Our History

Grand View Manor was first known as the Kings County Senior Citizens Home (KCSCH). It was incorporated under the Municipal Housing Corporations Act on July 15th 1969 and opened its doors on October 31, 1970, with the Honorable Gordon A. Tidman, Minister of Public Welfare officiating.

At that time, municipalities in Nova Scotia had the mandate to provide “people” services including Homes for the Aged and the Municipality of the County of Kings with seed money ($50,000) donated by Dr. Lalia Chase and favourable financing conditions was able to build its home in South Berwick, Nova Scotia.

This location was chosen because the Town of Berwick boasted a sizable hospital and was able to offer municipal electricity and access to a sewage system (Haskel, H. 1995. The Wagner Years). The Manor’s original 38-acres were purchased from the Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company and are located in the county.

The name Grand View Manor was born when the first Board of Directors advertised that $25 would be awarded to anybody who could come up with the “name”.  Suggestions included “Shady Rest” and “Sunset Haven”.

However, Board members were becoming frustrated as they reviewed names. Then, Board Member Louis Thomas exclaimed with a sweep of his arm, “What a grand view!” (They were meeting in the Franey solarium with windows overlooking the valley and the North Mountain. He was referring to the fall colours and setting sun at that time – The Wagner Years, 1995).

And thus, the nature-inspired name Grand View Manor (GVM) was quickly adopted! Known for its innovative spirit, GVM boasts many firsts:

• The first training course for Nurses’ Aides working with seniors, leading to a Certificate for Personal Care Worker
• The first full-time maintenance staff
• The first qualified dietitian
• The first organized Activity Department
• The first Beauty Shop
• The first, in Eastern Canada, to have an apartment complex attached
• The first to have an enriched housing for seniors, built and administered by NS Housing Authority and offered services by Grand View Manor
• The first separate Alzheimer’s and related Dementia wing in a home for special care
• The first to have a full time social worker on staff.

Importantly, in 1998, a foundation formed to raise funds for building an apartment complex for seniors looking for independent living without the responsibility of home ownership. The Grand View Manor Seniors Foundation operates through a volunteer board of directors and is a registered charity. The complex was named “Orchard View”. It was the first assisted living complex attached to a nursing home in the Province of Nova Scotia and it was thanks to the foundation that the deposit required to qualify for a mortgage was raised. The foundation remains active and holds a golf tournament each year to raise funds.

With changes in municipal priorities and a desire to establish a governance board less dependent on members appointed by the municipality a movement started in 2013 for ties to the municipality to be loosened. In November 2019, with the blessing of the municipality, Grand View Manor’s charitable status and governance was transferred to a new entity named the Grand View Manor Continuing Care Community (GVMCCC) with Pauline Raven acting as first Chairperson of the board.

Over its 50 year history, GVM only had only four administrators:  Richard Wagner (June 1970 – January 1991); Graham Hardy (January 1991 – March 2013); Jorge G. VanSlyke (March 2013 – April 2018); and Menna McIsaac April 2018-present).

Each part of our substantial history has been fueled by a deep desire for continual improvement. Here, residents whose health status leads to some level of dependence on others, can find a home where staff members and the community care, where love is ageless.