Our new Ajax headquarters: Client and caregiver information
Grandview Kids is opening its new Ajax headquarters in Fall 2024. This project has been underway for many years. Check back to this page frequently for new information about the site opening and how it impacts clients and their families. We call this work “Operational Readiness.”
When Grandview Kids opens our new Ajax headquarters, we are closing some of our current Grandview Kids locations, which impacts some clients and caregivers. If your care is impacted by these changes, you will receive further information directly from Grandview Kids throughout the summer. This will include your individual clinical schedule and appointment location(s).
Our new Ajax-based headquarters will be home to state-of-the-art features that will enable Grandview Kids to enhance services for clients and families. When our new headquarters opens this Fall, we will continue to operate satellite locations in Bowmanville (Bowmanville Health Centre), Port Perry (SA Cawker), Whitby (Abilities Centres) and Oshawa (Dwyer). This ensures high-quality care is accessible close to home for families across the Durham Region.
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below for more information about our new headquarters, the building features, and our plan to support clients, families and staff in the transition to this new space. It is an exciting time for Grandview Kids and the community we serve!
This FAQ list and webpage is updated on an ongoing basis. Please check back frequently for updates. If you have further questions about features our new headquarters, please email newbuild@grandviewkids.ca. You can also visit our New Build project page for more information. Questions about your individual care plan should be directed to your Grandview Kids clinician(s).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click on the content headers below to view the FAQs within that section:
Opening and closing sites
What is happening to your current headquarters at 600 Townline Road in Oshawa?
We have long known that 600 Townline Road in Oshawa – our current headquarters – no longer meets the needs of our clients. We have outgrown this space. This is why we campaigned for years to build a new space. This dream will soon be realized.
This site is permanently closing as we transition operations to our new headquarters in Ajax. The last day of appointments at Grandview Kids’ 600 Townline Road, Whitby Mall, Airport Blvd locations is October 16, 2024. The last day of appointments at our Westney Road Ajax site is November 6, 2024. These sites will all permanently close as of their relocation dates in Fall 2024.
Our Board of Directors will determine what happens with the 600 Townline Road property after November 2024. Grandview Kids will not operate it in any capacity after this date.
Will you maintain some satellite locations after opening the new headquarters?
Yes, satellite locations in Bowmanville (Bowmanville Health Centre), Port Perry (SA Cawker), Whitby (Abilities Centres) and Oshawa (Dwyer) will be maintained, along with our new Ajax headquarters. This ensures care is accessible close to home for families across Durham Region.
Building features
Where is the Grandview Kids headquarters located?
The new Grandview Kids headquarters is located at 1461 Harwood Avenue North, Building A (Grandview Kids) and Building B (Grandview School), Ajax, Ontario, L1T 0R3.
What is the size of the new headquarters?
The new headquarters is 100,306 square feet, with four stories of office and clinical space.
What are some features of the new headquarters?
The new headquarters will feature a welcome playground, sunken garden, one gymnasium to be used for both therapy and play, therapy pool, outdoor terrace, Family Resource Centre, café and 0.35 kilometre outdoor sensory trail. The entire facility and outdoor areas will be fully accessible.
What is available through the Ajax Public Library Branch?
In February 2023, Ajax Public Library and Grandview Kids signed a formal partnership agreement, which includes establishing an Ajax Public Library Branch within the new headquarters. It will be open to all members of the public during the site’s regular operating hours. Visitors can borrow Sensory Kits and a mix of fiction and non-fiction items, as well as requesting items from other library locations for pick-up at the New Grandview Kids location. Computer access and educational programming will also be offered.
Will there be Free to Read books and toys be available in the waiting areas?
Yes, we are currently reviewing the process for having the Free to Read program available separate from the Ajax Library collection. The process for having toys in the waiting room is currently being reviewed. There will also be interactive screen activities available on the second and third floor waiting areas in the future.
What sports can be played in the Gymnasium?
Lines and equipment for basketball, volleyball, badminton, hockey, boccia and pickle ball are available in the Gymnasium.
What is the size of the pool?
The therapy pool is 19 feet wide by 41 feet long.
Arrival and access
What are the operating hours at the new headquarters?
- Between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.
- Between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.
- Between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays the Centre is open (we are not open every Saturday).
The Ajax Public Library branch, located within our new headquarters, will be open to the public:
- Between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
- Saturdays between 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (on weekends the Centre is open).
What areas of the building are accessible to the public?
Clients and caregivers will be able to access the first three floors, including gathering spaces and therapy spaces. The general public can access the first floor, including the café, atrium and Family Resource Centre (which includes the Ajax Public Library branch). The fourth floor is restricted to staff-only. Visitors and clients entering Grandview School must enter and exit via the school’s entrance only.
Service offerings
What is offered at the new headquarters?
The New Grandview Kids will be an open, welcoming and inclusive community-based paediatric facility, offering an integrated mix of rehabilitation, medical and clinical services, as well as education and research activities.
Why are some services only being offered at your new Ajax headquarters?
Our new headquarters will be home to state-of-the-art features and collaboration spaces, allowing our staff, clients and families to connect in more meaningful ways. Because of the way our Medical Services, specialized clinics and Extensive Needs Service operate – requiring significant in-person collaboration between staff members – these services will only be offered at one location at this time. Audiology requires specialized equipment that will only be available at this site.
In the years ahead, we will continue to monitor community and client needs to determine if this approach needs to be altered.
What Grandview Kids services/programs will only be offered at the new headquarters?
- Extensive Needs Service
- Purchased Services
- Clinics (e.g., Complex Care, Hypertonia/Botox, Nutrition, Orthopedic, Dietetics)
- Audiology
- Grandview School
This may change in the future to ensure we are responsive to client and community needs; however, this is the plan at the start of our transition of operations to the new headquarters and maintained satellites.
Construction and development
What environmental considerations were made during construction and development?
Extensive measures were taken to preserve as much of the natural environment surrounding the new headquarters as possible. These measures include replanting trees to compensate for tree removal, removing identified invasive plant species, and monitoring the bat population on the property to ensure that there is minimal disruption to their habitat. The building has been designed for a LEED Silver designation from the Canada Green Building Council.
What is the P3 model of construction?
Due to the size and scope of this project, Grandview Kids has entered a public-private partnership (P3) with Infrastructure Ontario (IO). Under P3s, provincial ministries and/or project owners establish the scope and purpose of a project, while design and construction work are carried out (and often financed) by the private sector. The P3 approach allows projects to be delivered more efficiently and more cost effectively than traditional procurement.
Who are the new build partners?
In May 2021, Grandview Kids and Infrastructure Ontario initiated a Request for Proposals (RFP) process. In April 2022, the Children First Consortium was selected as the preferred proponent to design, build and finance the project.
- Applicant Leads: Amico Design Build Inc., Sacyr Construction S.A
- Design Team: Parkin Architects, H.H. Angus and Associates Limited
- Construction Team: Amico Design Build Inc., Sacyr Construction S.A
- Financial Advisor: Stonebridge Financial Corporation
Funding
How is this project funded?
- The Town of Ajax generously donated five acres of land on Harwood Avenue in Ajax, where the new Grandview Kids will be built.
- Tribute Communities also generously donated 1.3 acres for the facility. Government funding for the New Grandview Kids has been provided, in part, by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the Federal Government of Canada.
- In addition to Federal and Provincial Government funding, community fundraising initiatives led by the Grandview Kids Foundation’s Believe Campaign have also supported funding for the New Grandview Kids.
- As part of the Grandview Kids Foundation’s Believe Campaign, Grandview Kids received two lead gifts: $5M from the late Mr. Jerry Coughlan and $5,035,000 from the Regional Municipality of Durham.
