Fort Erie is a town located on the Niagara River nestled in the easternmost part of the Niagara Region. Located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, this border town is a common travel point for both American and Canadian citizens traveling to either side of the Peace Bridge. The population of Fort Erie nears 30,000 with a large portion of the population being of an aging population. This causes some great concern for those individuals who eventually will not be able to live on their own. Gilmore Lodge is the municipality’s long term care residence for elders located in Fort Erie. With the aging population of Fort Erie increasing, the municipality has decided to purchase land in order to relocate, rebuild and increase the bed space in Gilmore Lodge.
The New Development
A $4.2-million relocation of Gilmore Lodge retirement home will brighten the future for Fort Erie’s aging population. The former County Fair Mall on Garrison Road has been sold to the Niagara Region and will become the relocation site for Gilmore Lodge, which has been operating since 1988. The 11-acre property will accommodate a brand new long-term care residency. The additional residential and mixed-use facilities may potentially draw $34 million from investors, adding additional value to the property.
Why The Decision to Relocate Gilmore Lodge
As building and health care facility standards constantly change, the original Gilmore Lodge building has been noted that it must be redeveloped by 2025. Along with two other retirement homes in the Niagara Region, Gilmore Lodge has been ordered by the province of Ontario to be redeveloped in order to comply with new building standards handed down from the province. The other two facilities include Linhaven located in St.Catharines and Upper Canada Lodge in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Next Steps
Mayor Redekop of Fort Erie believes that the future plans for the former mall are not only positive for the community but for its senior population, which is rapidly growing. At this point in time, the number of beds that will be present in the new facility is unknown but there will be enough to address the needs of the community. The main focus on the new Gilmore Lodge development is not only to provide more long-term care beds but additional services that would help to defer or avoid the needs of long-term care placement. These additional services would ideally allow seniors who do not need long-term care, but another form of care, to receive it, freeing up the number of beds available.
The former Country Fair Mall was opened in the 1970’s and shut down in 2014. With retailers pulling out of the mall it caused it to shut down. The ideal location and empty facilities are perfect for the new development project. With Niagara’s constantly increasing population we also notice an increase in the amount of retirees and seniors living in the area, increasing the amount of care facilities required. The new development of the Gilmore Lodge it planned to break ground in 2019.
