Ground broken Friday for expansion of Pleasant Manor in Virgil

It’s been many years since a major expansion at Pleasant Manor in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a campus of care for seniors that has been in operation since the late 1990s, was first envisioned.

So on Friday afternoon, a steady rain couldn’t dampen the celebration when ground was officially broken for a new long-term care facility to accommodate 160 residents that is expected to open its doors in late 2025.  

After several speeches from local dignitaries, Radiant Care chief executive officer Tim Siemens told The Local that the project has been an “evolving story” for 25 years, and that the new building, to be constructed behind the current 41-bed site on a former peach orchard, will serve “today’s and future needs for seniors.”  

He also said the current facility will be put to good use.  

“We’ll find a purpose for that to meet the demands of the senior population in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” he said. 

Siemens said the cost of the project will be “just north” of $40 million, funded by the province, community support, and equity Radiant Care already has in place.  

In his prepared speech to about 200 people in attendance, Pleasant Manor board president Glen Unruh provided a timeline of how the project has progressed in recent years.  

In 2016, the provincial government approved the site being redeveloped, and two years later, awarded the facility 81 new licences for residents requiring long-term care. An additional 41 spaces were added in 2020.  

“It’s been a long journey and with this sod-turning, we enter the shortest part of the journey – construction,” said Unruh.  

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said Pleasant Manor is an important part of the town, and has played a vital role in allowing local seniors to “remain in the community they love so much.”  

He told Minister of Long-Term Care Stan Cho, who also participated in Friday’s event, that he looks forward to more announcements from the province that will benefit local seniors’ ability to age in place.  

“There’s no doubt Niagara-on-the-Lake has one of the largest segments of an aging demographic in the province of Ontario,” said Zalepa.  

Cho said projects like this one are important, as is the government makes sure it “takes care of those who took care of us.” 

The work being done at Pleasant Manor is one of 67 long-term care home projects “fast-tracked” by the government, says a news release from the ministry.  

The new building will provide 119 new and 41 upgraded spaces for residents, and will feature design improvements, including larger resident common areas and air conditioning throughout the home.  

Its design is centred on five 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, says the news release from the province.  

The home will employ more than 200 people.

As of September 2023, more than 43,000 people were on a 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, says the province’s news release.  

Radiant Care, a not-for-profit organization, also operates Tabor Manor in St. Catharines. 

Several members of Niagara-on-the-Lake council attended the event Friday, as did Niagara Region chair Jim Bradley and Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates.