Queen’s University researchers in Kingston, Ontario, have been awarded $2.5 million in federal funding to expand a national program that helps older adults remain in their own homes and communities longer. The grant, announced July 27, 2026, will support the Aging in Community Partnership and the national network of Oasis Communities for Aging Well.
The funding is part of a larger Government of Canada investment of more than $289 million in social sciences and humanities research, announced July 21, 2026 by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The Kingston project is led by Dr. Catherine Donnelly and Dr. Vincent DePaul from Queen’s School of Rehabilitation Therapy, alongside Dr. Carri Hand of Western University, researchers from five other Canadian universities, and international partners.
The Oasis model began right here in Kingston in 2011, when older adults at the Bowling Green II apartment building partnered with the Frontenac-Kingston Council on Aging to create a grassroots solution to social isolation. It has since grown to 23 communities across Canada, with this latest grant bringing total support to more than $13 million. Research shows Oasis has helped address loneliness, increase physical activity, and decrease health services use among participants.
Oasis operates within Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, or NORCs, which are places where many seniors already live, like apartment buildings, neighbourhoods, and small communities. Each site tailors activities to residents’ interests, offering exercise classes, arts programs, shared meals, learning sessions, and more, all supported by an on-site coordinator. The new funding will create the first coordinated pan-Canadian network focused on these communities, building evidence to guide local and provincial aging strategies.
With one in four Canadians expected to be 65 or older by 2068, and the number of people over 85 set to triple, the need for aging-in-place solutions is growing. This investment ensures that Kingston’s homegrown expertise continues to lead a national effort to help seniors thrive where they live.
