Bonnie Place Story - Burlington Post 2012

Bonnie Place
By Erin Bowers

As residents of Burlington, we’ve probably all passed by Bonnie Place at one point or another. It’s a little bit hidden away and can be hard to find; located on Claridge Road, near Guelph Line and New Street. The location is fantastic, close to shops, churches, public transit stops and a quick walk to Burlington’s fabulous lakeshore. Sound great? It really is! What’s even better than the amenities and convenient location is the purpose for which it was built.

In 1963, a group of Rotary members recognized that there was a great need for income affordable housing for seniors 60+, and an idea was born. Twenty-one Rotarians each contributed $1000 to purchase the two and a quarter acre plot of land, which at the time was heavily treed with peach trees. The land had formerly been a Bonnie peach orchard, which gives the property its current name. A group of 24 cottages were built on the property, rather than one large building. “We decided to build cottages because of the setting. It was what people wanted, instead of a large building. It was more like a home,” said charter member, Jim Parker. The project was a success, and in 1967 it continued with the construction of Bonnie Place, an 11 storey, 80 unit apartment building.

Bonnie Place was made possible with a five percent grant from the Province and five percent financing provided by the Rotary Club of Burlington; the remaining ninety percent was financed with a mortgage. With the massive success of Bonnie Place, an obvious need in Burlington was finally being filled.

To further the very successful project, in 2008 the original cottages were torn down to make way for Bonnie Place II. The new building houses 82 one bedroom units which were rented within two months of opening in 2010. Bonnie Place II was well received from the get-go, with the Governments of Canada and Ontario providing $6.2 million towards the project through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Initiative.

Much has changed in forty years, from the landscape of the area to the buildings themselves, but the heart and soul behind the project still remains. Jim Parker believed in the project 40 years ago, as much as he believes in the project now. “Talking to residents of Bonnie Place, learning how happy and contented they are in their ‘home’…is reward enough for all the effort the Rotary Club of Burlington had made in this project.’ said Parker. ‘We have helped our senior citizens spend their last few years with a little more comfort, and sometimes a little more dignity than they had previously experienced.”