125 Peel Street - Community Campus of Care

Project Information

Address

125 Peel Street, Thornbury

Current Status

Awaiting Application

Total Residential Units

160

On This Page
1. About 125 Peel Street
2. About The Community Campus of Care
3. Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Timeline & Project Updates
6. Documents & Additional Information

Project Update

At the May 17, 2023 Council meeting, Skyline and peopleCare communities 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.

View the Concept Plan

View the Full Presentation

View the Staff Report

About 125 Peel Street

On February 22, 2021, the Town of The Blue Mountains announced the purchase of 125 Peel Street in Thornbury. The 32-acre property was identified as a property of interest and strategic location for a range of potential uses due to its proximity to Highway 26 and the Tomahawk Recreational Complex.

In a report from February 2021, Town Staff suggested potential future uses for the property, which could include:
- Potential location of a future Multi-use Community Hub (8 - 12-year horizon);
- Potential location of a range of alternate municipal uses; and
- Potential of providing area for an improved intersection at Grey Road 113, 10th line and Highway 26.
With the January 28, 2022 announcement of the Community Campus of Care project, the Town will be actively seeking a Minister's Zoning Order for 125 Peel Street to ensure that the property land use approvals support the Council's vision for the use of the Community Campus of Care project.

About the Community Campus of Care

Through an innovative and unique partnership, the Town is working with the Province of Ontario and the Ministry of Long Term Care to develop a new 160 bed long-term care facility within the Community Campus of Care.

The partnership was announced in January 2022 when the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Long Term Care, provisionally allocated 160 long-term care beds to the Town. When fully constructed, the Community Campus of Care project is expected to feature a 160 bed long-term care facility, retirement living accommodation focused on healthy seniors’ living, and
a variety of attainable housing units and dwellings to support the staff working at the Community Campus of Care.
The Community Campus of Care is proposed to be built on a portion of the Town-owned lands located at 125 Peel Street in Thornbury. Purchased last year, the 32-acre property has been long considered a key strategic property of interest by the Town with its proximity to Highway 26 and the Tomahawk Recreation Complex, providing future opportunities for both properties.
To ensure success, the Town retained SHS Consulting to help guide the project forward. SHS Consulting was responsible for working with the Town’s 125 Peel Street Task Force and Council to confirm Council's vision for the site and the key components that will be on the site and to source a private sector partner (or partners) to develop, own, manage, operate, and maintain the various components of the Community Campus of Care.
On July 6, 2022 the Town issued a Request for Qualification (2022-24-PQ-ADM) to pre-qualify prospective proponents based on the criteria eligibility for the Campus of Care development opportunity. Through the pre-qualification process, one submission was received from peopleCare Communities as the lead proponent in collaboration with SkyDev. The submission was qualified by the Ministry of Long-Term Care and the Town.
On October 6, 2022, the Town issued the Request for Proposal (2022-74-P-ADM) to receive proposals for the development of a Campus of Care. Through the formal procurement process, the Request for Proposal was completed and cancelled without a successful proponent meeting the minimum mandatory technical scoring requirements.
At the January 23, 2023, Closed Session Council meeting, staff were directed to negotiate with the lone qualified proponent, being peopleCare Communities and SkyDev, as permitted under Section 10 - Negotiation of the Town’s Purchasing of Goods and Services Policy (POL.COR.07.05), due to the time-sensitivity of the March 2023 Ministry deadline to secure a qualified long-term care provider for the provisional allocation of the one hundred and sixty (160) long-term care beds.
Further details, including the most recent staff report related to the project can be viewed online at the following link: https://www.thebluemountains.ca/sites/default/files/2023-02/E-1-FAF-23-036-125-Peel-Street-Campus-of-Care-Update.pdf

Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator

On April 3, 2023 the Town received notice from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing that approval was granted based on the Town's request to use the Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator (CIHA) tool to accelerate the design and construction of the Community Campus of Care project located at 125 Peel Street in Thornbury.

Press Release Announcement - Click to Open
CIHA Order - Click to Open
The Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator is part of Ontario's Planning Act. A CIHA allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to decide how a piece of land is used, bypassing the traditional methods used in a municipality. Through a CIHA, the Minister is able to provide an exemption from other planning-related approvals, such as the Provincial Policy Statement and Municipal Official Plans. Previously, the Town was working with the Province to develop a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) for the same purpose. Since the approval of Bill 109, The More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022, the MZO process was removed and replaced with the CIHA process.
More information about the CIHA can be found on the Government of Ontario's website.

Timeline & Project Updates

The list below is in chronological order from oldest to most recent:
- February 22, 2021: Council Approved the Purchase of 125 Peel Street (Staff Report FAF.21.040)
- February 23, 2021: Purchase of 125 Peel Street (Press Release Issued)
- May 4, 2021: Council Approved Financing for 125 Peel Street Purchase (Staff Report FAF.21.071)
- September 20, 2021: Council Approval of Technical Studies (Staff Report FAF.21.171)
- December 13, 2021: Council Approved RFP for Development Management Consultant (Council Meeting Minutes)
- January 5, 2022: RFP Issued for Development Management Consultant (Link to Bid Opportunity)
- January 17, 2022: Council Directed Staff to Initiate the Formal Process to declare 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Staff Report FAF.22.016)
- January 28, 2022: Provincial Announcement and Allocation of Long Term Care Beds (Press Release Issued)
- February 4, 2022: Press Release Issued Regarding SHS Consulting as Development Management Consultant (Press Release Issued)
- January 17, 2022: Notice of Public Meeting Issued to Declare a Portion of 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Public Notice Issued)
- February 7, 2022: Public Meeting Held regarding Declaring a Portion of 125 Peel Street as Surplus (Recording of Meeting)
- March 2, 2022: Staff Report Regarding Follow up To Public Meeting (Staff Report FAF.22.047)
- March 2, 2022: Special Meeting of Council and Presentation by SHS Consulting Regarding Project Vision (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (SHS Presentation Slide Deck) (Post-Meeting Minute & Motions Passed)
- March 14, 2022: Council Meeting to further discuss the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care Project (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (SHS Consulting Follow-up & Response to Public Comments) (Meeting Minutes)
- March 15, 2022: Special Meeting of Council to discuss the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report for Single Source Engineering)
- March 29, 2022: Committee of the Whole Meeting to declare the 125 Peel Street Lands Surplus and a Process to Sell the Lands (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- April 11, 2022: Special Meeting of Council to discuss Options for 125 Peel Street Community Campus of Care Task Force Structure (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- April 29, 2022: Town submitted an application for a Ministerial Zoning Order to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing outlining the proposed use of the lands at 125 Peel Street.
- May 16, 2022: CAO Shawn Everitt provided a summary update at a Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on the progress that has been made on the proposed Community Campus of Care project. The report also outlined an anticipated timeline extension of two months. (Recording of Meeting) (Meeting Agenda) (Staff Report)
- July 6, 2022: The Town released the Request for Qualification (RFQ) document, which aims to pre-qualify prospective proponents based on the criteria eligibility for the Campus of Care development opportunity. The RFQ can be found on the Town's Bids and Tenders website.
- November 1, 2022: CAO Shawn Everitt provided an update at Committee of the Whole with Staff Report FAF.22.150. One proponent has been qualified and can now participate in the Request For Proposal process. Town Council directed staff to enter into negotiations with WT Infrastructure for the Engineering Design and Contract Management for the servicing of the 125 Peel Street property for the Community Campus of Care (Recording of Meeting) (Staff Report)
- November 25, 2022: The Town provided a Public Notice regarding the proposed Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator (CIHA) application to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Town is requesting written comments on the proposed CIHA order to forward with the Council Resolution for consideration by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. It is noted that if the Town is successful in obtaining a CIHA order, that additional work will be required to finalize the Campus of Care project in accordance with the Order and prior to construction commencing. (Public Notice) (Draft CIHA)
- December 12, 2022: A staff report will be presented to Council requesting direction to forward the Draft CIHA Order to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to pursue a CIHA application that permits the development of a Community Campus of Care. (Staff Report)
- December 15, 2022: Council passed two Resolutions relating to the Community Campus of Care. The first reaffirms Council support for the Community Campus of Care and the pursuance of a Community Infrastructure Housing Accelerator Order to permit the development. The second encourages transparency, accountability and public participation. (Resolution 1) (Resolution 2)
- March 6, 2023: At the March 6, 2023 Council Meeting, CAO Shawn Everitt presented staff report FAF.23.036 "125 Peel Street Campus of Care Update". The staff report provided information regarding the history of the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care concept and the results of the procurement process for the 125 Peel Street Campus of Care Project and the proposed next steps.
- May 17, 2023: Staff report FAF.23.085 will be presented to Council, providing an introduction to the Campus of Care concept as presented by Skyline Skydev and peopleCare communities. (Staff Report) (Campus of Care Presentation)