Work has started on a new building for Kingston’s Providence Manor long-term care home, despite cold weather getting in the way of a groundbreaking that had been planned for Wednesday.
An outdoor press event scheduled to mark the start of construction on the 320-bed long-term care home Wednesday morning turned instead into an indoor celebration when officials decided to forgo digging into the frozen ground in chilly temperatures.
Ontario Long-Term Care Minister Stan Cho said the change in venue shouldn’t take away from the importance of the project.
“We know that we have an aging population, we need to keep investing in our seniors,” Cho told Global News after the press conference.
“You’re looking at 320 total spaces and that adds a capacity of 77 to what they have today, but more importantly this is state of the art.”
The new six-storey home is being built on land being donated by The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, he sprawling 9.6-hectare midtown property they own at 1200 Princess Street.
The Sisters have partnered with Providence Care, the Kingston organization that oversees Providence Care Hospital, Providence Manor and a number of community services, to construct the new home that will replace the Providence Manor nursing home on Sydenham Street.
As well as adding more beds to the current 243 offered at Providence Manor’s downtown location, the new space will include a physiotherapy room, multi-faith worship space, hair salon, a multi-purpose space, improved resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home, according to the province.
The building’s design will be centred around “resident home areas”, according to a release from the ministry, creating a more intimate and familiar living space for 32 residents with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.
“The expansion not only addresses the growing demand for long-term care but also allows us to create an updated environment that fosters a sense of belonging, purpose, and joy for our residents and their family,” said Providence Care president and CEO, Cathy Szabo in a release.
“I am incredibly proud of our staff, volunteers and donors who have made getting to the ground-breaking stage possible.”
In reality, preliminary work on the new building officially got underway in late August, says Krista Wells Pearce, vice-president of corporate services and executive director of Hospice Kingston.
She says construction will really get swinging in the spring with a final move-in date planned for late 2026.
Exact figures on the cost of the building are not being made public at the moment, Wells Pearce said, although she acknowledged “it is an expensive endeavour”
“COVID-19 and the associated inflation of everything in life has certainly increased our cost beyond what they would have been,” she told Global News after the event.
“We are in a construction management model, so major trades are being tendered and we’re trying to keep a really tight budget.”
Cho said the project is one of 67 long-term care home projects fast-tracked last fall with support from the Ontario government’s increased construction funding subsidy.
“You’re looking at investment, one-time funding of nearly $42 million for construction, as well as a further construction funding subsidy of nearly $120 million over 25 years and operational funding over 30 years of up to $130 million,” he said.
“That’s $292 million into Providence and the care that they provide for the wonderful seniors in the community.”
–With files from Darryn Davis