In response to a provincial survey, Grey County says it lacks the resources to repurpose the existing Rockwood Terrace into a long-term care home once residents move into the new building in 2027.
The Ministry of Long-Term Care requested feedback from the County on the potential continued use of the existing Rockwood Terrace building, which has no planned use once it's vacated. The province issued a survey to see whether it was feasible to use the current building to help meet its long-term care targets.
Jennifer Cornell, Director Long Term Care, said they found the county could not support operation of a fourth long-term care home unless all capital and operating costs were funded entirely from external sources.
Cornell said not only would the building require significant investment and redevelopment to meet current LTC standards, but there would be a huge human resources issue.
"Staffing is another area of concern or potential risk in operating a second long-term care home on that campus. Both facilities would require approximately 190 specialized staff, and we're actively working on our recruitment and onboarding plan for the additional 35 staff top operate the new long-term care home in the new building," she told Grey County council.
Cornell said Grey County currently contributes around $25,000 to $30,000 per bed annually from the levy to support long-term care operations, so adding more beds would significantly increase the financial burden.
She also noted the building would need significant redevelopment as it's over 50 years old. And even if a private company was willing to take that on, Deputy CAO Niall Lobley said staffing would still be an area of concern.
"A private operator looking for 190 staff right next door to where we need 190 staff would be significant competition in this area," he said. "We wanted to make sure the province was aware of the constraints that would be here."
The existing 100 residents and 28 new ones will move into the new Rockwood Terrace in early 2027. Council hasn't determined the future of the building once its vacated, but discussions are expected to take place on the matter next year.
