Pamela Leermakers, left, Victoria and Karen Santaguida are looking for answers after their relatives living at Chartwell’s Heritage Glen seniors residence were given eviction notices earlier this month.
Pamela Leermakers, left, Victoria and Karen Santaguida are looking for answers after their relatives living at Chartwell’s Heritage Glen seniors residence were given eviction notices earlier this month.
Around 200 residents of a Mississauga seniors home may have to scramble to find a new place to live after they received eviction notices from their landlord.
Family members of the tenants of Chartwell’s Heritage Glen seniors residence say they’re shocked and devastated after learning their relatives were given eviction notices on March 19 stating that the building was closing down.
The Mississauga News obtained some of the Chartwell eviction notices, which indicate that the national seniors housing company is asking Heritage Glen residents to leave the building by July 31 so that extensive renovations can take place.
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Karen Santaguida, whose 91-year-old mother has lived in Heritage Glen for around 20 years, says the building is a “perfect place” for her mother because of its amenities, care options and price.
Other Chartwell seniors homes are nearly double what Santaguida’s mother is currently paying and she says July 31 is too soon for her mother to find new housing she can afford.
A Chartwell spokesperson declined to be interviewed for this story but confirmed that Heritage Glen has been sold to real estate developer Minto and that 188 units, some with double occupancy, have been served eviction notices.
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“The decision to close Chartwell Heritage Glen retirement residence was not made lightly,” spokesperson Mary Perrone Lisi wrote in a statement.
“The aging infrastructure of the buildings has made it unsustainable to continue operations as a retirement residence,” Perrone Lisi wrote, adding that Chartwell has retained a team a help residents and their families with relocating.
The eviction package includes a list of other Chartwell buildings residents can relocate to in Mississauga and across the GTA.
Chartwell has also offered to cover moving costs for relocating within 50 kilometres of Heritage Glen, and three months of the residents current rent, which they are obligated to do under the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act.
According to the eviction package, Chartwell is offering per month “loyalty discounts” in the range of $150 to $250 off rent, meal and housekeeping services for Heritage Glen residents, as well as one month of free rent for the company’s Lansing and Regency properties in Toronto and Mississauga.
Kurtis Barrett of the independent Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority says it appears Chartwell is meeting its legal requirements under Ontario’s Retirement Homes Act.
“As a private entity, the licensee is permitted to cease operations as long as they comply with all requirements, including ample notice and an appropriate transition plan,” he said in a statement.
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Pamela Leermakers, whose 77-year-old mother-in-law is in Heritage Glen and has mobility issues, wants more protections in provincial regulations for seniors housing.
Leermakers says her family can’t afford to retrofit their home to allow her mother-in-law to live there and can’t find suitable accommodations for her that aren’t more than double the Heritage Glen rent.
“We’re very upset,” Leermakers said. “We have no clue where we’re going to move her.”
Local MPP Nina Tangri’s office did not respond to interview requests from the Mississauga News for this story.
Part of the Chartwell eviction package sent to Heritage Glen residents on March 19.
Steve Cornwell screengrab
The two-10-storey buildings in Mississauga’s Meadowvale neighbourhood are connected by a two-storey central atrium with dining and recreation space for residents and guests. Heritage Glen has 323 suites, which includes 286 one-bedroom and 37 two-bedroom units, as well as 346 surface and underground parking spots.
Fully occupied, the building, which city records say was built in 1974, has a capacity of over 600 residents.
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Residents of the building have access to 24-hour nursing staff, meals, housekeeping services as well as planned recreation activities.
“Many of the families that live in that Heritage Glen building are original residents of Meadowvale who wanted to stay in their community, and now that’s being taken away from them,” said local Mississauga Coun. Martin Reid.
He added that he wishes the Region of Peel or another seniors housing provider had a chance to potentially buy Heritage Glen to keep it as it is.
“It’s frustrating and it’s upsetting,” he said.
Mississauga Ward 9 Coun. Martin Reid.
Graeme Frisque Metroland
Renovation plans presented at the committee of adjustment last month suggest that Heritage Glen will be redeveloped to have 331 all-ages rental units, with 22 additional two-bedroom apartments and 14 fewer single-bedroom dwellings.
6515 Glen Erin Dr. is zoned for residential uses including retirement buildings, long-term care facilities and apartments and has a maximum height of 12 storeys.
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Switching the building use from retirement residence to all-ages rental does not require city council and planning committee approval.
The city’s committee of adjustment approved minor variances to allow reduced parking rates and setbacks at 6515 Glen Erin Dr. with no objections from city or regional staff on Feb. 15.
Graham Webb, executive director and lawyer with Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, says skyrocketing land values and increased costs on retirement homes through COVID-19 have created incentives for operators to sell facilities.
But, he added, the “mass eviction” of close to 200 seniors will create a “huge issue” for those impacted.
“This is really a symptom of a housing crisis for older adults in Ontario,” he said.
“And I wish there were some answers.”
Chartwell’s Heritage Glen seniors home at 6515 Glen Erin Dr. in Mississauga is set to close and be turned into all-ages rentals.
City of Mississauga photo
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A 2023 Chartwell report says the national seniors housing company is aiming to “become a focused operator of mid-market and upscale residences in urban and suburban areas” and several properties were being reviewed for potential upgrades or sale.
According to the report, Chartwell owned 160 residences including 23,930 suites at the end of last year. The national seniors home company has more than doubled its profits from 2022, clearing more than $128 million in 2023 compared to $49 million a year earlier.
GeoWarehouse records indicate Chartwell bought the Heritage Glen property in 2006 for $52.4 million. As of Friday, March 22, there were no details available regarding the change in ownership between Minto and Chartwell.
A representative from Minto declined an interview with the Mississauga News and said the real estate developer had no comment on the purchase of Heritage Glen at this time.
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