Community Partner Update – Issue 3, 2026
Issue 3, 2026
There’s a lot happening across peopleCare this fall. We’ve welcomed residents home to our newest long-term care community in Tillsonburg, our next developments are quickly taking shape and our teams have been busy bringing people together in all kinds of ways. From our biggest Putt for a Purpose yet and hundreds joining our Community Walk to Wellness, to Camp peopleCare and more, there’s lots to catch up on in this issue.
peopleCare opens new Tillsonburg home
There’s nothing quite like opening the doors of a brand-new long-term care home and welcoming residents for the very first time. That lovely long-awaited moment happened in Tillsonburg on August 17, as the first residents moved into peopleCare’s beautiful new long-term care home. Team members were ready to welcome them, celebratory mimosas at hand. In the weeks since, more residents have moved in, even more new team members have started with us, and a wonderful new community is taking shape. For 160 local seniors and their families, this new home means more opportunities to receive the care they need, closer to the people and community they know and love.
Read Welcome home Tillsonburg LTC
All smiles as we welcome our first residents home to Tillsonburg
In other development news
It’s an exciting time for growth at peopleCare. With our new Tillsonburg home now welcoming residents, construction is moving quickly on our new long-term care homes in Stratford and at Trent University in Peterborough, both set to open in 2027. Stratford will be first, with recruitment beginning early next year, and Peterborough won’t be far behind in the months to follow.
In Wasaga Beach, we recently joined Mayor Brian Smith and Council to share more about peopleCare, our plans for the Town’s first long-term care home and what residents can expect as the project moves forward. The new home will welcome 288 residents when complete. Watch the Sept 24 presentation to Wasaga Beach Council
There’s lots more happening across our growing development pipeline. Visit Designing Vibrant Communities
Our LTC home in Stratford, which will be home to 288 residents, is on track to open in 2027.
Big impact, one incredible day
What an incredible day, and an outstanding result! peopleCare’s fifth annual Putt for a Purpose brought together 144 golfers, partners, sponsors, special guests and friends for a day of fun and fundraising in support of MEDA. Together, we raised a record $160,000, making this our most successful year to date. And thanks to MEDA’s funding partnerships, those dollars have the potential to generate approximately $3.2 million in impact around the world. With 35 sponsors, many who also donated raffle prizes, and tremendous support from everyone who joined us, generosity was everywhere on the day. A big, warm thank you to our top Diamond Pro sponsors Vandel and WalterFedy, and everyone who helped make it possible.
Read Putt for a Purpose raises $160K for MEDA in record-breaking year
Community walk meets provincial LTC engagement day
Moving into long-term care doesn’t mean leaving your community behind. We saw that firsthand this September, when more than 875 residents, families, team members, volunteers, students, community partners and special guests came together across peopleCare for our annual Community Walk to Wellness. Every peopleCare long-term care home took part, welcoming elected officials, schools, service clubs, community organizations and many other friends and neighbours. Held alongside the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s provincial LTC Community Engagement Day, the Walk also gave us an important opportunity to support sector advocacy, open our doors and invite our government partners to engage with residents and experience the important role long-term care homes play in their communities.
Read Bringing community together, every step of the way
The magic of camp peopleCare
There’s something special that happens when residents and team members step outside their everyday routines and spend time together in nature. That’s what more than 72 residents experienced when they took part in what we fondly call “Camp peopleCare,” enjoying campfires, fishing, games, music and more. Our annual resident retreat is a wonderful example of emotion-based care in action, focusing on how people feel, nurturing connection and creating meaningful moments. It supports exploring old passions and discovering new ones. As one team member shared, Camp gives residents and staff a chance to get out of the daily routine, see different sides of one another and build friendships that carry on from year to year.
Read Retreat offers residents and staff chance to see each other differently
Turning feedback into positive change
Throughout the year, we get feedback from our team members in multiple ways, from everyday conversations and huddles to town halls, satisfaction surveys and more. Our latest Worklife Pulse survey gave us another opportunity to listen, with 728 team members participating and encouraging results across a number of areas. Highlights include 95% saying we treat residents with dignity and respect and 93% saying we use resident and family feedback to improve quality. Results have been shared across the organization and within each home, where leaders and teams are working together to build on strengths and take action on opportunities to improve. It’s all part of peopleCare’s commitment to continuous quality improvement. The Worklife Pulse survey tool is a key element of Accreditation Canada’s Qmentum program, an important framework that helps guide peopleCare’s ongoing quality journey.
Read Employee survey results help us listen, learn and improve.
Thank you to our team members who help us turn feedback into positive change all year long.
