Hillside Manor spared the axe as province rejects closure

Province refuses plan to move long-term care beds From CTV Kitchener's Nicole Lampa: A plan to move long-term care spaces from Stratford to London has been denied by the province.

A plan to close a Stratford-area long-term-care home and move its beds elsewhere has been rejected by the province.

Hillside Manor, which is located just outside Sebringville, is owned by Revera Inc.

Revera is building a new long-term care home in London, and planned to move up to 50 beds from Hillside Manor to the new facility. It was never made clear what would happen to the remaining beds, other than that there was nothing said suggesting they would stay in Perth County.

The plan spared fierce criticism at a series of public meetings, as well as a petition which garnered nearly 4,000 signatures.

This week, Health Minister Eric Hoskins announced that the province would not approve Revera’s proposal.

Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece, who was a prominent part of the local lobbying efforts, says he hopes the decision will reverberate beyond Perth County.

“We showed this government how much it matters to have long-term care beds close to home,” he said in a news release.

A Revera executive said that the company appreciates the passion shown by the Perth County residents they heard from.

“While we do not have a definitive solution in place, we are pleased to continue to work with stakeholders to find a viable redevelopment program that keeps our long term care home in the community,” J.P. Cadeau, the company’s vice-president of operations, transformation and redevelopment, said in a statement.

If that redevelopment involves building a new facility in Stratford, officials there say they’ll try to ensure a smooth process.

“As long as the beds stay in the area, we’ll do everything to support suitable locations,” said Rob Horne, the city’s chief administrative officer.

With reporting by Nicole Lampa