“We need to reconsider what a long-term care home is — it has the opportunity to be the hub, the heartbeat, the history, and the storytellers of your community.” – Donna Duncan, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association
Momentum is building as more leaders recognize that investing in an aging population isn’t just compassionate – it’s strategic. When municipalities support seniors, they’re also able to unlock solutions involving healthcare, housing, and social wellbeing. At the heart of this transformation lies a powerful opportunity: to reimagine long-term care homes not as institutions of necessity, but as vibrant hubs of dignity, connection, and innovation.
The operations of long-term care homes will this year alone contribute more than $12 billion to Ontario’s GDP and 166,000 jobs -direct, indirect and induced.
Speaking at the 2025 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, Ontario Long Term Care Association CEO Donna Duncan says when Municipalities partner with long-term care they can pave the way to better solutions instead of being a bump in the road on the way to progress. Duncan says this is the moment for municipalities to partner with ageing seniors and their families and engage with organizations such as Rotary and Lions clubs, churches and faith-based organizations to create a stronger sense of community and move quickly towards a solution.
In addition to helping create thousands of new opportunities in construction and skilled trades, when long-term care homes are built as community hubs, we improve care and quality of life not only for residents but also for those who love and support them.
The province is committed to building 30,000 new long-term care spaces and revitalizing 28,000 older ones; however, funding will not get far without collaboration.
There are over 48,000 people on the current waitlist. It takes years to redevelop long-term care homes and the number of people who will need the support of a long-term care home as early as 2027 – when Ontario baby boomers hit the age of 80 – will significantly increase.
For seniors, living in close connection with others helps them reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. It also boosts their overall well-being and promotes better cognitive function. So how can we reimagine long-term care homes as spaces that benefit families, neighbourhoods and businesses?
Across the province, a series of reimagined long-term care spaces are starting to take shape. Some of these projects are bringing to life an environment where students and seniors will live, learn, and grow together while others will make space for affordable housing on site with access to health services steps from their rooms.
What does a vibrant long-term care home look like in your community? Will it offer day programming for children and students? Is there housing for employees? Is it a mixed-use building that merges long term care spaces with diagnostics, restaurants or shops?
These are all discussions that municipalities need to start having as they work towards a solution that honours those who came before them.
