Hospice Expansion Construction Updates

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Hospice Expansion Construction Updates

Last updated on November 2022

To meet the growing needs of the community we serve, Kensington Health is expanding our hospice and making more room for moments that matter. The expansion will add nine beds making Kensington Hospice the most comprehensive single-site hospice in downtown Toronto and one of the largest in Canada.

Construction on the project began in February 2020 with the relocation and enhancement of underutilized space previously occupying the west wing of the ground floor at 45 Brunswick Ave. We are happy to announce that we are in the final phase of the expansion project and will be able to see our first residents in the new space in the coming months. Following the completion of the expansion space, a renovation of the existing hospice at 38 Major Street will begin.  

When all phases of the project are fully complete in early 2023, the 19-bed Kensington Hospice will have nearly doubled our capacity to provide compassionate end-of-life care. We believe in quality of life at the end-of-life. And we think that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a good ending.

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Make an impact on how we deliver end-of-life care in the community, while reducing health care costs for all

To expand the new facility and extend our Hospice programming, we need your help.

Be part of a proven, bold health care solution that embodies the true power of community case when it’s needed most.

Build the vision. To learn more, visit kensingtonhealth.org/hospiceexpansion


Construction updates

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What is Kensington Hospice? 
A warm and inviting home on a beautiful, tree-lined street in Harbord Village, Kensington Hospice offers 10 palliative and end-of-life care beds to residents who call us their final home. Our team of professionals and volunteers offers pain control, symptom relief, nursing care, social work, therapies, spiritual support and nutritious meals. 

What is the Hospice Expansion Project?
To meet the growing needs of the community, Kensington Hospice is expanding to create nine additional beds and a new space for our community day hospice program. Construction began in February 2020. When completed in 2022, the 19-bed Kensington Hospice will have nearly doubled our capacity to provide quality and compassionate end-of-life care to the community we serve. We are also taking this opportunity to upgrade and enhance common areas within The Gardens long-term care building.

Why is the Kensington Hospice being expanded?
We built Kensington Hospice in 2011 to give those with terminal illness and their loved ones a better choice for end-of-life care. Kensington’s unique palliative model brings together the comfort of home with specialized symptom management, holistic care and local bereavement supports.
Despite the growing number of people with terminal illness in Ontario and severe restrictions to accessing hospitals, Kensington Hospice only has 10 beds and the number of people for whom we can provide care is far too limited. The Kensington Hospice Expansion frees up hospital beds for urgent care and eases the burden on the healthcare system. It offers more holistic care at a lower cost to taxpayers and creates greater access to services for the community.

When did construction begin?
Construction began in February 2020, with internal renovations on the main floor of Kensington Gardens.

How long will construction last?
The Hospice Expansion project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

What are the construction hours? 
Construction is limited to Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. On occasion,  work will be required between 7 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and on weekends. 

How big is the expansion project? 
When complete, the Hospice will include:

  • Nine new private residential suites with private bathrooms 
  • Pull-out guest beds enabling family togetherness
  • Garden-facing windows 
  • New examination, infusions and occupational & physical therapy spaces
  • Expanded nursing facilities
  • Private spa rooms for resident therapy
  • Grand community living room fostering conversation and sharing
  • Top-of-the-line, open family-style kitchen 
  • Eat-in dining facilities for group meals
  • Outdoor gardens providing moments of quiet sanctuary for residents and loved ones 
  • Indoor & outdoor lounge areas with quiet spaces to contemplate and regenerate 
  • Private family room for intimate moments and smaller gatherings
  • Special family kitchen for quality time making favourite recipes and lasting memories
  • Library nook with spaces for connecting, plugging in or zoning out
  • Quiet spaces for social work, family counselling and advance care planning
  • Integration with our Community Day Hospice Program: end-of-life care supports for those in the local community, providing transitional support.
  • Caregiver supports
  • Expanded services: art and music therapy, year-long bereavement counselling 

You have likely noticed construction hoarding and disruption in the lobby of 45 Brunswick Ave. over the last few months. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding while we undertake this important work.

We are deeply committed to, whenever possible, reducing disruption and excessive noise throughout the project. When noise or disruption are unavoidable, we will post notices in the lobby of 45 Brunswick Avenue. If you have a question or concerns please do not hesitate to contact Edward Aust, Corporate Planning Specialist, at eaust@kensingtonhealth.org.

Please read the frequently asked questions below for more information.

How will you ensure the safety of the residents throughout this project?
Resident safety is a priority throughout this project. We will conduct weekly construction meetings with our contactors and regular compliance checks with our architects, IBI Group. The Ministry of Health and City of Toronto reviewed and approved all elements of the project. All contractors on site must sign in when they arrive to their shift and wear an identifying badge.

Will any residents be moved throughout this project?
No Kensington Gardens resident will be relocated throughout this project.

I have a loved one who lives in the Kensington Gardens long-term care building at 25 Brunswick Avenue. How will construction affect them?
Residents living at 25 Brunswick Avenue will not be directly affected by this project.

 I have a loved one who lives in the Kensington Gardens long-term care building at 45 Brunswick Avenue. How will construction affect their day-to-day activities?
There will be no interruptions to day-to-day activities of residents living at 45 Brunswick Ave at this point of the project.

My loved one is on the wait list for the long-term care home. Does this project impact their wait time?
The Kensington Hospice Expansion project does not impact the wait list for the long-term care home.

My loved one lives in the Kensington Hospice. How will the construction affect them? 
There will be no interruptions to hospice care at this time.

My loved one is on the wait list for the hospice. Does this project impact their wait?
The Kensington Hospice Expansion project does not impact the wait list for the hospice.

You may have noticed more disruption than usual on Brunswick Ave.

We understand that construction can be disruptive to our neighbours. We are deeply committed to, whenever possible, reducing disruption and excessive noise throughout the project and thank you for your ongoing patience.

If you have a question or concern please do not hesitate to contact Edward Aust, Corporate Planning Specialist, at eaust@kensingtonhealth.org.

Outdoor construction on Brunswick Ave.

Part of the hospice expansion project requires temporary outdoor work on Brunswick Ave.

Though the start date is pending City of Toronto approval, once the work on Brunswick Ave. begins it will last for approximately four months. There will be many precautions taken to minimize the disruption to the community, including a designated accessibility route. We will be updating this page frequently with more information.


Keeping you safe during COVID-19

Rest assured that we have taken many precautions to keep our residents and staff safe during this project:

  • Construction work sites are isolated from long-term care staff and resident areas
  • Workers must continue to use their own entrance exclusively
  • All construction staff are screened at their entrance with the same screening protocols as our staff
  • Workers are educated on appropriate physical distancing and mask wearing practices
  • Due to infection control and physical distancing precautions, the newly renovated spaces on the ground floor in the west-wing will remain closed for now.


If you have specific questions about the Kensington Hospice expansion, please contact us.