"A downtown Toronto long-term care home is rebuilding with a new design that considers lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, going beyond the province's standards but some say those standards are out of date. Right down to the placement of garbage cans, the new design of the Rekai Centre's Cherry Place aims to prevent the spread of viruses and prioritize residents' emotional and social needs, according to the centre's CEO, Sue Graham-Nutter. We never wanted our residents to go through this ever again, she said."
"Traditional long-term care homes saw over three times as many COVID-19 deaths and twice as many cases in 2020 than small care homes, according to data from a 2025 study by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Many of the planned updates at the 13-storey facility on Cherry Street were brainstormed during the pandemic as shortfalls were brought to light, said Graham-Nutter."
Rekai Centre's Cherry Place in downtown Toronto is being rebuilt with pandemic-informed design features to reduce virus spread and meet residents' emotional and social needs. Design details include strategic garbage-can placement, sealed-door infection-control zones, improved oxygen access and 348 beds. The project reduces group sizes below Ontario design standards, which allow up to two residents per room and resident home areas of up to 32 people. A 2025 National Institute on Aging study found traditional long-term care homes had over three times the COVID-19 deaths and twice the cases in 2020 compared with small care homes. Some experts say provincial standards lag best-practice research.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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