The cost of Woodingford Lodge

The Ingersoll (top) and Woodstock (bottom) locations of Woodingford Lodge (Contributed Photos).

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of Oxford County might be surprised to know just how much money the three Woodingford Lodge sites are costing them.

The three homes are operated by Oxford County, a 160-bed home in Woodstock and two 34-bed satellites in Ingersoll and Tillsonburg. The bottom line is the county billed residents about $12.8 million over and above what the province supplied them for the 2025 budget year. 

There is a huge difference between for-profit long-term care (LTC) and municipal homes. Private homes operate on what the Ontario government gives them.

Full disclosure, this reporter worked 14 years at a for-profit chain of long-term care and retirement homes in a communications role, and I know how the system works, particularly when it comes to funding. I also spent five years on the Ontario Long-Term Care Association board of directors.

Caressant Care owns and operates several homes in Oxford County and has a similar bed count to Woodingford. While the for-profit company has no obligation to release its funding numbers, it cannot get additional funding to provide care and pay for other expenses other than from within.

Oxford County CAO Ben Addley explained all municipalities in the province are required by law to provide long-term care beds, although the statute is generic when it comes to how many beds.

“Historically, the reason we are in the three urban centres is a little bit of equalization of service rather than just operating one home. As you saw in the numbers, and private operators would experience the same thing, the larger the home, the greater the efficiencies.”

These days, the smallest new home being built across the province is 128 beds. In the for-profit world, that is the least number of beds a home could have to make it profitable. Addley said the county’s municipal homes offer a superior product compared to the for-profit sector.

“I assume our private partners are meeting the regulations and requirements, but I stand behind the fact our municipal long-term care is second to none. They provide great service, we have great staff, we maintain our employment numbers. Everyone is always looking for employees, but we aren’t in critical stages a lot of times, like in other areas.”

He added Woodingford provides a gold standard when it comes to care, but he isn’t criticizing the for-profit world. The Echo asked the county for numbers from the last three years, which they provided.

The financial breakdown shows just how expensive the 34-bed satellites are to operate. On a per-bed cost, Ingersoll this year shows a cost of just under $67,500 while Tillsonburg comes in at just over $64,000. That compares to a bit over $52,000 per bed at the much larger Woodstock site. According to the provincial Ministry of Long-Term Care, no new long-term homes are being built with fewer than 128 beds to maximize economies of scale.

Addley admitted the care provided is expensive, but the county is diligent in ensuring a high level of care continues while enabling strategies for efficient use of tax dollars.

The county last year looked into building a new, much larger home in Ingersoll to absorb the current facility, but council decided the burden on taxpayers was too great once a 20 per cent tax hike was on the table.

“Staff are looking at how we can run them more efficiently. How can we maintain the level of beds we are currently providing? Like you said, the amount of subsidy the province was willing to contribute to the capital side, really made it really made it cost prohibitive, and it would have probably doubled the levy cost, as you said,” explained Addley.

He added every long-term care home is required by the province to have a director on site, something that adds to the budget and something he is pushing against for the smaller satellite sites along with other expenses required for smaller homes.

“We are trying to negotiate, push back and advocate to say you have to scale this back for smaller operators for us to be more efficient. We will continue to do that and as we make progress it will continue to help us out.”

Anyone outside of Oxford County can add their name to the long-term care bed wait list at Woodingford as per provincial rules. That means people living in the county looking for a long-term care bed when their time comes are not guaranteed a spot, despite paying taxes for years.

“You’re right and we do have this conversation and I’ll be honest, even council struggles with it when they are making their decisions,” said Addley.

The Echo asked Addley if the county would consider selling the long-term care beds located at satellite locations, including for-profit peopleCare, which has asked the province to build a home in Ingersoll.

“Anything we can do to support or maintain long-term care beds, we would probably take to council to look at. If we were going to get out of those locations, we would look at what are the best opportunities for them to make sure we maintain that level (of beds) in the county.”

Warden Marcus Ryan did not specifically address the cost of operating the three homes, but did say the county is always looking at saving precious dollars.

“We are always looking at ways to run more effectively and efficiently in all services we deliver, whether it’s long-term care, paramedic services, roads or human services. We are constantly assessing whether they are services we deliver directly or in partnership with other people. That’s always on the table.”

“As for what the direct costs are per bed or resident in specific homes, I don’t have those numbers off the top of my head, but always open to looking for opportunities to deliver a service better for the same dollars or just as good for less dollars.”

Oxford County had explored the possibility of building a new 194-bed home in Ingersoll to replace the current satellite home in the town, but the economic reality and a likely 20 per cent tax increase on residents quashed those plans.

“Since I became a member of county council, this number stood out as a number that shouldn't be there,” said Norwich Township Mayor Jim Palmer, who added the care needs of long-term care residents have increased. “Woodingford has been a feature of Oxford County for many years. Since its inception, the health status of those needing its services has changed. Initially, residents might have arrived walking with a cane. Nowadays, some come directly from the hospital as a way to free up hospital beds for others.”

He added funding demands have also put financial pressure on the county.

“Standards of care are always more of everything. More hours of care per person, more expensive care equipment, and higher qualifications for employees. The list could go on. The Woodingford Lodges are in many respects tier 2 hospitals but are still funded by the County of Oxford.”

The Echo reached out to each member of county council for comment. East Zorra-Tavistock Mayor Phil Schaefer provided a statement, which was used in a story in the Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette. Coun. Bernia Martin suggested we speak with the warden but no other councillors responded.