Cochrane District Services Board to turn old Timmins hotel into seniors housing
The former Ramada Inn will have 100 suites and offer meals, housekeeping and recreation
The Cochrane District Services Board will turn the old Ramada Inn in Timmins into a seniors housing complex – now that the province has overlooked the city for funding for a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub.
The board revealed the move on Thursday.
It had purchased the hotel on Riverside Drive in the fall of last year in partnership with the Mushkegowuk Council, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Timmins and District Hospital in hopes of landing provincial dollars for an addictions treatment centre and withdrawal management program.
But Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced a final round of HART hub funding recipients in January, and Timmins wasn't on the list.
"The intent was always, when we purchased the building, to have alternative uses," said Jean Carriere, the board's director of health.
"This was always an option – not something we made public or discussed in the public because the intent was always a wellness centre or HART hub. But we wanted to make sure that, you know, by purchasing the building, we did have other uses lined up for it."
Cochrane district has more than 880 seniors on its housing wait list, according to a news release from the board.
Building in good shape, board says
The new facility will offer around 100 spaces for seniors.
It will be similar to Cadence Residence in Cochrane or Spruce Hill Lodge in Timmins, Carriere said.
The residence, which is set to open late this year or early in 2026, will feature bachelor suites and some slightly larger units and offer light meals, housekeeping and recreational activities.
Six to eight of the suites will be accessible, Carriere said, five will have kitchenettes, and a couple will have full kitchens.
He couldn't say how much it would cost to convert the hotel into the seniors complex, but he said the building is in good condition.
He estimated the immediate cost of repairs and renovations at $1.2 million.
The units will not be priced affordably for low-income seniors, Carriere said, but they could free up homes for those on low incomes as people sell their houses and move into the new suites.
"We'll meet some of the needs in the area and may help address some of the homeless issues," he said.
Ontario began funding HART hubs late last year after announcing in August that it was banning consumption and treatment services (CTS) sites – sometimes known as supervised consumption facilities – within 200 metres of schools and childcare centres, a move that effectively outlawed nearly all of the existing sites.
HART hubs offer different combinations of shelter beds, addiction treatment services, mental health care, primary medical care and access to other services.
The province didn't provide Timmins with any explanation for its exclusion from the funding, Carriere said, adding he thought the city's application was a strong one.
"There's a huge need, he said.
"I mean, considering with the new data that just came out that Timmins is now second per capita when it comes to opiate deaths. ... Timmins, we thought, had a very, very good application. If you compare it to some of the other HART hubs that have been allocated, Sudbury for example is proposing 40 beds. We were proposing 100 rooms. We also are the only HART hub applicant that had multiple districts."