Nine Toronto long-term care homes to receive new beds for nearly 2,000 residents: ministry

A man takes a walk outside the Seven Oaks Long-Term Care Home in Toronto on Thursday, June 25, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

The Ontario government is planning to add more than 1,300 beds, along with an additional 641 upgraded beds, in not-for-profit long-term care (LTC) homes across the province. 

A release issued by the Ministry of Long-term Care Wednesday said the 1,328 new beds will land in nine long-term care homes across the Toronto area.

“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,” Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care, said in the statement.

“When these nine not-for-profit homes in Toronto are completed, 1,969 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.”

The LTC homes that will receive new beds are as follows:

• 100 new beds at Belmont House, located at 55 Belmont St. in Toronto, with construction expected to start by summer 2023.
• 256 new beds at the Hallcrown Seniors Home with construction expected to start by spring 2023.
• 33 new beds at Hellenic Care for Seniors, located at 33 Winona Dr., with construction expected to start by fall 2022.
• 320 new beds in a new Sinai Health–Toronto long-term care home with construction expected to start by fall 2023.
• 128 new beds at The Rekai Centre, located at 345 Sherbourne St., with construction expected to start by fall 2022.
• 256 upgraded beds at Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged, located at 40 Playfair Ave., with construction expected to start by spring 2024.
• 256 new beds at a new West Park Long-Term Care Centre. This will be a new home built on the existing site of West Park Long-Term Care Centre, located at 82 Buttonwood Ave., with construction expected to start by spring 2023
• 56 new beds and 136 upgraded beds at Better Living at Thompson House, located at 1 Overland Dr., with construction expected to start in summer 2026
• 179 new beds and 249 upgraded beds for the Seven Oaks Municipal home, located at 9 Neilson Rd., with construction expected to begin in spring 2024.

Today’s announcement is part of the government’s previous $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 net new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds in Ontario LTC homes. According to Wednesday’s release, the government plans to invest an additional $3.7 billion into the sector, beginning in 2024-25

According to the Ontario government, 24,160 new and 19,338 upgraded beds are currently in the development pipeline, meaning more than 80 per cent of the 30,000 new beds promised are in “the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process.”