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Healthcare Construction

Long-Term Care Home Construction in
Ottawa & Eastern Ontario

Back to Healthcare & Long-Term Care Construction

Ottawa is adding long-term care capacity in real time: the Southbridge Ottawa home in Nepean opened in March 2026 with 192 new beds, and with a second facility under way the two projects add 384 modern beds to the city. Terrahills delivers long-term care homes across Ottawa and Eastern Ontario under one contract, designed to the Ministry's Capital Funding Program and built to Group B institutional requirements.

Eastern Ontario's long-term care need is driven by an aging population outside the GTA and by the province's redevelopment program for older homes that no longer meet the Design Manual. Outside the GTHA the Capital Funding Program funds to $436,000 eligible project cost per bed, the southern Ontario tier, which makes efficient design and disciplined preconstruction the difference between a viable project and one that cannot close.

The building is the same institutional occupancy as anywhere in Ontario, but the site is different. Ottawa's Leda clay, sensitive marine clay across much of the city, and frost depths that run deeper than southern Ontario shape the foundation and the envelope. Engineered fill, raft or pile foundations on sensitive clay, and 1.5–1.8 m frost depth are routine design inputs here, not surprises.

What is specific to long-term care construction in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario

  • Capital Funding Program: maximum eligible project cost $436,000 per bed for the southern Ontario tier (Ottawa is outside the GTHA tier), CFP funding to $370,600 per bed, on 800 sq ft per bed
  • Leda clay: sensitive marine clay across much of Ottawa that governs foundation type, settlement control and excavation stability. The geotechnical report is the first document on the project
  • Frost depth designed at roughly 1.5–1.8 m across Eastern Ontario, deeper than the 1.2 m common in the south
  • Group B occupancy under OBC Part 3 with the MLTC Design Manual; bilingual signage and services requirements are common in Ottawa and the eastern counties
  • Municipal site plan through the City of Ottawa or the county municipality, with Rideau Valley, Mississippi Valley or South Nation conservation authority sign-off
  • Ottawa's two-project pipeline (384 beds) sits alongside redevelopment of older homes across Cornwall, Kingston, Pembroke and the counties

What it costs here

Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care 2025 Capital Funding Policy: maximum eligible project cost $750,000 per bed in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and $436,000 per bed across the rest of southern Ontario, funded on a maximum of 800 sq ft per bed with an eligible-cost ceiling of $1,100/sq ft. That implies roughly $545–$940/sq ft all-in eligible cost depending on tier.

Proof of delivery

EU-GMP certified pharmaceutical facility, Ramara, regulated-environment construction with documentation prepared for regulatory sign-off during the build. Available for all healthcare project types across Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.

Healthcare & medical facility construction

FAQ

Questions clients ask about healthcare & long-term care

For the southern Ontario tier, which includes Ottawa, the 2025 Capital Funding Policy sets the maximum eligible project cost at $436,000 per bed with CFP funding to $370,600 per bed, funded on 800 square feet per bed. North-urban and north-remote tiers are higher. The Construction Funding Subsidy then pays per bed per day over 25 years after first admission.
Leda clay is a sensitive marine clay that loses strength when disturbed and consolidates under load. It governs the foundation type (engineered fill, raft or piles depending on the site) and the excavation and dewatering approach. It is a well-understood condition in Ottawa; it just has to be designed for from the first day.
Yes. Eastern Ontario's long-term care pipeline includes redevelopment of older homes across the counties, and remote-from-HQ delivery is how we work. Our project management model does not depend on the site being next to our office.