Two retirement facilities in Olds have been purchased by Seasons Retirement Communities (SRC), an Ontario-based company.
Two retirement facilities in Olds have been purchased by Seasons Retirement Communities (SRC), an Ontario-based company.
SRC chief operating officer Mike Lavallée says that won't change the way those two places – Sunrise Village Olds and Sunrise Village Olds Encore – operate.
In fact, he says staff will not only be kept on but will get upgraded training, and there's a possibility expansion may occur, at least at the Sunrise Encore facility.
In total, SRC has acquired all eight Sunrise Village Communities located primarily in the Edmonton-to-Calgary corridor.
"The good news is we are not a company that makes investments to downsize or to shrink. This is very much a strategic opportunity for Seasons Retirement Communities to invest in Olds and all of the other communities that had retirement homes.
"So not only do we believe that everyone will have their jobs going forward, we do think that there are opportunities for us to enhance the working conditions, the environments they work in," Lavallée said during an interview with the Albertan.
"We're a very conscientious operator that believes that people are the hallmark of our business. It's a service industry, and so we're going to invest a lot of time and effort in training as well."
About 75 people are employed at the two properties, which are on either side of the Olds Hospital and Care Centre, according to Lavallée.
There are 41 suites at Sunrise Village Olds and 107 at Sunrise Village Encore.
Lavallée was asked if any rent increases will occur as a result of the acquisition of the two properties.
"Residents can expect normal annual rent increases that will allow us to retain our staff and manage the upkeep of the building. This investment decision did not assume any extraordinary measures in that regard," he said.
Lavallée said SRC has no plans to amalgamate the two properties because they are different facilities.
"Licensing doesn't work that way under Alberta Health Services," he said. "Each are licensed for different kinds of services that are provided. They provide different levels of care.
"Encore is a much larger property and has no condominium residents at all, whereas there are 30 condominium clients who live in Olds – the other property."
Currently, in conjunction with the Olds and District Hospice Society, there are two hospice suites at Sunrise Olds Encore.
"We do not intend to reduce the number of hospice suites at Encore," Lavallée said.
"We strongly believe in supporting residents' rights to live a full and rich life full of choices. This includes the choice to end-of-life services in our retirement home should they wish to do so."
Lavallée said there's a chance Sunrise Village facilities in Olds might actually be expanded. If that does happen it would most likely occur at the Encore site where there is some "extra land."
However, "I can't say that expansion is our first priority," he said.
Lavallée pointed out the Encore facility is still very new and as such, needs time to get up to full capacity.
"That being said, if the market has sufficient demand that it needs additional investment, that's very much what we do. That's exactly the kind of stuff that we're interested in exploring," he said.
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"The good news is we are not a company that makes investments to downsize or to shrink."MIKE LAVALL'EECHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SEASONS RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
