NZER Feasibility Study at CSCL’s O’Leary Seniors Residence

CSCL incorporated in 2017 to address a need for affordable and high-quality seniors care in the area surrounding O’Leary, PEI. To respond to that need, CSCL plans to develop a 40-unit community care residence in the town. ‘Community care’ is a provincial standard of seniors’ care and is eligible for provincial funding to assist low-income seniors to access necessary assisted living. CSCL’s membership boasts over 90 members from the local community, reflecting strong community support for the project.

CSCL plans to study different energy efficiency options required for different building standards, aiming for Net-Zero Energy (NZE). The study will enable CSCL to determine which option is most suitable considering the project's location, size, and financial feasibility. CSCL intends to integrate measurement tools into the design phase to ensure a robust measuring capacity in the ultimate project. In particular, the study will review an interactive monitoring system that would allow staff, residents and the broader community to see the building’s energy generation and usage. All of these measures will help build capacity for the organization and the project’s contractors drawn from PEI and the broader Maritimes.

Services in the residence will include full-service dining, medication administration, housekeeping and laundry, personal care assistance and 24-hour observation. The residence will be fully accessible and incorporate elements of universal design. Residents will be selected based on the results of a Seniors Assessment Screening Tool, to determine if they are recommended to live in community care.

Innovative aspect(s): The O’Leary Seniors Residence will be the first NZE community care residence in Atlantic Canada. The residence will promote community economic development through the construction cost and yearly operations of $1.18 million, including 10 full time staff positions in the local health services sector. Further, the remoteness of the town factors in to choosing the technologies under review, to account for costs and knowledge gaps in procuring and maintaining complex efficiency systems.

Replicability: COVID-19 and its impacts in senior’s residences prompted CSCL to examine the possibility of integrating infection control mechanisms, improved sanitation practices, and develop capacity to isolate, and socially distance within the residence. As a community-driven initiative, CSCL also plans to share the results of this study with other non-profit community care organizations to help them improve options in their communities.

Affordability: 100% of the units are affordable. As a community care residence, the units will charge a daily rate consistent with the Community Care per diem rate mandated under the provincial Social Assistance Act, so that all residents would be eligible for up to the entire cost of the units in provincial subsidies.