4.a CAOR-RP-26-26 Rockwood Terrace - September 2026 Progress Update
The report updates the schedule for the new Rockwood Terrace long-term care home, shifting construction completion to late March 2027 and resident move-in to summer 2027 due to winter conditions and material delays.
Report Updates the Schedule for the New Rockwood Terrace Long-term Care Home
The report updates the schedule for the new Rockwood Terrace long-term care home, shifting construction completion to late March 2027 and resident move-in to summer 2027 due to winter conditions and material delays. This timing change affects operating budget assumptions for 2027 and 2028 without impacting the approved $96 million capital budget or project quality standards. Emerging issues regarding gas pressure and wall protection supply may further impact progress, though specific impacts are currently unknown.
Agenda item 4.a: CAOR-RP-26-26 Rockwood Terrace - September 2026 Progress Update
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Attachment: Rockwood Terrace - September 2026 Progress Update - CAOR-RP-26-26.pdf
Source: https://helpos.ca/attachments/b6ee3d892e9fd294e4bfac2a12be1edfcc9a546a822fd4113220ec71b72f28e8/4-a-1-rockwood-terrace-september-2026-progress-update-caor-rp-26-26-pdf.pdf
Committee Report
To: Chair Matrosovs and Members of Redevelopment Task Force
Committee Date: September 17, 2026
Subject / Report No: CAOR-RP-26-26
Title: Rockwood Terrace – September 2026 Progress Update
Prepared by: Niall Lobley, DCAO
Reviewed by: Randy Scherzer, CAO
Lower Tier(s) Affected:
Recommendation
1. That report CAOR-RP-26-26, being a September Progress Update on the new
Rockwood Terrace development, be received for information.
Executive Summary
Grey County is developing a new 128-bed long-term care home in Durham adjacent to the
existing 100-bed Rockwood Terrace. Once complete, residents will move from the existing
home into the new home and will be joined by new residents as the additional beds come into
service. With a total project budget of $96 million, the new Rockwood Terrace remains Grey
County’s largest single capital project to date.
The project is supported by a broad consultant and construction team. Kasian is leading the
architectural, design and technical work; Melloul Blamey is leading construction; and Colliers
Project Leaders is supporting the County with overall project management for this complex
multi-year build. Construction began in 2024 and, prior to the most recent schedule update, the
new home had been expected to reach substantial completion in late 2026 with resident move-
in in spring 2027.
The project remains within the approved capital budget and continues to be built to the expected
design specifications and quality standards. However, cumulative schedule pressures from
difficult winter construction conditions, changes to key exterior elements, and delays in mockup
approvals, interior materials/finishes coordination and installation, and unanticipated delivery
delays have now moved the anticipated construction completion date to at least late March
2027. With the required County preparation, staff onboarding, systems readiness and Ministry of
Long-Term Care inspection period following construction completion, resident move-in is now
expected to shift to ‘summer’ 2027. This delay is of magnitude that staff felt should be brought
forward for Committee discussion, particularly because Council will shortly be reviewing draft
2027 and 2028 budgets that were prepared on the previous spring 2027 move-in assumption.
CAOR-RP-26-26 1 September 17, 2026
Background and Discussion
Rockwood Terrace is a complex, multi-year project involving the coordinated work of design
consultants, construction teams, technical specialists, trades, County staff and future
operational teams. When it opens, the new home will support the highest standards of long-term
care in a purpose-built setting that is comfortable, engaging and responsive to resident needs.
As of this report, the project remains on budget and aligned with the approved design and
specifications. The issue now before the Task Force is not one of project scope, quality or
capital budget pressure, but rather the cumulative impact of schedule delay and the implications
of that delay for resident move-in and related operating budget assumptions.
The project continues to be actively managed through regular bi-weekly site meetings, monthly
project meetings between the County, Colliers and the design consultant team, and focused
working sessions with construction, design and sub-teams such as Furniture, Fixtures and
Equipment. These meetings provide the structure for monitoring progress, resolving issues and
reviewing the critical path toward completion.
Over the life of the project, there have been three significant schedule shifts:
Schedule Construction Estimated Notes
Point Completion Resident
Assumption Move-in
Original Late summer / January Allowed for County readiness work and
tender early fall 2026 2027 Ministry inspection following construction
schedule completion.
Revised Late December April 2027 Reflected the impact of roof and window
planning 2026 changes, difficult winter construction
assumption conditions, and the point at which the
building would become watertight.
Current Late March 2027 Summer Reflects delays in mockup completion and
planning 2027 approvals, interior materials/finishes
assumption coordination and installation, and
unanticipated delivery delays, with
operating budget assumptions to be
updated before the December budget
review.
Grey County and the project team note that three to four months will be required between
completion of the building and resident move in. This allows for staffing and training to be
completed and arranging for two critical Ministry inspections. The first is a virtual inspection and
the second a physical inspection. The latter of these is the most critical occurring when the
home is essentially ready to open, with all required systems, furnishings, staffing plans and
operational processes in place. The standard for passing inspection is high, and it is important
that schedule recovery efforts do not create risk at this final stage.
CAOR-RP-26-26 2 September 17, 2026
While the initial revised schedule was not desirable, it remained within a degree of
reasonableness given the winter conditions and the technical complexity of the build. It also
provided some practical operational benefit, as moving approximately 100 residents in January
would have been far from ideal, whereas a spring move-in would likely have been easier for
residents, families and staff.
Through much of summer 2026, construction activity continued to progress at the planned rate
of completion, but without any make up for previously lost time. The project team has required
mock-ups to be completed as a tool to validate the proposed materials and fixtures and to
evaluate the workmanship, coordination and constructability. The mock-ups are used as a
standard of acceptance for the work prior to full-scale implementation, allowing the owner,
design and construction teams to review how completed spaces will function and appear before
final material orders and installation sequences are confirmed.
Delays in completing and approving these mockups have compressed the timing for material
confirmations and contributed to a further schedule update from Melloul Blamey. The
construction team now estimates that building completion will move to late March 2027 at the
earliest.
On September 1, the project team identified two additional emerging issues. The first relates to
lower-than-anticipated gas pressure on site, which is affecting the backup generator. The
second relates to a software issue at the wall protection manufacturer that has temporarily
paused production, with no confirmed timeline for resumption. As the site is ready for wall
protection installation, any delay in supply could affect near-term progress. Both issues are
recent, and the project team is seeking further information. At this stage, the schedule impact is
not yet known, but these matters may place additional pressure on the current late March 2027
construction completion timeframe.
Allowing for the required three-to-four-month period for County preparations, staff onboarding,
systems readiness and Ministry inspection, resident move-in is now expected in summer (June
– mid-September) 2027.
The contractor, consultant and owner teams continue to look for opportunities to compress the
schedule, make up time where possible and minimize the impact of the delay. At this stage, staff
regard the summer 2027 move-in timing as a prudent planning assumption, while recognizing
that the project team will continue to test whether improvements can be achieved.
Staff are also reviewing whether any portion of the three-to-four-month readiness window
between construction completion and resident move-in can be tightened. Some opportunities
may exist; however, this period includes critical activities that cannot be compromised, including
staff and systems readiness and Ministry of Long-Term Care virtual and in-person inspections.
Staff note that a delay of this magnitude is regrettable, but not unrealistic for a project of this
complexity, particularly given the winter conditions experienced and the need to maintain the
approved design and quality expectations. The delay does not change the County’s
commitment to delivering the home within the approved capital budget and to the standard
expected for residents, families and staff.
The timing of this update is important. Staff developed the draft 2027 budget and draft 2028
outlook on the basis of resident move-in and full operations beginning in April 2027. The Long-
CAOR-RP-26-26 3 September 17, 2026
Term Care Committee will review those draft budgets on September 17, with County Council
consideration later in September. The latest schedule update was received too recently to be
incorporated into those draft materials. Staff will complete the financial analysis and incorporate
the revised move-in assumption into the budget package brought forward in December.
In summary, the project remains on budget and aligned with the approved scope and quality
expectations. The key change is timing. That timing change is now significant enough to be
reported to the Task Force and will require updates to the operating assumptions that underpin
the 2027 and 2028 budget review.
Financial and Resource Implications
The latest schedule update is not expected to affect the approved $96 million project capital
budget or the quality and scope of the build. The financial impact is instead related to operating
assumptions for 2027 and 2028, because resident move-in is now expected to occur later than
assumed in the draft budgets currently moving forward for review.
2027 revenue associated with the additional beds will be lower than originally anticipated
because the beds will come into service later in the year.
Some staffing costs associated with the expanded home may also be deferred, as
recruitment, onboarding and start dates for a number of new roles can likely be adjusted
to align with the revised opening date. The Rockwood Terrace team is reviewing which
staffing commitments can be moved and which will still be required to support readiness.
Operating costs for the new home will be lower in 2027 than previously assumed
because the building will operate for fewer months. This will be partially offset by the
existing Rockwood Terrace continuing to operate longer than planned.
Staff are analyzing the net operating impact of the revised schedule and will update the 2027
budget and 2028 outlook before the December budget review. The September budget materials
should therefore be understood as reflecting the previous April 2027 move-in assumption, with
the revised summer 2027 timing to be incorporated through the next budget update.
Relevant Consultation
☐ Internal (list)
☐ AODA Compliance (describe)
☐ Contribution to Climate Change Action Plan Targets (describe)
☒ External (list)
☒ Collier Project Leaders
Appendices and Attachments
None.
CAOR-RP-26-26 4 September 17, 2026