What a long-term care room in Barrie costs in 2026
The province sets one maximum co-payment for long-term care, and it’s the same at every home in Ontario, whether the home is run for profit or not. These are the rates from July 1, 2026. The yearly column is our own math: the monthly rate times 12.
| Room type | Monthly maximum | Yearly total | Daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2,129.17 | $25,550.04 | $70.00 |
| Semi-private | $2,567.17 | $30,806.04 | $84.40 |
| Private | $3,041.97 | $36,503.64 | $100.01 |
A short stay costs $45.31 a day. Homes may charge extra for optional things like hairdressing, cable TV, phone, internet and transportation. The Ministry of Long-Term Care sets the maximums each year.
Which long-term care homes are in Barrie
Ontario Health atHome’s July 2026 list for North Simcoe Muskoka shows nine homes with Barrie addresses:
- Bob Rumball Long-Term Care Home for the Deaf, 1 Royal Parkside Drive
- Coleman Care Centre, 140 Cundles Road West
- Grove Park Home, 234 Cook Street
- IOOF Seniors Homes, 10 Brooks Street
- Mill Creek Care Centre, 286 Hurst Drive
- Owen Hill Community, 130 Owen Street
- Roberta Place, 503 Essa Road
- Victoria Village, 78 Ross Street
- Woods Park Community and Retirement Living, 110 Lillian Crescent
Some homes have a special focus. Bob Rumball serves Deaf residents, Grove Park has a Church of Christ religious designation, and IOOF on Brooks Street also offers short-stay respite and convalescent care.
None of the nine is run by the County of Simcoe. Barrie is a separate city, but the County delivers long-term care and seniors services to Barrie residents. The County’s own homes on the same list are outside Barrie: Georgian Manor in Penetanguishene, Sunset Manor in Collingwood and Trillium Manor in Orillia.
How long the wait is at Barrie homes
The province publishes a wait list count for each home. Here are three Barrie homes, all updated June 30, 2026:
| Home | Licensed beds | People on the wait list |
|---|---|---|
| Roberta Place | 140 | 479 |
| IOOF Seniors Home | 182 | 667 |
| Coleman Care Centre | 112 | 243 |
Don’t add these numbers together. You can list up to five homes, so one person may be counted on several lists. The province says wait times vary widely and change often. A home with a shorter list may offer you a bed sooner, so your five choices matter.
When a bed opens, the offer comes with a move-in date. According to Ontario’s application rules, you have one day to say yes and as many as five days to move in. Payment starts on the move-in date, even if you arrive later. If you turn the bed down, you’re removed from every wait list and usually must wait 12 weeks to apply again.
How to apply from Barrie
Every application goes through Ontario Health atHome, the provincial agency that also arranges home care. Barrie is in its North Simcoe Muskoka area. A care coordinator assesses your health and may also look at how you manage day to day. Then you pick up to five homes, in order of preference.
While you wait, the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program can help you stay healthy at home and avoid trips to the emergency room. You can use it once you’re on the wait list, or once you’ve been found eligible.
Help with the cost of a basic room
Ontario’s rate reduction can lower what you pay, but only for a basic room. It doesn’t apply to regular semi-private or private rooms. The province says a person with no dependants would likely qualify with yearly income under $27,338, based on the July 1, 2026 rate.
Your income comes from your most recent Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency. Your assets aren’t counted, so a house you own doesn’t count against you. You apply through the home after you move in, within 90 days, and again every year. Even with a reduction, you keep a comfort allowance of $149 a month for clothing, phone and other personal needs.
Couples have two more tools. A spouse dependant deduction may apply if you lived with your spouse right before you moved into care. And if you both get Old Age Security, the Involuntary Separation form lets your benefits be worked out separately. The name has nothing to do with your marriage.
What happens to your Barrie house when one spouse moves into care
This is often the hardest money moment for a couple. One of you moves into care, and the other stays in the house. Now you’re paying for two homes on the same pensions. A private room alone is $36,503.64 a year, or $109,510.92 over three years.
A reverse mortgage can pay that co-payment without selling the house. Every owner on title must be 55 or older, and the house must stay the principal residence of a borrower. It does, as long as your spouse still lives there. No monthly mortgage payments are required. Property tax, home insurance and upkeep stay yours, and keeping them up is a condition of the loan.
Because you’re borrowing it, the money isn’t taxed, and your OAS and GIS cheques stay exactly as they are. You both stay the owners.
Example: the youngest owner is 70, and the home is worth Barrie’s September 2026 benchmark of $617,100 (TRREB). At 70, you could get up to about 52.85% of the appraised value, or about $326,000. That’s a ceiling, not an offer. See our Barrie home prices guide for other home types, or try the calculator.
Like any Canadian mortgage, the interest compounds twice a year; the difference is that it’s added to what you owe rather than billed to you. Example: borrow $75,000 at an example rate of 6.44%, and after three years you’d owe about $90,708. The cost guide shows current rates and one-time costs.
Whatever happens to prices, you can never owe more than your home is worth when the mortgage comes due. All it asks is that the property tax, insurance and repairs are kept current. It’s typically called the no negative equity guarantee.
When the last borrower moves into care
The loan comes due once the last borrower moves out for good. Your family usually repays it by selling the house. If that happens in the first few years, a penalty can apply, but some lenders lower or waive it after a permanent move into long-term care.
The penalty falls to $0 after five to ten years, depending on the lender (at some lenders from year five, with written notice). If care is likely in the next few years, tell Richard at the start, because these rules differ from lender to lender and can decide which one gives you the best overall value.
Before long-term care: help at home
With hundreds of people on some Barrie wait lists, much of the waiting happens at home. Publicly funded home care through Ontario Health atHome can help, and some families pay privately for extra hours. Our home care page explains both. If a retirement home is on your list too, read what to check before you move.
The bottom line
Every Barrie long-term care home charges the same provincial maximum, but the wait depends on which homes you choose. Apply early, pick your five homes with care, and plan how you'll pay while one of you is still at home. A reverse mortgage can cover the co-payment without selling the house your spouse still lives in.
To see figures for your own home, get a free Barrie estimate. It costs nothing, and there's no sales pressure.