The bad news was cushioned with an invitation to celebrate Canada Day and “talk about the future.”

But after the tea and cake was served, the CEO of the Unionville Home Society admitted the real reason the seniors had been invited.

“She told us that in January of 2017, they were going to proceed to level the village,” said Judi Langille, a resident of Heritage Village in Unionville, a sprawling seniors’ residence in Markham.

“We were stunned and angry,” said Langille, who moved into the community in February. “This was to be my final home.”

Last week, the 110 residents of the 45-year-old community, made up of quaint one-bedroom bungalows and award-winning flower gardens, learned that their homes are slated to be demolished. The site in the prestigious Unionville neighbourhood, a little less than 10 acres, is to be sold to developer Minto, on condition that a portion of the land is resold to York Region to build new affordable housing for seniors, according to CEO Debra Cooper Burger. The rest, Minto will develop into homes.

Proceeds of the sale are needed to help pay off the debts on the village and on the nearby long-term care facility Unionvilla, and plan for the future, said Cooper Burger.

“We sold the only asset we had, which was the land,” she said. “People ask me what keeps me up at night,” she said. “From a business point of view, you need to have contingency fund. We don’t have that currently here. We don’t have a capital reserve fund, if we have to replace a boiler or the roof,” she said. After paying off its debts, the society will have $12 million to $13 million to put into reserves and possibly expand, she said.

The new building would also be able to house upwards of 200 people. The Housing Society currently has a 300-person wait list, she said.

At first, the residents, who range in age from 60 to 99, took the news in stride — until they were told about the timing issue. The earliest a new seniors’ building will go up is 2020, as plans for the project and any funding for it have yet to come before the regional government. The region recently approved acquiring the land from Minto.

But the residents — half of whom get a government subsidy, while others pay less than market rent — have been told they must move out by the end of next year.

“My neighbour is 99 years old,” said Langille. “How is she going to survive two moves?”

On Thursday, at a heated community meeting, the residents demanded to know where they would go for the four years in between.

“What we want is for the region to build this building, and move us in,” said resident Jeannine Harpell, who has lived for a decade in the community, where the doors are always unlocked. “Then they can tear down these beautiful cottages and do what they want,” she said.

But at the meeting, Cooper Burger said the site would likely be a “construction site for several years, and it won’t be a safe site for people to be living on during that time,” she said.

She tried to assure residents the organization would help each resident in the transition — while admitting to the significant shortage of housing options nearby.

And that’s what has Harpell worried. “I have called around, and it’s full everywhere. I don’t know where they are going to put all of us.”

Local ward Councillor Don Hamilton says the best solution for all would be to have construction start as soon as possible, so the residents can move in.

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“If the region has $25-million to give to York University, why can’t help these seniors?” said Hamilton.

Harpell says she would happily move into the new facility — even though it won’t have a garden or the community feel she has come to love.

“I would move there, if we could all move together,” said Harpell, ever the optimist. “No matter where we are, we will make a community again.”

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