Sarnia retirement home devastated by fire on track for a fall reopening

Repairs at Fairwinds Lodge in Sarnia are on schedule, and the retirement home will begin welcoming residents in the fall as planned.

Fairwinds Lodge General Manager Tina Mel said they're finalizing the finishing touches in the resident suites, and painting is about 60 per cent completed in the central and south portion of the building.

Mel said they will reopen nearly half of the suites starting on November 6, 2023.  

"So 113 is the entire building," said Mel. "We're opening 71 in the fall and the remainder of the north end building will be spring of next year."

The Michigan Avenue retirement home suffered significant damage in a fire on January 15, forcing all 133 residents to find other accommodations.

Mel said there are still some suites available.

"It's a pretty good mix of previous tenants as well as some new tenants that are looking to take advantage of the fact that they can pick their suite at Fairwinds," she said. "Because with our previous occupancy history, that's never been the case before. So now is the time where if they're looking for something specific, they have the option to choose the best suite."

She said the model suite is open with limited availability, you can visit the site to reserve a suite now.