History and Vision

There were 15 buildings in five separate apartment projects. One of these apartment projects, which opened in 1956, the Lambert House, had eight bachelor and four one-bedroom suites. All the suites were designed for wheelchair access and had ground floor entry. The New Vista Society had established a strong base in providing responsible effective housing for seniors.

2 years after Winch Tower opens, it’s sister tower the Vista Place Tower opens, with an additional 146 bachelor apartments and 28 one-bedroom apartments of social housing for low-income seniors, The towers are home to 404 seniors in our community.

In 1978 the Care Home became part of the provincial government’s Long Term Care Program and was designated as a personal care/intermediate care facility. As the needs of the seniors in the community changed, the needs of the Care Home residents changed as well.

Between 1989 and 1993 the facility was converted from a personal care/intermediate care facility to an intermediate Care Home. This involved major renovations that resulted in a decrease in the number of beds from 301 to 236. Currently, the Care Home has a special care unit. This is for people with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. There are 23 residents in the program. These residents are given special care and attention in a secure environment that is specially suited to support their needs.

The second phase of this development opened two years later with a further 38 units for families and seniors.

A second Dementia Care Unit opened in August of 2002. This unit is specifically designed and secured for 30 people who have a need to wander, a symptom of dementia. This unit offers opportunity for residents to wander freely, both inside and out, in a secure and supported environment.

In early 2016, consultative work began on the scope of renovation required for the New Vista and Ernest Winch towers. In late 2018, after years of planning and preparation, BC Housing approved funding for the full renovation scope including new life safety systems, elevators, windows, generators and more. The work began in February, 2019 with expected completion in the summer of 2020.

In September, 2016, discussions began between New Vista, Thind Developments and BC Housing to build 125 units of affordable rental housing on Sussex Avenue in Burnaby. This large-scale project has come to fruition through a unique and timely partnership across the private sector, government and the non-profit sector to respond to an urgent housing crisis in Metro Vancouver. Construction is set to begin in early 2019 with occupancy expected in the fall of 2021.

On October 31, 2020, after 5 years of planning and construction, a well-orchestrated transition of residents to our new Care Home took place. The new home was built on land owned by the Society directly behind our previous site. The building boasts a seven floor structure, with six floors of care, each floor having 2 ‘villages’ that each house 20 residents. Separate dining rooms and lounges for each village give us the best layout for infection control to keep our residents safe in the time of COVID. The 4th floor keeps our special care residents in separate units for their safety. The 2nd floor is dedicated to providing ‘culturally sensitive care’ for Korean Canadian seniors. The care model features Korean speaking nurses, care aides, and food service staff who all add to making the village a home. Each village has a spacious lounge with big screen TV’s and safe to touch electric fireplaces; an outside balcony on each floor provides space for gardening programs and summer BBQ’s. The main floor is dedicated to administration, the kitchen and laundry and our Adult Day Program.

On February 1, New Vista takes over operation of an existing affordable housing site in Delta for people 55 and older. The society was chosen by BC Housing to manage the operation, which consists of a three-storey wood-frame building with 48 units.

New Vista Society is pleased to announce it is acquiring the non-market housing component of the new Polygon Homes Perla development, adding important affordable housing in Burnaby. The non-market housing will consist of a six-storey woodframe building comprising of 118-units, spanning approximately 82,500 square feet of gross buildable area situated above a five-level concrete underground parkade. Aligned with the City of Burnaby’s Rental Housing Policy, rental rates are expected to be set below market rates, ensuring affordability for residents.

This three-story wood-frame building, funded through BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund (CHF), will officially open its doors this summer, providing much-needed housing for the community.

The Eunice Oh Residence offers 25 units of affordable rental housing