North Halton’s new hospice will incorporate part of the existing Hillcrest United Church into its design and though a major fundraising effort is required, it could become a reality by late 2026.
The Townsend Smith Foundation unveiled its plans for the 10-bed hospice that will serve north Halton Wednesday night at Granite Ridge Golf Club. The 32,000-square foot hospice will be built on the site of the church on the south-west corner of Trafalgar Road and 5 Sideroad in Halton Hills.
And though it's hoped that construction can begin next year, the foundation must first raise the $25 million it will cost to build the hospice.
“As with any critical health care infrastructure project, there’s an expectation by the Ministry of Health to fundraise the community share,” said Astrid Lakats, board chair for the foundation. “We’re about a fifth of the way there, so there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Once construction begins, the project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
The design, by +VG Architects, will preserve the main area of the church and its wooden beams as a community space that can be used for gatherings and events.
“It’s a spectacular building and I’m proud we’ve been able to maintain it,” said +VG Architects CEO Paul Sapounzi, who designed both Halton Hills’ and Milton’s town halls.
The original plan was to tear down the entire church, but Sapounzi said “it was too beautiful to demolish it.” The building also tied in with the finishes and natural light that will be used to create a warm, comforting environment.
“A lot of the people that (will) come to this building (will) have had a very long hospital experience, and it’s very impersonal and scary,” Sapounzi said. “Coming here, we want it to feel totally different. We want it to feel like they’re coming home.”
The back half of the building, additions that were added over the years, will be torn down and is where 10 resident rooms will be built, each with its own patio. There will be a second story that will be used for offices and an area for staff and volunteers.
“It’s a difficult job,” Sapounzi said. “It can be traumatic and in order to keep staff healthy, we need to have lovely space for them.”
Walking paths through gardens will be created at the back of the property.
Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said he knew both the foundation’s namesakes Ron Townsend and Tessie Smith very well. He served with Townsend on the Milton Fire Department and knew Smith through her employment at the Town of Milton. He said the hospice would have been a wonderful place for both in their final days.
“This hospice is a project born of need, but is designed with compassion,” said Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville. “It’s a gift that we will have this type of facility available to our residents. It will bring comfort to many during very emotional and challenging times they are facing. The next step is going to be having our community step up to make this a reality.”
There will be a registry launched soon that will help individuals, groups or companies contribute to the project. It will provide a list of items that will be purchased with donations - everything from furniture and landscaping to benches, water features and light fixtures.
“With the necessary community support,” Lakats said, “it is not impossible to be attending a ribbon cutting ceremony by the end of 2026 or early 2027.”
For further details, visit https://www.townsend-smith.ca/.