Plans for the future University-Integrated Seniors Village continue to progress on the future site location at the north-west corner of Water Street and Woodland Drive. Addressing the urgent need for housing and long-term care in Peterborough, the Seniors Village and Long-Term Care Home will advance best-practice care through research led by the Trent Centre for Aging & Society and offer on-campus experiential learning opportunities to students in programs like Nursing, Social Work and Business. 

Site Preparation Underway

In late fall 2023, the City of Peterborough granted phase one site plan approval for the Long-Term Care Home and Seniors Village sites based on four season environmental studies that confirmed the suitability of the location.   

Over the winter months, crews will be onsite to remove trees and grade the sites. Work will be completed before March 31, 2024, ahead of the breeding bird season. Completing this work now positions Trent and the builders to move quickly as approvals are received and funding is secured for sites that are shovel-ready.  A ceremony with a Michi Saagiig Elder to thank the trees and the land has taken place, and some of the trees have been selected to use in teachings and ceremony.  

Environment-Led Planning   

Building upon preliminary studies completed during the Trent Lands & Nature Areas Plan, the Seniors Village site was the focus of four-season studies to better understand the habitats, cultural and natural features, and existing trail network. Studying the landscape before developing building plans and conducting four-season instead of the standard three-season studies are examples of the innovative approach to respecting the environment that Trent has taken in advancing this project. By putting the environment first in the planning process, the existing landscape and natural features determined where much needed housing would be best located. 

Areas where the four-season surveys identified significant natural habitats have now been included in the University Green Network, expanding the natural areas around the Seniors Village by more than 50% (reducing the land available for building upon). This expansion adds protection for bat habitat and culturally significant features of the area. Trent University also pursued the provincially significant designation for the wetland in the area, helping to protect this important habitat and natural feature. The wetland complex was named Kiiktaanaa Mash’ing Wetland Complex, or Spring Peepers Marsh, by the Elders & Traditional Knowledge Keepers Council, who installed the name in a ceremony in spring 2023.  

In another example of best practice land use planning, Trent has worked closely and collaboratively with the Michi Saagiig land resource consultation officers throughout the process to ensure the location of the Seniors Village is respectful of the land and all that call it home. “Trent University has taken a leading approach to land planning, putting the environment and Michi Saagiig voices at the forefront in a way we just don’t see happening elsewhere,” said Gary Pritchard, land resource consultation officer with Curve Lake First Nation and CEO of 4Directions Consulting who represents Hiawatha First Nation. “From the start of the Trent Lands & Nature Areas Plan process, all the way through planning and preparation for the Seniors Village, Trent has made decisions to protect and enhance natural features, while building infrastructure to support the entire community.” 

Trail Network Enhancement

The Seniors Village and Long-Term Care Home will be surrounded by and connected to nature. Trent University is investing in the three kilometres of trails in the natural area, increasing connections and accessibility for the community and future residents. Currently, new trails have been added to create three hiking loops throughout the wooded areas and meadowland, offering visitors connection to the habitats and vistas of the space. In January, portions of the existing trails will be closed to reduce fragmentation of the wetland and to reduce foot traffic through the sites where new housing will be built.  

Learn more about the Seniors Village: trentlands.ca