Seniors co-op gets $3.49M for energy upgrades

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This article was published 25/10/2024 (589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A seniors housing co-op in Brandon is getting extensive renovations to improve energy efficiency thanks to $3.49 million in funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The Parkview Seniors Housing Co-op is getting new insulation, windows and doors as well as new heating and cooling equipment, according to a release issued Thursday.

The 28-unit facility at 1321 13th St. was originally built in 1955 as the infirmary for the original Fairview Personal Care Home. It is the only remaining section of the original building left.

It was purchased by the co-op in 1986 for $1, opening two years later after undergoing renovations. It has 20 one-bedroom units, eight two-bedroom units and a 75-person wait list to get a suite.

According to the co-op’s manager, Margaret Ireland, that was the last time the facility had any major work done to it other than a new roof that was installed three and a half years ago.

She told the Sun on Thursday that she started working at the facility about four years ago and has been looking for municipal, provincial and federal funding to help bring it up to modern standards.

There was lots of funding when it came to building new affordable housing facilities, Ireland said, but not as much for existing facilities. About a year and a half ago, she applied to the Canada Greener Affordable Housing.

Under the program, facilities can get funding for energy efficiency retrofits that reduce energy consumption by 70 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent.

The co-op initially got funding for consulting engineers Boge & Boge to complete planning work to prepare for the renovations. This past April or May, they received word that the larger work was getting funded as well.

As a contribution toward the project, the co-op is contributing $10,000 of cash equity. However, Ireland said the entire project is something they could never afford on their own.

For the pre-retrofit work, the program offers up to $130,000 per project. For the retrofitting work, the CMHC will provide up to $170,000 in funding per unit.

Up to $85,000 or 80 per cent of the total cost is provided in forgivable loans, whichever is lesser, with the rest coming as low-interest loans. Ireland said she could not disclose the specifics of the funding agreement.

Work started in June, Ireland said. The first step was to remove the externally mounted air conditioning devices for each of the units, and now subcontractor ProGres Construction is working on replacing insulation around the facility.

“They’re taking everything out of here,” Ireland said. “There was no insulation from the ground down and we have bi-level apartments down there. They excavated six feet out and eight feet down, they’ve put this very heavy insulation down there and buried it. Now they’re working their way around (the building).”

Once the new insulation is in, new triple-pane windows are being installed with ultraviolet tinting. After the windows are installed by mid-January, new Hardie board cladding will be put on.

Hardie board is siding made of cement fibres. It’s supposed to be waterproof and durable.

Then the contractors will direct their efforts to the interior of the building, replacing all the lighting with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and existing baseboard heaters with smaller energy efficient models.

There will also be ceiling mounted air conditioning units installed in the suites, new electric hot water tanks installed to replace the gas ones and eventually in April, a new furnace for the building’s central heating.

While Ireland said there weren’t complaints with the previous gear, the cost of running them wasn’t ideal. She said the hydro bills for the whole facility, which are reflected in the rents that tenants pay, were in the neighbourhood of $5,300 a month.

While she doesn’t think the retrofits will bring the energy bills down to a point where they can reduce rents as the facility has a mortgage to pay, but it may help stabilize rents close to their current rates.

As a co-op, they’re not subject to the Residential Tenancies Act, but Ireland said they try to keep rent increases to the guidelines it sets out. Depending on the suite, most tenants pay $725 to $850 a month, though one two-bedroom suite has a monthly rent of $900.

“I think it should make a difference for two things,” Ireland said. “One, it should make a difference, hopefully, in the energy consumption and bills that we pay. But it also is going to give another 70 years (of life) to this building. So it’s a win-win.”

Though the upgrades have yet to show their impact on the facility’s utility bills, Ireland said that the building has felt warmer with the installation of the new insulation.

It’s not related to the energy upgrades, but Ireland said the co-op is currently replacing “pretty much all the moving parts” of the original circa 1955 elevator.

In the CMHC’s release on the project, federal Northern Affairs Minister and Saint Boniface-Saint Vital Liberal MP Dan Vandal said the project would both improve the quality of life for seniors in Brandon as well as contribute toward a greener future.

“This initiative exemplifies our commitment to supporting communities and fostering long-term prosperity,” Vandal said.

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