AON Inc's Station Place Long-Term Care Home In Havelock With Construction Ahead of Schedule; Company Seeking 140 Staff Members For Training and Hire

Construction for AON Inc.’s Station Place long-term care home in Havelock is ahead of schedule and is expecting project completion for the summer of next year, announced on Friday morning.

Ray Barlow, AON Inc. vice president (far left) helps guide the tour to dignitaries and others of Station Place a year later of construction. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 9 last year was projected to be completed by September next year. However, with hard work and fortunate circumstances, completion has been bumped up to be finished by summer next year, according to Ray Barlow, AON Inc. vice president.

“Our construction team is doing extraordinary,” he explained. The weather's been on our side, the crews' been working well, the contractors are working well together and when you have cooperation, you get a lot of done quickly.”

AON Inc. gave the media and dignitaries a tour of the facility of the 128-bed long-term care home while providing updates on the building’s progress. Dignitaries included Michelle Ferreri, Peterborough-Kawartha MP; Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP and Jim Martin, Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township mayor.

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 Smith.

“The residents of Havelock have been waiting a long time for the build of this long-term care home,” he said in a prior interview. “Our government has made commitments to get long-term care homes built in this province and today proves we are doing just that.”

The approximate 86,355 sq ft. site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. AON won the bid to build the long-term care home on Feb 17, 2022.

The home will have dining, activity areas, lounges and access to outdoor spaces with 128 beds available. The building will employ over 140 staff (both full-time and part-time), whereas AON Inc. seeks prospective employees immediately for training.

“We have time to help get people training they need and we also have a PSW training program in place that's 100 per cent paid for so when you finish the program, you will have a job at Station Place,” explained Barlow.

Career applications for AON Inc’s Station Place long-term care home can be found online.

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Provincial Government Invests Nearly $450,000 Into Peterborough-Kawartha Long-Term Care Homes

The Ontario Government has invested $444,135 to four local long-term care homes in Peterborough-Kawartha area as part of the Local Priorities Fund, announced at Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home on Friday morning.

The Local Priorities Fund is part of a broader investment of over $120 million in 2022-23 and complements the recently launched Equipment and Training Fund. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The following homes are receiving the investment:

• Extendicare Lakefield: $5,950

• Extendicare Peterborough: $37,321

• Fairhaven Long Term Care: $261,059

• St. Joseph’s at Fleming: $139,805

“The Ontario government’s investment will enhance the services we provide to our resident’s care needs,” said to Nancy Rooney, Fairhave executive director. “The Local Priority Fund allows our residents to have the care required without overburdening our hospitals.”

The funding will help long-term care homes be supplied with items such as IV equipment, bariatrics equipment bed support, bladder scanners, and ECGs. It also goes towards everyday items like slip-proof floor mats, wrap around bed rails, and grab bars according Rooney.

This funding covers costs for specialized staffing, equipment and services for new or increasingly complex medical or specialized equipment needs which cannot currently be accommodated in our home,” she said. “This Fund has made a significant impact to our organization. We greatly appreciate the provincial support in funding different initiative such as the Local Priorities Fund.”

“This investment, tailored to the needs of our community will provide long-term care residents right here in Peterborough-Kawartha with specialized supports and services they need,” said Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP.

The Local Priorities Fund was launched in 2022. Since then, roughly $20 million was invested in 2022-23 to help long-term care homes purchase specialized equipment and train staff to provide more specialized care according to a press release. It continues to state that the funding allows homes to welcome residents who have complex needs but no longer require acute care in hospital.

Any current residents who have new or increasingly complex medical or specialized equipment needs which could not be previously accommodated in their long-term care home can be treated on-site rather than unnecessary hospital admissions.

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Career Expo Sees 90 People For AON Inc.'s Long-Term Care Home Station Place In Havelock

With AON Inc.’s long-term care home ‘Station Place’ undergoing construction in Havelock, their career expo saw 90 people fill the Havelock Centre last Thursday.

The groundbreaking ceremony Photo courtesy of AON Inc.

“This event was primarily to start the conversation with our community members about future employment opportunities,” said Cheryl Filiatrault, AON Inc.’s Manager – People & Culture. “The home will not be ready to open until summer 2025 so currently there are no positions to fill yet in Havelock. However, we will begin hiring in early 2025 and will be looking at 150+ new hires at that time.”

This was the first career expo AON Inc. held for Station Place. Filiatrault; Rebecca Hooper, human resources manager and April Coulter, chief nursing officer discussed several topics at the expo.

“We wanted to invite the community to come and spend some time with us and learn more about who we are at AON, what we stand for and the services that Station Place will bring to the community of Havelock,” said Filiatrault. “(We) presented information about the Home’s design, our approach to resident care, and about the many different career opportunities that we will come with Station Place’s opening in 2025.”

The site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. in Havelock. AON Inc. won the bid to build the 128-bed long-term care home on Feb. 17 last year. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred at the site on Aug. 9. The building is roughly 86,355 sq ft. and the project’s completion is slated for September next year.

“This home has been the buzz around AON for a few years now and to see it coming together has been exciting for everyone involved,” explained Filiatrault.

Those who missed this past expo will have more opportunities to attend another says Filiatrault.

“We plan to hold similar events in the surrounding communities over the coming months. We plan to host Career Expos in Campbellford, Norwood, Marmora, etc,” she said.

The home will have dining, activity areas, lounges, and access to outdoor spaces. Over 150 staff will work in the building.

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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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