Charleswood seniors shocked, scrambling for homes after learning their assisted living facility is closing
Cameron MacLean | CBC News | Posted: May 5, 2023 10:00 AM | Last Updated: May 5, 2023
Board president blames provincial body's decision to quash apartment block that would have provided revenue
More than a dozen seniors and their families say they feel blindsided after learning a west Winnipeg assisted living facility plans to shut down in three months.
The Assiniboine Links, in the historic Odd Fellows Home at 4025 Roblin Blvd., has been sold and the new owner plans to convert it to rental apartments, residents have been told. The facility is expected to close by the end of August.
"It was totally devastating," said 72-year-old Barry Robertson, who has lived at the Charleswood facility for about a year.
"We had it good here … and then all of a sudden on Sunday they came around with papers saying that we have to move out in three months."
While residents and family members search for new accommodations, the acting manager at the facility blames a decision by a provincial municipal board that quashed a planned apartment complex on the property.
Revenue from that complex would have saved the facility, said Alan Nixon, president of the volunteer board that runs Assiniboine Links and a member of the Odd Fellows, an international fraternal group that currently holds title on the property.
It has struggled to find tenants since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Nixon, who was appointed as acting manager after the board dismissed the facility's manager in order to save money.
Assiniboine Links currently has 17 residents — fewer than the 22 Nixon said it needs to be viable.
The building was sold last year to the same developer who had planned to build a 199-unit apartment complex next to it.
The City of Winnipeg approved that project, but the Manitoba Municipal Board — a board of provincial appointees that was given expanded powers in 2021, allowing it to reverse Winnipeg city council decisions on a variety of land-use decisions — overruled the city's approval after nearby residents complained.
"If the apartment had gone ahead, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Nixon said.
Revenue from the apartment complex would have covered the costs of running the assisted living facility, but without it, Assiniboine Links is no longer viable, he said.
Staff are trying to help families find alternative accommodations, said Nixon, who has been involved with the facility since 2009.
"It hurts us just as much as it hurts them to tell them that they have to move."
CBC News contacted the developer, Daniel Serhal, but has not received a response.
A spokesperson for the provincial government said the municipal board is an "independent tribunal and its recommendations are not influenced by government."
The province encourages "the parties involved to work together collaboratively to find a resolution that will be suitable for everyone," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
'It's a scramble now'
For residents who recently moved in, like Charlie McKean, the news the facility is shutting down feels like a betrayal of trust, said his stepdaughter.
Beverly Claeys had heard about the conflict with residents over the planned apartments before her stepfather moved in last fall, but she said management told her the assisted living facility would continue operating.
"The fact that I asked if this was still potentially on the table and I was assured that absolutely this wouldn't happen, that makes me angry," she said.
She has contacted several other facilities in the area, but wait lists are already long.
"I've gone to a few other facilities close and they're being bombarded with phone calls by other tenants in this building, so it's a scramble now."
Frank Fixar, 91, said it's hard to find affordable places with the services he needs.
"It's terrible to do [to] poor people like us, you know?… There should be a law against it."
Walter Kacsmar, 98, has lived at Assiniboine Links for seven years.
"At my age, I've finally found a place there which is perfect for me, and then I have to do something else," he said.
In addition to the affordable rates, residents praised the facility's staff, particularly the cooks.
"The cooks here have done an excellent job," said Kacsmar. "I've been able to have a good appetite and a good meal, and I'm happy. I'm sorry that we have to leave."
Robertson praised the facility for its setting — far back from the street and surrounded by trees.
"There's deer to come up here and we can sit outside and enjoy the outdoor weather," he said.
For him, the hardest part of leaving will be the loss of community with his fellow residents.
"We were just getting to be a happy family here," he said.
Corrections:
- We initially reported that the Odd Fellows are affiliated with the Catholic Church. In fact, they are an international fraternal order not affiliated with any religion. May 5, 2023 2:04 PM