The Town of The Blue Mountains would like to provide an update about the Campus of Care. The project is expected to bring 160 long-term-care beds to the Town. It will also provide a range of retirement home living options, such as affordable housing and attainable housing units (e.g., townhouses and apartments), daycare facilities, and certain commercial uses.
The Town has entered into an agreement with Skyline Development Acquisitions Inc. and peopleCare Communities Inc. to develop the Campus of Care, which was finalized earlier this year. As such, contractors are expected to be on-site at 125 Peel Street between December 1 and 7 to complete borehole drilling and groundwater sampling work as part of the Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment. More information can be found below.
Project Update
Since early 2022, the Town, alongside a variety of partners, has been actively working towards the development of a Campus of Care. The project requires the disposition of municipal land, specifically portions of the 125 Peel Street property. This work has also been a collaboration with the Ministry of Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
At the May 17, 2023 Council meeting, Skyline Development Acquisitions Inc. and peopleCare Communities Inc. provided Council with a presentation outlining the Campus of Care Conceptual Proposal. The presentation provided an overview of the proposed site layout, which included the north portion of the property being retained by the Town for future use.
Following the meeting, the Town signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Skyline Development Acquisitions Inc. and peopleCare Communities Inc., including the negotiated purchase price of 18.7 contiguous acres of the 125 Peel Street property for $15,000,000.
Council approved the execution of the required agreements to formalize the disposition and sale of municipally owned land for developing the Campus of Care on June 26, 2023. The final purchase agreements are expected to be executed by all parties by the end of 2023.
The Town will be responsible for severing the existing 125 Peel Street property to create three individual parcels, with the Town retaining the eleven-acre parcel of land on the northwest side of the property along the Highway 26 corridor. The Town will also be responsible for installing all offsite servicing and roadworks to the property line to service the Campus of Care. Skyline Development Acquisitions Inc. and peopleCare Communities Inc. will be responsible for obtaining site plan approval and all on-site works.
Upcoming Site Work
In July 2023, Cambium finalized a Phase One Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for the property located at 125 Peel Street South, in Thornbury, under the guidance of Ontario Regulation (O. Reg) 153/04. The Phase One ESA included a review of the historical and current conditions of the site to determine the potential existence of contaminants that may cause an adverse effect in or to the natural environment.
The Phase One ESA is a non-intrusive investigation (i.e., it does not include the collection or analysis of samples nor taking environmental measurements) and cannot state with certainty whether contamination is present (except where contamination is directly observable). The Phase One ESA for the site identified ten areas of potential environmental concern (APECs). A Phase Two ESA was noted as required based on the observations and information obtained for the Site and Phase One Study Area.
Cambium and the subcontractor Strata Drilling Group will be on-site on December 5, 2023, to advance environmental boreholes and install groundwater monitoring wells at the Site to facilitate the completion of the Phase Two ESA under the guidance of O. Reg 153/04. The Phase Two ESA scope is based on the findings of the Phase One ESA and will investigate soil, sediment, and groundwater quality at the Site across the 10 APECs identified within the Phase One ESA.
For more information or to subscribe for project updates, please visit the project webpage or contact:
Shawn Everitt
Chief Administrative Officer
(519) 599-3131 ext. 234
