Two long-term care homes in Barrie undergoing major expansion and upgrades

Dignitaries and workers broke ground on the new Village of Innis Landing and Grove Park Home for Seniors. CTV's Rob Cooper has more on the project.

Construction is officially underway across two long-term care homes in Barrie.

The Grove Park Home for Senior Citizens and the Village of Innis Landing long-term care home is the dynamic duo undergoing a construction funding subsidy top-up.

Both care homes are part of the government’s commitment to build 58,000 new and upgraded long-term beds in Ontario.

“As Ontario continues to grow, our government is making historic investments to protect families and their loved ones,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today’s (Monday) announcement is great news for Barrie and will ensure that 337 residents will get the care they need, in modern and safe homes.”

The Grove Park Home for Senior Citizens is upgrading 62 of its existing beds and adding two new beds, reaching a total of 145 beds in the home.

The province says it has plans to fulfill all nursing call systems, improve fire detection and suppression systems and introduce new monitoring features to ensure resident safety. The home located at 234 Cook Street will also house a café and community hub space, with mechanical lifts added to resident rooms.

The Village of Innis Landing project will see the redevelopment of the Coleman Care Centre. The new home is adding 80 beds for a total of 192 beds.

The province says the care home situated on 800 Yonge Street will include expansive common spaces to support a variety of care and recreational programming, along with various opportunities for residents to engage with each other and visitors.

“Today’s announcement ensures that our seniors will be able to age with dignity and the care they need, in the community they love. By upgrading these existing facilities, residents will be able to choose care in places they know and trust while still receiving the qualify of care they have come to expect, said Doug Downey MPP, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.