Ontario Construction News staff writer
Empire Homes has donated land on Montrose Road for a proposed residential hospice in Niagara Falls, bringing the project closer to reality as the city and Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre seek provincial approval and operational funding.
The proposed hospice, to be called Millie’s Place, would be built immediately north of the new South Niagara Hospital. The land donation was announced Oct. 19, when the City of Niagara Falls and Hotel Dieu Shaver unveiled a sign marking the proposed site.
The city and Hotel Dieu Shaver have jointly submitted a proposal to the Ontario Ministry of Health for consideration. Under the proposed partnership, the city would own the facility, while Hotel Dieu Shaver would operate the hospice and provide clinical and operational services.
The project aims to address a gap in residential hospice services in Niagara Falls, where residents and families have often had to travel elsewhere in the region or beyond to access specialized end-of-life care.
Empire Homes co-CEO Daniel Guizzetti said the land donation reflects the company’s view that communities need to support residents through all stages of life.
“As a company that has spent its life building homes and neighbourhoods, we have always believed that a community is measured not only by the houses that are built, but also by the care it provides to the people within the community and in every season of life, including its hardest,” Guizzetti said.
The proposed hospice will be named in honour of Mildred “Millie” Branscombe, the late mother of Stewart Branscombe of the River Realty Foundation, whose philanthropic support has also contributed to the project.
The proposal follows several years of work to identify a suitable location for a residential hospice. In 2023, Niagara Falls City Council appointed Mayor Jim Diodati and Coun. Victor Pietrangelo to work with city staff on a Hospice Ad-Hoc Committee to advance the site-selection process.
The facility would provide end-of-life care in a home-like setting, allowing patients to receive specialized support while spending time with family and friends close to home.
The project remains subject to provincial approval and the securing of operational funding. Municipal planning and building approvals are also anticipated to progress through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027, subject to city council approval and other requirements.
Hotel Dieu Shaver brings a history of palliative care in Niagara to the proposed partnership. In 1996, Hotel Dieu Health Sciences Hospital opened an 11-bed palliative care unit, one of the first dedicated units of its kind in the region.
Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre was established in 2005, when Hotel Dieu Health Sciences Hospital assumed governance and management of Shaver Hospital and Niagara Rehab Centre.
The organization now operates Niagara’s only rehabilitation hospital, providing specialized rehabilitation and complex care services to patients across the region.
If approved, Millie’s Place would add a dedicated residential hospice to the range of palliative and end-of-life services available to Niagara residents.
