The provincial government has announced that North York General Hospital is proposing to build a "state-of-the-art" long-term care home on hospital property in Toronto. The home will be licensed to and operated by North York General Hospital.
News Ontario states that this is part of the government's $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 net new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
"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. When this home in Toronto is completed, 384 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends."
Minister of Long-term Care | Paul Calandra
The long-term care home will be part of a campus of care which integrates the home into the broader health care system and helps to ensure residents that they will have access to the care they need.
The long-term care home will include the following:
- 192 new beds
- 160 upgraded beds
- An additional 32 upgraded beds from the home's current location
- Offer specialized behavioural support
- Convalescent care services
Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2024 and be completed in the summer of 2026. This project is one of the many not-for-profit projects already underway in Ontario. In total, there are now 126 not-for-profit projects, including municipal homes, in development or under construction in Ontario. Of these projects, 23 are located in Toronto.
CP24 News reports that this project represents one of the largest long-term care projects in Toronto.
"NYGH's new, leading-edge long-term care home will be one of the largest in Toronto and designed based on learning from the COVID-19 crisis. Our goal is to create an environment that any of us would want our parents and loved ones to live in should they need this level of support."
Chair of NYGH's board of governors | Bert Clark
The announcement comes a day after Health Minister Christine Elliott visited North York General to announce an additional $3 million to modernize the hospital, with a funding which would include:
- A new emergency room
- Upgraded beds
- More operating room space
Two weeks ago, the province announced that it would build three new long-term homes in Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville, adding 800 new LTC beds.
An article in Global News reports that two long-term care homes will be built at the site of a former driving range in Mississauga.
The government announced that the facilities will provide a safe and comfortable place to live for at least 512 residents.
The homes will be located at the site of the former Bathgate Golf Centre at 600 Eglinton Avenue East.
The construction of the homes is possible as a result of the government's initiative to sell surplus government land on the condition that a portion of the site be used for long-term care.
The Street Journal states that a statement from Trending Stories said the program uses the sale of unused government properties to secure much-needed land for building long-term care homes in large urban areas of the province where available land is scarce and costly.
The program also opens the door for additional uses such as affordable housing and recreational facilities. The government said they have started the process to sell four surplus properties to date. Ontario is taking the first step in building 2 new long-term care homes in Mississauga by selling this surplus provincial property.