Ground broken on longterm care homes in Belle River and Leamington

A boost to long-term care in Essex County.

Construction is underway on two new long-term care homes in Belle River and Leamington, which will bring 320 new and upgraded long-term care beds to the region.

The announcement on Friday, made in partnership with local municipalities and Riverdale Living, is part of the province's $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province.

These new homes will allow more seniors to receive care in the community they have always called home, while alleviating pressures on hospital waiting rooms.

The new home in Belle River will replace Tilbury Manor Nursing Home, and will provide 85 new and 75 upgraded beds in private and basic rooms. 

Officials say the 160-bed home will be more centrally located to better serve surrounding communities, and is expected to be completed and welcoming its first residents in the fall of 2025.

The new home in Leamington will replace Franklin Gardens Long Term Care Home, and will provide 40 new and 120 upgraded beds in private and basic rooms. 

The 160-bed home is expected to be completed and welcoming its first residents by summer 2026.

Both new homes will feature design improvements, including secure outdoor spaces for residents, larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. 

Each project costs $70-million.

The design is centred around 'resident home areas' to create more intimate and familiar living spaces for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.

In Belle River, there will be 200 full time jobs when everything is complete, which means they'll be looking to hire 125 to 130 new staff on top of the staff already at Tilbury Manor.

Minister of Long-Term Paul Calandra says by the time the home opens they'll be at the province wide standard of four hours of care per day.

He says all of the lessons from the pandemic have been built into the plans for these new homes, like 32 person units, separate dining rooms, and infection prevention and control.

"They are completely different, and this is why we have been so aggressive in wanting to get these homes built as fast as we possibly can," Calandra continued. "It is also about the four hours of care, when you're going to a four hours of care standard, some of the older homes just simply don't have the capacity to handle the increased number of staff that are going to be in those homes."

Essex MPP Anthony Leardi says our loved one deserve to live their golden years in an environment that is modern, safe, and equipped with all the necessary resources to provide the excellent care that seniors deserve.

"But this new home is about more than just a building, it's a state of the art long-term care facility. It's about building a better future for our community and our residents, beyond serving our residents, this project will positively affect the entire community."

Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey says the Municipality of Lakeshore has worked very hard to meet all the milestones necessary to make sure this day came to fruition.

"Certainly we've done our part, and super excited because this means that our residents get to age in place as well. So when you talk about a transition from home care, and folks that would really like to age in place at home, there does come a time where we need facilities. And so having a state of the art facility like this one that is coming to Lakeshore is an incredible opportunity," she said.

Riverdale Living chairman and CEO Dan Argiros says they're thrilled to have the opportunity to invest in creating new long-term care homes for the Leamington and Belle River communities.

"Today’s announcement marks an exciting milestone for the team at Riverdale Living and our mission to create environments that empower our residents, their families, and our staff to shape their care journeys in meaningful ways. We’re also grateful for the support and assistance we’ve received from our provincial and municipal partners over the years as we’ve worked to navigate the redevelopment process. We are looking forward to the day we can open the doors and welcome residents home."

In addition to the two new long-term care homes announced on Friday, the province is supporting five other projects in Essex County, including the development of long-term care homes in Essex, Tecumseh and Windsor. 

Together, officials say these seven projects will provide 361 new and 759 upgraded long-term care beds, for a total of 1,120 beds built to modern design standards.

- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi