Move from city retirement homes to expanded Riverview Manor halfway complete

THUNDER BAY – The process of moving residents from two soon-to-be-closed city retirement homes to the expanded Hogarth Riverview Manor is at the halfway point.

All of the residents from the former Dawson Court on Algoma Street were moved out of the building as of Wednesday, with preparations underway to start moving residents from Grandview Lodge starting next week.

Emma Westover, city project manager for homes transition, said 136 residents were moved over 17 days from Dawson Court with 140 Grandview Lodge residents to be moved down Lillie Street to the  seven-storey, 512-bed Hogarth Riverview Manor, which is run by St. Joseph’s Care Group.

“There are a lot of residents looking forward to the move, especially residents who came in the last couple of years to Grandview Lodge. They’ve been watching the building be built so they were very much aware that was taking place,” she said Thursday.

“Dawson was way over on the other side of town so it was probably a bigger adjustment for them. I know a lot of them were going to miss their views of the Sleeping Giant but I’ve told on a clear day from the seventh floor of the new building you can actually see the lake.”

Despite the close proximity, plans have been made to ensure the move is as comfortable as possible for residents. A city transit bus will be used to transport residents with an emphasis on keeping them warm during potentially cold weather.

“We will be going out the front but keeping residents in the auditorium. We have blanket warmers, we have volunteers who have knit hats and scarves so they’re very bundled up,” she said.

“They go out one at a time, shutting the doors in between. With the conventional buses here one of the luxuries is they can put the ramp down and close the doors, keeping the heat on the bus.”

But for staff who have worked inside the facility, it’s a bittersweet time.

Leslie Marie has worked inside Grandview Lodge for the past 18 years and will be relocated to Pioneer Ridge, the city’s remaining home for the aged.

“My heart is broken. They become family and I’m going to miss them all,” she said.

The final move date for Grandview Lodge residents is scheduled for Feb. 25.