Infrastructure Ontario has awarded contracts to build four long-term care homes—three to EllisDon and one to PCL—across the province.

The provincial Crown agency announced the contract awards on December 17. The projects will be built as part of the province’s Accelerated Build Pilot Program.

The contract awarded to PCL will see the builder design and construct a new long-term care home at the Ajax Pickering Hospital site in Durham Region.

The home will have capacity for up to 320 beds, will include private or semi-private bedrooms, lounge areas, dining rooms, terraces and enhancements to HVAC such as 100 percent fresh-air supply capability.

The first of the projects awarded to EllisDon will see the contractor design and build a long-term care home at Humber River Hospital’s Finch Campus in Toronto. Much like the Ajax Pickering Hospital home, the building will have capacity for up to 320 beds, and include modern HVAC equipment.

EllisDon was also contracted by Trillium Health Partners to build another two long-term care homes on Speakman Drive in Mississauga. The homes will have capacity for 320 and 312 beds, respectively.

In all cases, the completed long-term care homes will be owned by the respective purchasing authorities, and managed on a not-for-profit basis. Infrastructure Ontario will manage the projects’ construction and commissioning.

The Accelerated Build Pilot Program aims to deliver new long-term care homes years sooner than a traditional development project through the use of hospital-owned land, rapid procurement and modular construction.

In total, the pilot program will add up to 1,280 long-term care beds in the GTA.