ONTARIO BREAKS GROUND ON LONG-TERM CARE HOME IN HAMILTON

New home will bring 188 much-needed long-term care beds to the province

December 14, 2023

HAMILTON — Construction is underway on Shalom Manor Hamilton, a new long-term care home in Hamilton. This home is one of 67 long-term care home projects fast-tracked this fall with support from the Ontario government’s increased construction funding subsidy. This is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to build more than 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.

“Congratulations to the Shalom Manor Hamilton team on their ground-breaking for a new home. Our government is fixing long-term care and ensuring we build homes for seniors in the communities they helped build,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care. “Today marks a significant milestone for Hamilton. When construction is complete, 188 residents will have a new, modern and comfortable place to call home.”

The six-storey home will provide 188 new beds and is expected to welcome its first residents in spring 2026. The new building will feature design improvements, including an art studio, horticultural centre, exercise studio, gym, larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home. The design is centred around ‘resident home areas’, each of which creates a more intimate and familiar living space for up to 32 residents, with dining and activity areas, lounges and bedrooms.

Once complete, Shalom Manor Hamilton intends to offer specialized services such as behavioural support and be part of a campus of care, which helps integrate the long-term care home into the broader health care system and ensures residents can conveniently connect to the care they need. The home has also proposed to offer culturally appropriate services to the Dutch Christian community.

As a result of the government’s supplemental increase to the construction funding subsidy, which was designed to stimulate the start of construction for more long-term care homes across Ontario, 67 projects received ministry approval to construct between April 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023. This means 11,199 new and upgraded beds are now being built to modern design standards across the province.

The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.

Quick Facts

The development project for Shalom Manor Hamilton Campus is a not-for-profit home, which will be licensed to and operated by Shalom Manor Long Term Care Home.
As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address sector waitlists, the government is building more than 30,000 net new long-term care beds in Ontario by 2028 and upgrading more than 28,000 older beds to modern design standards.
Building more modern, safe and comfortable homes for our seniors is part of the Government of Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
The province is taking innovative steps to get long-term care homes built, including modernizing its funding model, selling unused lands with the requirement that long-term care homes be built on portions of the properties, and leveraging hospital-owned land to build urgently needed homes in large urban areas.
As of September 2023, more than 43,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario. The median wait time is 118 days for applicants to be placed in long-term care.

Quotes

“We are thrilled to be celebrating this milestone today, which brings years of planning to fruition, fulfilling the vision of our founders over 40 years ago to provide long-term care to residents in Hamilton and the surrounding area. This achievement is made possible by our dedicated staff and volunteers, the invaluable and ongoing support of our government, and the unwavering commitment of the donors in our community in helping us realize today’s momentous occasion. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who played a role in this joyous achievement.”

– Margaret Louter
Board Chair, Shalom Manor

“We are grateful to God for this occasion, marking the beginning of the next phase in our journey to expand Shalom Manor into the Hamilton area. New, modern long-term care homes like Shalom Manor’s Hamilton Campus will offer residents person-centred care and service, promoting a culture of quality, innovation and transformative change. It is an exciting sign of what the future holds for long-term care in Ontario. We are thankful for the continued support of the government, our board leadership, the dedication of our staff, and the many donors who faithfully contributed to our fundraising campaign in bringing this to fruition.”

– John Peneycad
Chief Executive Officer, Shalom Manor

“Shalom Manor’s expansion into Hamilton is great news for the Flamborough—Glanbrook community. The new 188-bed home will provide faith-based culturally appropriate services and allow residents to stay in the community they helped build, keeping them closer to loved ones.”

– Donna Skelly
MPP for Flamborough—Glanbrook

“This ground-breaking is a significant milestone for our community. Shalom Manor Hamilton, once constructed, will provide accommodations, state-of-the-art amenities and specialized services to 188 residents. I am proud that our government is taking action to ensure that Hamilton seniors are able to receive the care that they need – and enjoy the high quality of life that they deserve – within the very community that they helped to build.”

– Neil Lumsden
MPP for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek

“All seniors and those in need of care in our province deserve to receive care with dignity and respect. We have a responsibility to honour previous generations who built this province. The ground-breaking of the new Shalom Manor project in Hamilton will ensure more capacity in Hamilton and Niagara, and help local residents receive world-class care when and where they need it.”

– Sam Oosterhoff
MPP for Niagara West