Construction has begun on a new 224-bed long-term care home in Peterborough that will anchor Trent University’s Seniors Village.
An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday (September 9), attended by Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care Natalia Kusendova-Bashta as well as Trent University leaders and faculty.
To be built and operated by peopleCare Communities, a Canadian family-owned provider of senior living communities in Ontario, the long-term care home will centre around seven “resident home areas” to create a more intimate and familiar living space for residents. The building will include therapy and quiet rooms, a bistro, a secure landscaped courtyard, and a multipurpose spiritual room.
Located on leased land on the northwest corner of Water Street and Woodland Avenue on Trent University’s Symons Campus, the long-term care home will also include a teaching and research space for the use of Trent University students and faculty.
“Following years of planning, breaking ground on this long-term care home marks a meaningful step forward for Trent, for peopleCare, and for the community,” said Trent University president and vice-chancellor Dr. Cathy Bruce in a media release.
“This project will help meet the urgent need for long-term care, while also creating a space where innovation, research, and learning come together to improve quality of life for older adults. It’s a place where care will be practised with compassion, informed by evidence, and to benefit others.”
As a designated age-friendly university, Trent University will also be inviting and encouraging residents of the long-term care home to engage in university life, and will be facilitating meaningful intergenerational connections on campus.
The home will be surrounded by 55 acres of mature greenspace and trails. Following engagement with the Michi Saagiig First Nations, the Elders and Knowledge Keepers Council named the site Nokomisinaanan Gitigan (Grandmother’s Garden), reflecting a shared commitment to honouring both community and environment.
Trent University and peopleCare have entered into a teaching and research agreement that will provide experiential learning for more than 90 nursing, social work, and kinesiology students each year.
“A strategic goal of this collaboration is to interest students in geriatric care, a sector challenged to attract young healthcare leaders,” according to a March 2021 document from Trent University and peopleCare.
“peopleCare and Trent will work together to spearhead research into promising practices in aging, conducting research and piloting initiatives within the LTC home (and potentially other peopleCare homes), with the intent to spread and scale innovation throughout the LTC sector and the broader healthcare system.”
Trent University selected peopleCare Communities through a competitive process, with public information sessions held in 2021 to share environmental studies on the land.
Construction is expected to take around 18 to 24 months, with the first residents to be welcomed to the home in 2027. Trent is currently undertaking a process to select a developer for the remainder of the Seniors Village, which is envisioned to include housing and related services for aging in place.
“peopleCare is thrilled to build and operate a new long-term care home that will be a centre of excellence for aging adults in Peterborough, as part of Trent University’s Seniors Village,” says peopleCare chairman and CEO Brent Gingerich.
“We’re excited to collaborate with an innovative partner like Trent and create something truly unique, where clinical best practices, teaching, research and intergenerational connections come together.”
The project is a recipient of the construction funding subsidy top-up from the Ontario government and is part of the government’s commitment to build 58,000 new and redeveloped long-term care beds across Ontario as outlined in its 2025 budget.
“This new long-term care home is a critical step forward in addressing the needs of our aging population here in Peterborough and across Ontario,” says Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith.
“It’s more than just a building; it’s a promise to our seniors that they will have a safe, modern, and comfortable place to call home, where they can receive the high-quality care they deserve. I’m proud to see this project moving forward, as it directly supports our government’s commitment to building a stronger, healthier future for everyone.”
