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The immediate future is uncertain for the residents and staff of Trout Creek Senior Living less than two years after the independent living facility for seniors opened its doors.
Tax sale documents obtained by BayToday confirm the property at 102 Corkery St., on which Trout Creek Senior Living is situated, is for sale due to unpaid property taxes.
The future of Trout Creek Senior Living relies very much on the whim of a potential new owner. A municipality holds a tax sale to recover unpaid property taxes. It is common for properties sold in this manner to be purchased at prices far below market value as the municipalities seek to recoup taxes, interest and penalties owing plus the cost of conducting the tax sale. The tax sale jeopardizes the living arrangements for seven residents and the employment of 16.
The Municipality of Powassan, under the authority of the provincial Municipal Act, 2001 is accepting tenders for the 11.3-acre Trout Creek property until April 4. According to the last returned assessment roll, the assessed value of the parcel of land containing Trout Creek Senior Living is $1,623,000 and its property taxes were $21,166 in 2023. The minimum tender amount to purchase the property is $131,998.
Attempts to contact the last owners of record for comment on the situation went unreturned before publication but the Trout Creek Senior Living website lists 27 Roytec Rd., Unit 1 in Vaughan, Ont. as its corporate office. Berkshire Enterprises Inc. lists the property at the same address in Vaughan as one of its holdings, as does Westroy Assets Management Inc. Both Berkshire and Westroy also list the Trout Creek Senior Living property among their assets on their respective websites.
Adam Simard, the general manager of Trout Creek Senior Living reluctantly answered questions about the tax sale but did provide some insight about the future of the home and the fate of the staff if the property is sold.
"What I was told by Italo [Ferrari] was not to worry about it, that everything was going to be taken care of," Simard said, adding he "understands the concern. I know the predicament we're in. I have been assured that things are going to be settled."
Simard was hired in recent months to work at Trout Creek Senior Living after the previous administration team from Dynamic Health Management Inc. was let go. He now reports to the Ferrari family and the associated companies based in Vaughan.
"Since we cut back head office and are now dealing with Gianluca [Ferrari, Italo's nephew] directly, things are looking up. Everything he has told me so far has come to fruition," Simard explained.
According to the Ontario Tax Sales website, "After a tax deed has been registered the former owner cannot redeem the property; however, before a tax deed is registered, the owner might be able to redeem the property by paying the full amount of taxes and other costs to the municipality, thereby stopping the tax sale."
See related: Notorious developer with local ties making headlines in the Soo
Developers Michael Anobile and Ferrari have extensive commercial real estate portfolios and in recent years have branched out by acquiring properties suitable for long-term care facilities and addiction treatment centres. Ferrari got into some hot water in his dealings with the City of Sault Ste. Marie in recent years while representing interests in the former hospital property which has seen development plans stalled for years.
See also: Owners of former Sault general hospital ordered to board up building
According to Westroy's website, it has interests in and Berkshire is the owner of record and reportedly holds a 25-year lease for Canadore College's delayed Northern Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre of Excellence, located at 352 Lakeshore Dr., in North Bay.
See: VIDEO: Update on delayed local addiction treatment centre
The facility is leveraged heavily by a provincial government grant, as announced by Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo in 2022. Tibollo is also the MPP for Vaughan—Woodbridge.
See also: Ontario announces $6.84M for 53 new local addictions treatment beds
Trout Creek Senior Living is located in the renovated former Lady Isabelle, closed in 2017 by the Ministry of Health. Unlike Lady Isabelle, Trout Creek Senior Living is not licensed as a long-term care home or retirement centre but offers independent options to live in a home-like setting with other seniors.
Seven residents are presently living in the 49-bed home. The former management team struggled to successfully secure provincial licenses that would have led to operating a home with retirement or long-term levels of care while bolstering the bottom line.
See: Trout Creek seniors' transitional housing seeking more residents
Since Lady Isabelle's closure, Fedeli has been working behind the scenes to restore a long-term care component to this area of the Nipissing riding. A plan took shape to build a 96-bed long-term care facility on four acres of the Trout Creek Senior Living property. In a 2021 media event Italo Ferrari, alongside MPP Fedeli, Powassan Mayor Peter McIsaac, and North Bay Regional Health Centre CEO Paul Heinrich announced a state-of-the-art long-term care home in Trout Creek that would have a "huge impact."
And: Property developer Italo Ferrari target of multiple lawsuits
Reached for comment this past week, Fedeli stressed the distinction between the existing seniors' home and the proposed 96-bed long-term care home.
"Trout Creek Senior Living has never received funding from the Ontario Government," Fedeli stated. "The Trout Creek Nursing Home is a different project and is still in the planning stages. Project-specific information is considered confidential between the operator and the Ministry."
