The future of a soon-to-be former long term care facility has divided Chatham-Kent Council.
A motion from Councillor Ryan Doyle to explore creating a recovery centre instead of a supportive housing facility at 110 Sandys Street in Chatham was denied.
The site is currently home to Meadow Park Long Term Care facility, which will soon be moving to a new location.
Doyle originally put forth a notice of motion at council’s April 13 meeting, voicing concerns about putting supportive housing near a women’s shelter and high school, a point he reiterated at Monday’s meeting.
“Don’t you think we should be maybe looking at the location more than we have a building that’s ready let’s use it,” said Councilor Doyle.
“For me, putting supportive housing when we’re already talking about people with addictions living right beside the women’s shelter that doesn’t make any sense at all. This is going to be cabins 2.0. In the cabins we were told that there was going to be no drug use and look at it. This one we are told there is going to be drug use, it’s going to be rampant.”
Councillor Lauren Anderson supported re-visiting the vote, based on the success of recovery style homes.
“I by no means say we don’t have a need for supportive housing we certainly do,” said Anderson.
“By telling me that we have an increasing need for supportive housing tells me it’s not working. What I want everyone to think of is the success rates of recovery homes is very, very high…I also think that the location of supportive housing matters, and I think that the location of recovery homes matter and when I look at this I see that there could be a better use for this.”
Councillors Carmen McGregor and Brock McGregor voiced their support of having the former old age home converted into supportive housing.
“I don’t want to stop the development of supportive housing in the community,” said B. McGregor.
“If we look at the report we received not that long ago, it showed what we need to do in the community if we ever want to remove encampments. A big component of that is affordable housing, supportive housing, and transitional housing. And if we slow that process down those encampments will grow, that issue will continue.”
Because council had originally approved the supportive housing direction in October 2024 and April 2025, it became a notice to reconsider, requiring a ⅔ vote in favour to move forward.
The notice to reconsider failed 9 to 8 since it didn’t reach a ⅔ vote. Councillors B. McGregor, C. McGregor, Aaron Hall, Marjorie Crew, Morena McDonald, Trevor Thompson, Jamie McGrail and Mayor Canniff voted against, with Councillor Melissa Harrigan not voting.
At the April 2025 meeting, council voted through staff putting out a request for proposal (RFP) to convert the former long term care home. Since the notice to reconsider failed, council then voted on approving the RFP from Architecttura Inc., Architects of $498,625.00 which had been pulled by staff from the April 13, 2026 meeting.
Councillor Anderson questioned the mayor on his involvement in potential outside conversations about the building.
“Mr. Mayor, have you had conversations with somebody about this potential for something to be done that would cost nothing to tax payers with this spot,” said Anderson.
“The fact that new items have come to light, a new opportunity for this space has come to light, and there has been conversations with this space and then for us to put $500,000 into it, where potentially we can have zero dollars to put into it and it can be fully developed completely privately with a recovery space…it is a no from me,” said Anderson.
The ward 1 representative pressed for clarification on the mayor’s involvement.
“I am aware that there is a report that we’ve gotten like other reports, items that people are interested in this property and looking at different ways,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff.
“As we move forward we will be able to work with all of them. We’ve got several properties including this one and it’s extremely important that we work with all those partners, because we as a municipality can’t do it alone. So as we move forward, yes, we will be talking to them and talking to other groups interested in moving this forward. That’s where it stands.”
Councillor Anthony Ceccacci asked for clarification on who approached the municipality with a ‘no cost to the taxpayers’ offer to convert the building.
“They had a conversation with certain people in administration,” said CAO Michael Duben.
“They submitted a document for us to consider, but like I said I know we had that expressed interest as well. Theirs is different because it speaks to a number of properties but I’m gathering from the comments around the table that they’ve had some discussions with councilors. I can’t speak to that I wasn’t involved in conversations with any of the councilors that are here.”
Councillor Harrigan voiced her concern on potentially not being made aware of all necessary information.
“In my work life I have heard of some conversations as Mr. Duben has outlined, but in my council role I have not heard of those conversations referencing this property,” said Councillor Harrigan.
“So I would just like to say that if there are councillors who know about things that are referencing this specific property the appropriate thing to do from a procedural standpoint would be to motion to refer it back to staff to get more information about what those opportunities are. Because otherwise I am fully supportive of this unless there is information I don’t know about.”
Councillor Doyle put forward a motion to refer it back to administration to further investigate other options for the property from organizations that have submitted proposals.
That motion failed 9 to 9, with Councillors Harrigan, B. McGregor, Hall, Crew, McDonald, Thompson, Jamie McGrail, and Mayor Canniff voting against.
Duben said to council that staff would share the proposals once administration was able to go through and evaluate.
In the end, the RFP from Architecttura Inc., Architects was approved 10 to 8, with councillors Anderson, Ceccacci, Doyle, Micahel Bondy, Rhonda Jubenville, Amy Finn, John Wright, and Alysson Storey voting against.
Council will vote on awarding the contract for capital improvements of the property following the design and tendering phase of work at a later date.
