ORANGEVILLE — Construction is underway at Avalon Care Centre, a long-term care home for Dufferin County. This is part of the Ontario government’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.
“Congratulations to Avalon Care Centre on their ground-breaking for an upgraded, modernized home. Our government is fixing long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today marks a significant milestone for Dufferin County. When building is complete, 160 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.”
The 160-bed home will be built on a new site adjacent to the existing home and will provide 23 new and 137 upgraded beds in private and basic rooms. The building will feature design improvements, including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. 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. The redeveloped Avalon Care Centre is expected to be completed and welcoming its first residents in spring 2026.
Avalon Care Centre is one of many long-term care homes now under construction in Ontario. Since January 2023, 31 projects representing 4,519 new and upgraded beds are being built to modern design standards across the province.
The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.
Quick Facts
- The Ontario government is on track to build 30,000 much-needed new long-term care beds in the province by 2028, and is redeveloping older beds to modern design standards. Through a $6.4 billion investment, Ontario has 31,705 new and 28,648 upgraded beds in the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process. This will help increase access to long-term care, reduce waitlists, and ease hospital capacity pressures. It will also improve working conditions for staff in long-term care homes and provide safe, more comfortable homes for residents.
- Building more modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors is part of the Government of Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
- The province is taking innovative steps to get long-term care homes built, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
- The Ontario government is providing a supplemental increase to the construction funding subsidy to stimulate the start of construction by August 31, 2023 for more long-term care homes across the province, including the Avalon Care Centre project. This means projects must have met all criteria to attain government approval to start construction by August 31. Not-for-profit homes have the option to receive a portion of the funding as an up-front construction grant payable at the start of construction. The supplemental increase is part of the funding for long-term care home development.
- As of April 2023, more than 40,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 123 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.
Quotes
“The success of our long-term care home has been built on the longstanding support and relationships of the broader Orangeville community. A redeveloped, state-of-the-art home for 160 residents will ensure that we may continue to respond to the increasing care needs of future generations of seniors near to their home.”
– Sherry Braic
Administrator of Avalon Care Centre
“This announcement is great news for Avalon Care Centre and seniors in our community. The expanded long-term care home will ensure more seniors can continue to make a home in their community, close to friends and loved ones.”
– Sylvia Jones
MPP for Dufferin—Caledon
SOURCE: Province of Ontario
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