A large redevelopment and expansion plan at Barrie’s IOOF Seniors Homes will help meet a growing demand for long-term beds in Simcoe County.
The local not-for-profit organization, located at 10 Brooks St., has been providing long-term care for seniors in Barrie for more than 100 years and is set to begin a two-phase project that will see it grow from the existing 162 long-term care beds to 226 by the end of 2024.
Part of that project, says chief executive officer Garry Hopkins, will be to upgrade 66 existing 'C' class beds, which he explained simply means they met the design standards put forward by the province at the time they were created.
“These standards change over the years, and now these 66 beds have to be redeveloped by design standards to 'A' class beds by the end of 2024," he told BarrieToday.
In addition to that redevelopment, Hopkins says the IOOF also applied for and was awarded 64 new long-term beds. In order to construct the new beds, he said IOOF will need to raze one of its existing buildings, as well as a part of the long-term care section of the facility currently being occupied by Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, to make room for the new beds.
“The first phase of the project will involve demolishing certain sections in order to accommodate the building of the new beds," he said. "When these are built, we will move the residents from the 'C' beds over into the newly built beds. Then we will redevelop those 66 beds.”
Hopkins says the hope is that the first phase of the project will begin by the end of August.
“We are still working with the Ministry (of Long-Term Care) and it all depends on ministry approvals, of course, and City of Barrie approvals, but that’s what we are working toward," he said.
The estimated cost of the entire project is $48 million, which is an increase of $16 million.
“When the project was initially in its infancy, approved more than two years ago, our initial costing was $32 million," Hopkins said. "With inflation and costs increasing, it has now escalated to $48 million.
"We are not the only ones experiencing that," he added. "A lot of it is related to COVID costs and the availability of materials and the inflation rates that have just gone out of control."
The expansion will be funded in a few different ways, he explained: Ministry of Long-Term Care grants and a 25-year mortgage taken on by the IOOF. The IOOF will also need to fund approximately $8 million of the project out of its own pocket.
Funds from the ministry, he noted, will be paid out monthly over several years.
“We have to fund the entire cost of the project, but the ministry will give a payment to the IOOF over 25 years and the IOOF will have a mortgage for 25 years … plus our $8 million," Hopkins said.
Although the facility will not receive funding from the city, Hopkins says he's hopeful council will consider reducing — or even waiving — development charges for the project.
“We haven’t even had a conversation with the city about this … but we will definitely be asking for a break," he said. "Other municipalities in Ontario are waiving all of their charges.
"We are going to create an incredible amount of employment in this city," Hopkins added. "We are one of the biggest employers in the city right now."
The organization has set a fundraising goal of $1.2 million, noted Elyse Martin, capital campaign manager for the IOOF. Fundraising efforts include the spring raffle, as well as its signature event, the Young At Heart motorcycle ride, scheduled for Aug. 26 and which raised more than $26,000 in 2022. There are also plans for a summer raffle as well as through various community support throughout the year.
With the number of Canadians over the age of 85 more than doubling since 2001, and expected to triple by 2046 according to data from Statistics Canada's 2021 Census, creating these additional long-term care beds in the city, Hopkins said, is extremely important, as it will help meet the growing need.
“The IOOF wants to position itself to continue to provide long-term care services to the citizens of Barrie and area," he said. "There’s going to be an incredible need for long-term care as the population ages, particularly as baby boomers age.
"The IOOF, which has been doing this since 1940, wants to continue to be a provider of quality long-term care to the residents of this area."
