Nearly 200 seniors remain without a permanent residence after a fire destroyed an entire wing of a Whitby, Ont., nursing home last fall.
A section of Fairview Lodge, located at 632 Dundas St. West, went up in flames last October. Firefighters were able to eventually extinguish the blaze, but the back section of the nursing home was completely leveled by the fire.
The building's 192 residents – many of whom rely on walkers and wheelchairs for mobility – were safely evacuated by workers and first responders, and no one was injured. They were later relocated to other nursing home in Durham Region, where they still remain as construction on the new home continues.
According to Durham's regional chair, Bondfield Construction -- the company behind the project -- told them the rebuilt Fairview will be complete in mid-March. That timeline has many families of the residents frustrated. They say the company should speed-up their construction so that their loved ones can have permanent place to live much sooner.
Susan Hetherington-Allen's 82-year-old mother, Jean Hetherington, has been sharing a makeshift room with no adjoining bathroom with three other women since the fire.
"It is upsetting knowing that I really can't do anything about it," Hetherington-Allen told CTV Toronto. "I'd like to have some sort of explanation as to … why they are flat out refusing not to try and speed-up construction."
Durham Region says it has asked Bondfield to move up their completion date and has even offered them financial incentives, but the company's timeline for the project remains unchanged.
An email statement to CTV Toronto from the company did not comment on when the new Fairview will be complete.
"We appreciate you reaching out to Bondfield Construction Company Limited, however, we have no comment," Olly Jasen, the compnay's general counsel, said.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Janice Golding.
