Senior housing planned for McKenzie Seeds building

The sale of Brandon’s long-vacant McKenzie Seeds building to Manitoba-based Blackbird Housing Inc. has been finalized, with plans moving ahead to transform the landmark into senior housing.

The proposed development would include about 130 residential suites, medical and wellness-related commercial spaces and amenities such as a 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck. Developers are also exploring partnerships with senior housing operators who could lease and operate portions of the facility once construction is complete.

Blackbird Housing president Paul Souque said the $20-million project is fully funded through the company’s partnerships and does not currently require public fundraising efforts.

“We acquired the property from Brandon Fresh Farm about three months ago for $3.25 million,” he told the Sun. “Attainable senior living is our goal.”

The project centres on converting the historic industrial property into an “adaptive reuse housing project” focused on affordable and technology-driven senior living, he said.

Souque couldn’t provide an estimate for when the development would be completed.

“We’re definitely starting construction activities this year, although a completion timeline has not yet been established,” he said. “The laser scanning next week is a major step.”

The redevelopment will rely heavily on advanced construction and engineering technology. Beginning next week, crews are expected to start high-resolution 3D laser scanning of the building to create a “digital twin” of the structure accurate to within millimetres.

“The scans will allow engineers and designers to map the building’s layout and structural components digitally,” Souque said.

“This lets us maximize efficiencies, test layouts and identify any issues before fabrication starts.”

The company plans to use prefabricated wall systems and modular construction methods intended to reduce construction timelines and lower costs. Souque said the technology could cut electrical rough-in work by up to 70 per cent while reducing on-site labour waste.

Blackbird Housing is partnering with Calgary-based Fotonara, which Souque described as the parent technology company behind the project.

Adam Morand, chief executive officer of Fotonara — a Canadian engineering and real estate technology firm — also serves as president of Brandon Fresh Farm, the building’s previous owner. According to the company, Fotonara has partnered with Edmonton-based Energy Saving Products Ltd. to incorporate high-velocity small-duct HVAC systems into the redevelopment of the historic building.

Planned suites would feature health-monitoring sensors capable of detecting falls, monitoring heart rates and assisting caregivers while maintaining resident privacy through localized data systems, Souque said.

“The building would also incorporate high-efficiency HVAC systems and prefabricated cellular light-weight concrete wall panels designed to improve fire resistance, soundproofing and energy efficiency.”

He said local companies are expected to be involved throughout the project, including Brandon-based Horizon Builders, which has previously worked on the building. However, Horizon Builders project manager Kelvin Orr did not respond to the Sun’s calls.

Questions have circulated in the community about the structural condition of the aging complex, but Souque said engineering assessments indicate the structure remains sound.

“These buildings have been here for decades,” he said. “They were built incredibly well initially.”

Souque said the idea for the project emerged from both the ongoing housing shortage and his own family’s experience navigating senior care.

“My father in particular struggled to find suitable care,” he said in an interview. “Whether you could afford it or not, it’s a real tough battle.”

He said Brandon’s growing senior population has intensified the need for more attainable housing options.

“Senior housing has become a real issue,” Souque said. “A lot of seniors can’t afford some of the existing options or can’t find spaces.”

The development could also indirectly ease pressure on Brandon’s overall housing market by freeing up homes and apartments currently occupied by seniors seeking smaller, safer living arrangements, he said.

Construction Association of Rural Manitoba executive director Shawn Wood said increased residential development downtown would likely benefit the city.

“The more population we have downtown, the safer people feel,” Wood said. “It’s good convenience, supporting local businesses.”

Wood said the project could also help ease housing pressures if seniors move from larger homes into the proposed facility.

“It could be good, and open houses if people are selling houses to move into a retirement facility,” he told the Sun. “Right now, the shortage of available and adequate housing — that would be a good thing.”

He said he was not concerned about the structural condition of the building.

“I trust that our contractors would do their due diligence before they start any construction,” Wood said.

Brandon architect and downtown resident Michael Cox, who worked on repairs to the building in 1981, said he could not comment on its current condition because he has not been inside the building for decades. However, he welcomed the prospect of renewed activity downtown.

“Any kind of development that brings more people living and working downtown is great for the city,” Cox told the Sun. “If it happens there, that’s a bonus.”

Cox recalled that the building was fully operational during his work on the property in the early 1980s, when McKenzie Seeds still operated its seed packaging and distribution business there.

At the time, the building featured four clock towers used in part for elevator systems connected to seed bins. Cox said deteriorating roof conditions led to the removal of three towers while one was preserved as a signature architectural feature that remains visible today.

“I’m excited about it, not as an architect, but as somebody who lives downtown,” Cox said. “That would be fantastic.”

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