FALL RIVER: A long-term care home will indeed be part of the Carr Farm Development in Fall River.
The province and Northwood officially confirmed on May 17 that a 144-bed facility will go at the property site located on Fall River Road. In a story in December 2022, the province and Northwood had said there was nothing finalized—despite the developer planning for one as part of it.
During a press conference in Lower Sackville on May 17, Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors, and Long-Term Care, announced that construction is beginning on the development of six long-term care homes in Halifax-area communities.
The facilities, which are scheduled to open in 2025, will provide new living spaces for 720 seniors in need of long-term care.
In a release announcing the construction work on those facilities, the province announced that a replacement facility for Northwood in Fall River was also moving forward, with the site selection now complete.
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Janet Simm, CEO of Northwood, confirmed that the facility would be going as part of the Carr farm development and that it took awhile because of the process involved.
“Obtaining approval to proceed with a long-term care facility is a complex, multistep process,” she said.
The Carr Farm was just one of several sites in Fall River and surrounding communities that Northwood looked at.
“We submitted our proposal to government which included an evaluation of several sites in Fall River/surrounding community,” said Simm in an early Wednesday evening interview. “The Carr Farm site has now been approved as the location of the Northwood long-term care facility in Fall River.”
Simm said the facility will have 144 beds, with 100 of those acting as replacements for a reduced number of beds in their Halifax location.
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In an interview with The Laker News before supper hour, Advanced Education Minister, and Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank MLA Brian Wong said there had been ongoing speculation as to where the facility was going, adding the Carr farm development was likely the preferred spot.
“It did take a while for Northwood and the developers and everyone to do their due diligence in order to make this happen,” said Wong.
“I’m really happy with the announcement of a 144 long term care beds right in the heart of Fall River.”
Wong said it is expected that the facility will be open by sometime in 2027.
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He said the news is a big deal for families and seniors in the community who can now age in the place they call home.
“One of the issues that we have in our community is that seniors don’t see themselves as having a place to go within community,” said Wong.
“They know when they get to a certain age or when it’s time to move out of their homes, that they’re going to have to move out of the community.
“That’s been something that we’ve heard for a long time. This is a great opportunity for seniors to age in their community.”
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Wong was asked about the impact the development would have on Fall River Road and the traffic congestion that happens on it, bringing traffic from staff and seniors who may still drive.
He said his understanding is the traffic study for the development showed that Fall River Road can accommodate a long-term care facility and Carr Farm development itself. He also felt any traffic issues would be something that are a municipal issue and one to be directed to municipal councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon.
Wong was asked to clarify what is meant in the release pertaining to it being called a replacement facility. When most people think of replacement, it’s to replace something. He pointed to Northwood’s Ivy Meadows in North Beaver Bank when asked about this.
“My understanding is that that Northwood facility in North Beaver Bank will be phased out eventually,” he said. “This facility is really coming into the constituency, which is certainly part of the greater community.
“We’re very pleased to see that it’s going to land right in Fall River.”
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The six facilities where constriction will begin in HRM will provide new living spaces for 720 seniors in need of long-term care.
The facilities include:
— a 96-room facility on Westwood Boulevard, Tantallon, operated by Gem Healthcare;
— a 144-room facility on Cole Harbour Road, Dartmouth, operated by Gem Healthcare;
— a 48-room facility on Gary Martin Drive, Bedford, operated by Northwood care;
— a 144-room facility on Cobequid Road, Lower Sackville, operated by Rosecrest Communities;
— a 144-room facility in Opal Ridge Subdivision, Dartmouth, operated by Shannex; and
— a 144-room facility on Starboard Drive, Bedford, operated by Shannex.
These facilities are expected to be open by 2025, a release from the province said.
