AON Inc's Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony For A Havelock 128-Bed Long-Term Care Home For September 2025

The shovels dug deep for AON Inc. as they started the groundbreaking ceremony for a 128-bed long-term care home in Havelock on Wednesday morning.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The home will help Ontario address the growing demands for long-term care. The Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Mayor and Council have been very involved in working hard to secure a long-term care home in Havelock according to a press release.

The site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. AON won the bid to build the long-term care home on Feb 17. The building is roughly 86,355 sq ft. with the project’s completion slated for September 2025.

“With the support of the citizens of Havelock, they lobbied the government to get bed allocation to here and that's the key component that you need and then through the process, we were able to successfully win the tendering to build the home here,” explained Brad Smith, AON Inc. president. “It's the support of Havelock that's made this happen.”

The long-term care home is part of the provincial government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 along with 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province according to MPP Dave Smith.

“The residents of Havelock have been waiting a long time for the build of this long-term care home,” he said. “Everyone deserves to be close to their family and friends. Today, with this initial ground-breaking, we are one step closer to making this a reality. Our government has made commitments to get long-term care homes built in this province and today proves we are doing just that.”

“We have had a lot of ups and downs over the years, but have always kept this as a top priority for not only Havelock-Belmont-Methuen but also Peterborough County and the surrounding area, where we received tremendous support,” said Jim Martin, Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township mayor.

The home will have dining, activity areas, lounges and access to outdoor spaces according to AON. The building will employ over 140 staff.

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Photos: AON Inc. Hosts Open House to Four Retirement Homes After Four-Year Hiatus

AON Inc’s four retirement homes properties hosted their open house after a four-year hiatus on Saturday afternoon.

All photos by David Tuan Bui.

All four properties, Princess Gardens, Canterbury Gardens, Empress Gardens and Royal Gardens, held open houses from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to showcase their facilities to potential residents.

“I'm absolutely thrilled to be back to doing what we did before the pandemic,” said Heather Young, Canterbury Gardens executive director. “We're very involved in the community. We host events quite regularly and we have people in our homes and we're able to show our beautiful homes. We do fundraisers and different endeavours. Today is really about getting back to that and showing the public our homes again and being able to get back to normal.”

The open houses were filled with live entertainment, catering, dancing, recreation, free draws and tours to showcase what the retirement homes had.

“Those who came and joined us during the pandemic really have no idea just exactly what we do and how we do it so this is really exciting for them as well,” explained Young. “This is the first time they're being exposed to what we do normally when we're able to do it. To get out there and to have events and have fun and have entertainment so it's really nice for the people that didn't know how we did things to join us.”

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Ontario Government Announces 128 New Long Term Care Beds Coming To New Home In Havelock

The Ontario government is allocating 128 new beds to a new long-term care home in Havelock, announced on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Dave Smith.

This is part of the government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 net new long-term care beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded beds across the province.

The Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen will seek proponents who are interested in developing and operating the long-term care home on municipally owned land in 2022.

“The people of Havelock have waited far too long for a long-term care centre. The previous sole source deal had no reasonable prospect of being built,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Today, we are taking measures so that Havelock is in control of the long-term care home that they deserve. They can choose the best fit for their community instead of being told who they had to use. They can choose a provider who will get it built.”

Typically, those wishing to operate long-term care homes submit applications through the call-for-applications process. In this case, working with Havelock, the Ministry is allocating the 128 beds prior to the town identifying a licensee. Once the town selects an operator for the proposed home, the ministry will review the project in the same manner as all other applications.

There are now 539 new and 357 upgraded long-term care beds that are in development or under construction in the Peterborough area, including the following projects:

• 84 new and 172 upgraded beds at Extendicare – Peterborough

• 68 new and 124 upgraded beds at OMNI – Riverview Manor

• 35 new and 61 upgraded beds at Pleasant Meadow LTC

• 224 new beds at PeopleCare – Peterborough

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Ontario To Introduce New Measures To Protect Those Living And Working In Long Term Care Homes

In response to the evolving Omicron situation, the Ontario government is taking further actions to protect the health and safety of residents, staff and caregivers in long-term care homes, these new actions will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.

Stock Photo.

“We know that long-term care residents face an increased risk of COVID-19. Given the high community infection rates we’re seeing with the Omicron variant, the time for more action is now,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Long-Term Care. “In addition to the steps we’ve already taken, these new temporary measures will help keep residents safe and help critical staff remain on the job.”

The government will closely monitor the situation in long-term care homes and continue to adjust measures as necessary to keep residents and staff safe.

Effective on Thursday:

• Access to long-term care homes by general visitors will be paused. Designated caregivers may continue to enter long-term care homes.

• Day absences for all residents for social purposes will be paused.

Earlier this month, the government put in place policies in long-term care homes designed to optimize safety for residents and staff, including the requirement that all general visitors need to be fully vaccinated to enter a home.

The province is also requiring all staff caring for a resident with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 to wear a fit-tested, seal-checked N95 respirator. However, the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant will likely mean staff being exposed to or contracting COVID-19 in the community and more outbreaks in long-term care homes.

This means that it is imperative to keep COVID-19 out of homes wherever possible and prevent spread within homes, with the most important objective being the prevention of severe outcomes for residents and staff.

“I understand that these new, temporary measures will impact residents’ ability to have close contact with many of their friends and family members,” said Minister Phillips. “We must remain vigilant against the Omicron variant to protect long-term care residents and staff.”

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Ontario Expands Paramedicine for Long-Term Care Program For Peterborough and Surrounding Area

The province’s community paramedicine for long-term care program is being expanded announced by the Ontario Government at the Peterborough County-City Paramedics on Thursday.

As of June 2021, more than 38,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Seniors in our community deserve a patient-centred health care system; one that offers excellent, high-quality care in their homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities,” said MPP Dave Smith. “This new program will enable offer health care services in their homes, reduce emergency room visits and improve quality of life before they find a spot in long-term care.”

The program is already operational across 33 Ontario communities. It is being expanded to an additional 22 communities including Northumberland County, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes. The program was first piloted across five communities in October 2020.

The program works alongside primary care and home and community care to provide the following services to eligible seniors: 

• Access to health services 24-7, through in-home and remote methods, such as online supports

• Non-emergency home visits and in-home testing procedures

• Ongoing monitoring of vital signs to prevent escalation of chronic medical conditions

• Assessments, referrals, diagnostic procedures and point-of-care testing

“To have this program be fully funded is great news”, said Warden, J. Murray Jones. “We have been strongly supporting this for a very long time. Our seniors community are our family members, our parents, our grandparents, and they deserve the best. We have the talent and skill and infrastructure that can provide access to 24-7 healthcare service that is second to none. Our seniors deserve to be able to stay home and have access to a health care system that puts them first.”

Early feedback from participating communities indicates a reduction in rates of hospital admissions and an increased integration with primary care according to the press release.

The program is fully funded by the provincial government and is operated in partnership with municipalities and District Social Services Administration Boards.

“Community Paramedic programs have demonstrated that they are scalable and sustainable solutions which bridge identified gaps in care locally,” said Paramedic Chief Randy Mellow. “This investment will support seniors by providing quality care and service needed to live longer and in the comfort of their homes. It will provide our seniors, their families and caregivers comfort and peace of mind they deserve while potentially delaying the need for long-term care.”

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