Vancouver Coastal Health has taken another step toward redeveloping West Vancouver’s Capilano Care Centre – which has been closed since 2022 – into a new long-term care home.
We sincerely hope all parties involved are thinking big, and by that we mean really big.
The former facility had 205 beds. The request for qualifications specifies the proponents should be planning for “a minimum” of 210, which is woefully small, given unprecedented demand our aging demographic will be placing on the system. B.C.’s Seniors Advocate has said we will need 16,000 beds in the next 10 years to stave off a crisis in seniors’ care.
VCH has already paid the market price for the property. The goal now should be to get the best bang for that buck, with the health authority, the province and the municipality making the land habitable for as many people as practicable.
Getting such a facility staffed is going to be a significant challenge, particularly as it will have to compete for workers who almost certainly factor their commutes into their employment decisions. The inclusion of affordable workforce housing at the site would then do wonders for both the staff and residents alike.
The height and density limits prescribed by the District of West Vancouver’s official community plan should frankly be non-factors in whatever gets built at the end of Clyde Avenue.
The site will have physical constraints, yes. And we can only build what we’re willing to pay for. But if we are to offer our elders the safety, comfort and dignity they deserve, we cannot do this project – or any other one – by half measure.
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