The entrance to the former Extendicare Kingston facility at 309 Queen Mary Road. Photo by Cris Vilela/Kingstonist.
Extensive renovation work at the former Extendicare building at Bath and Queen Mary Roads has revealed expensive hidden surprises, including the presence of “significant” mould behind the walls and corrosion in some of the metal studs, according to the City’s latest project update.
The City of Kingston purchased the former nursing home in December 2023 — after Extendicare opened a new facility behind the RioCan Centre — and embarked on a Council-approved $9.4 million plan to transform the sprawling single-storey building into a shared-care model hub with three main components: primary care clinic, transitional housing program, and community use spaces.
But renovating and reconfiguring the 50-year-old building to meet modern building codes and a host of new uses led to unforeseen discoveries during the past year, prompting a delay in opening the 35-bed transitional shelter for older adults.
“The anticipated completion and occupancy date for the transitional housing program has shifted from January 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026,” stated a Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, report from Jennifer Campbell, the City’s Commissioner of Community Services.
One key reason for the move-in delay stemmed from the discovery of mould in the walls during interior renovation and building reconfiguration work this fall.
“During this process, significant mould growth and corrosion were discovered within the metal partition studs. The extent of the contamination and deterioration could not be adequately addressed through localized abatement efforts,” Campbell’s report stated.
Given the presence of “widespread” mould, the only “responsible and effective” solution was to authorize the complete removal and replacement of all partition walls within the transitional supportive housing area at an estimated cost of $1.4 million.
However, Campbell indicated the unforeseen mould-removal cost could be absorbed through the contingency portion of the project’s $9.4 million overall budget.
According to a staff report in 2024, the renovation budget included $4 million for health clinic renovations, $2.6 million for the transitional housing component, $400,000 for furnishings and transitional equipment, and $2.3 million in other ‘soft’ costs.
The entire project will cost the City a total of $13 million — $9.4 million for the building renovations and $3.6 million for the property’s purchase.
There will be additional costs to operate programs and services once the hub is open.
At their Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, meeting, City Council approved a three-year, tax-funded operating budget of $903,451 in 2026, $1,198,923 in 2027, and $1,237,725 in 2028 to support the housing program run by Home Base Housing, which is designed to transition older residents toward long-term, stable housing.
Residents who access the transitional housing will have to pay rent, but no more than 30 per cent of their income, and each resident will be allowed to live there for up to 18 months while long-term housing is found for them.
Other parts of the sprawling facility have also been gutted to accommodate new uses, including digging up the cement foundation to install new water and sewer pipes under the wing to be occupied by a future medical clinic.
Midtown Kingston Health Home, operated by Kingston Community Health Centres, will offer primary care for up to 8,000 unattached patients with a 30-member team of physicians, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, nurse practitioners, medical secretaries, certified diabetes educators, and social workers.
The clinic, which will lease space from the City for at least 25 years, is scheduled to be the first group to occupy the property by the end of March 2026.
The shared-care model will also see three rooms dedicated to community rentals, and Lionhearts Inc., a non-profit volunteer-based group that specializes in community outreach, will have a commercial kitchen and laundry space in the building to operate a food distribution program and a vocational laundry program supported with annual municipal funding of up to $55,000.
Graphic via City of Kingston documents, 2024.
The community use component is expected to be the building’s final tenant with a projected move-in date sometime in early 2027.
Other community partners, including Kingston Employment Youth Services (KEYS) and Immigrant Services Kingston and Area, are slated to provide services in the new hub.
City staff have flagged potential challenges with on-site parking.
The property has 45 on-site parking spaces to support a large variety of services, from walk-in medical clinic patients to community use traffic. Campbell’s report said off-site parking options, such as designated street parking on Queen Mary Road, are still being considered to handle the expected increase in user demand.
There was strong public backlash when the City first disclosed that it had bought the former Extendicare property, amid neighbourhood fears it may be transformed into a potential homeless shelter and drug treatment hub.
At that time, the property was officially listed as 309 Queen Mary Road.
However, the site has a new address to go along with its new uses as a health, housing and community hub.
The City-owned property is now listed as 315 Queen Mary Road in response to ongoing confusion related to a similar civic address at 39 Queen Mary Road, Campbell’s report stated.
“This change is intended to improve clarity for navigation, mail delivery and emergency response services.”
The full agenda for the most recent meeting of Kingston City Council can be read on the City’s website (click ‘View All’ at the bottom of the list under the heading ‘Meeting Calendar’ to get to the City’s calendar to view agendas for meetings that have already occurred). Meetings can be viewed virtually (during or after the meeting) in the video feature within the relevant Council agenda.