm care beds.
“From the point of view of the Town of Gibsons this would be a tremendous service to our citizens,” said Rowe. “There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t hear someone looking for placement for their elderly parents.”
The new site — a city-owned property at 571 Shaw Road — is already dedicated for long-term care in the town’s OCP and is properly zoned for the facility, which is adjacent to an existing care home.
Gibsons council has approved the sale of the land for $2.24 million. The health authority must approve an amendment to the Trellis contract before the project can move forward, according to a company spokesperson.
The new Silverstone Care Centre will include space for an eight-bed hospice and rental housing unit for some employees. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year and take 16 months to complete. “We haven’t been engaged in the larger debate about the facility, but I’m hopeful that it will be accepted as a much needed facility on the Sunshine Coast,” Rowe said.