The Gardens of Peterborough

What The Gardens of Peterborough does

The Gardens of Peterborough, doing business as Gardens Retirement Living, is a privately held operator of five retirement communities in Ontario, Canada—Canterbury Gardens, Empress Gardens, Princess Gardens, and Royal Gardens in Peterborough, plus Orchard View Gardens in Almonte. The company is wholly owned by AON Inc., a local family-owned company with approximately 50 years of history (founded circa 1974), and operates as a holding entity for the five properties. It serves adults 55+ and their families, offering a continuum of care from independent living and bungalow-style Garden Homes through the Enriched Care® assisted living program, Short Term Stays (respite and convalescent), Memory Living at Orchard View Gardens, and Town Homes for active adults. Service is fundamentally relational and physical: 24-hour care staff access, on-site dining, fitness centres, wellness workshops, landscaped walking trails, and an indoor salt-water therapy pool at Canterbury Gardens.

The business model is a recurring monthly subscription: residents pay ongoing fees for accommodation, meals, amenities, and tier-appropriate care, with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct—property tours booked via website forms or a central phone line (1.877.742.9779)—supplemented by an event-driven experiential marketing layer (Pie Fest, Paint Night, Luau, BBQs, seasonal celebrations) and content marketing through the quarterly Gardens Gazette newsletter and a YouTube testimonial channel. The go-to-market depends heavily on local reputation, evidenced by consecutive Peterborough Examiner Readers Choice Diamond Awards (2024 and 2025) and active community sponsorships with Trent Valley Archives Theatre, Community Care Peterborough, and kawarthaNOW.

Gardens Retirement Living's core technology is service delivery rather than software. The underlying platform is physical real estate, licensed care operations, and care staff; there is no mobile app, no disclosed API/SDK, no AI/ML capability, and no proprietary technology product beyond the registered Enriched Care® trademark. The operating technology stack is limited to a WordPress-based marketing site, property microsites (canterburygardens.ca, empressgardens.ca, etc.), an internal AON Employee HUB, and a YouTube channel. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 band; revenue, occupancy, and unit counts are not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held by the AON Inc. family, with no institutional investment, acquisitions, or funding rounds reported.

Name

The Gardens of Peterborough

Legal name

AON Inc.

Website

http://www.gardensofpeterborough.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gardens of Peterborough operates five Ontario retirement communities under parent AON Inc., offering independent living, Enriched Care® assisted living, and Memory Living to seniors 55+ and their families on a recurring monthly subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Living Services

NAICS

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311), Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (623312), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Market-Rate Independent Living (Private Pay) Communities (HLADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury / High-End Assisted Living Communities (HLADABAD), Luxury/Resort-Style Independent Living Communities (HLADAAAC), Senior & Assisted Living Residential Property Management (BPAJAFAE)

Keywords

• Retirement living communities
• Assisted living services
• Senior care residences
• Memory care living
• Independent senior housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retirement Living Fees: Monthly subscription fees for retirement residence living, including accommodation, meals, amenities, and varying levels of care support depending on the lifestyle option selected. Residents pay recurring monthly fees for housing, dining services, and access to community amenities and wellness programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Gardens of Peterborough operates five retirement communities across Ontario offering a continuum of senior living options including Traditional Independent Retirement, Garden Homes (bungalow-style, at Canterbury and Royal Gardens), the Enriched Care® assisted living program with 24-hour care staff access, Short Term Stays (respite, convalescent, trial), Memory Living (at Orchard View Gardens only), and Town Homes (at Orchard View Gardens only). Residents pay recurring monthly subscription fees for accommodation, dining, amenities, and access to care support that scales with individual needs.

Product overview

The Gardens of Peterborough operates five retirement communities across Ontario—Canterbury Gardens, Empress Gardens, Orchard View Gardens, Princess Gardens, and Royal Gardens—offering a continuum of care from independent living to Memory Living. The portfolio includes Independent Traditional Retirement, Garden Homes (bungalow-style, at Canterbury & Royal only), the Enriched Care® assisted living program, Short Term Stays, Memory Living (at Orchard View only), and Town Homes. All communities provide access to 24-hour care staff, fitness centers, wellness programs, and shared amenities. The company is owned and operated by AON Inc., a local family-owned company with a 50-year history. Canterbury Gardens features an indoor salt-water therapy pool. The philosophy emphasizes 'aging in place'—residents can transition between care levels without changing communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Canterbury Gardens A retirement community located at 1414 Sherbrooke St., Peterborough, ON, offering independent retirement, garden homes, and enriched care. Features an indoor salt-water therapy pool.
• Empress Gardens A retirement residence located at 131 Charlotte St., Peterborough, ON, offering independent retirement and enriched care options. Celebrated 30 years of service.
• Orchard View Gardens A retirement community located at 219 Paterson St., Almonte, ON, specializing in Memory Living with cognitive support and care services, plus Town Homes for active adult lifestyles.
• Princess Gardens A retirement residence located at 100 Charlotte St., Peterborough, ON, offering independent retirement and enriched care options. Celebrated 25 years of operation.
• Royal Gardens A retirement community located at 1160 Clonsilla Ave., Peterborough, ON, offering independent retirement, garden homes, and access to all Gardens partner amenities.
• Enriched Care® Program Assisted living program providing personalized support with daily activities, health care coordination, and wellness services, with 24-hour care staff access for residents whose needs change. Available across Gardens properties.
• Memory Living Purposeful living with cognitive support and specialized care designed for individuals with memory challenges such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Available only at Orchard View Gardens.
• Short Term Stays Flexible respite, convalescent, and trial short-term living options for seniors needing temporary care or recovery support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Senior Assist RealtorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 February 2025Presented at Princess Gardens Lunch & Learn Series focusing on 'Downsizing in Retirement.' Real estate professionals providing guidance on housing transitions and downsizing processes for seniors.
• Trent Valley Archives Theatre (TVAT)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2025Gardens of Peterborough returned as Platinum Sponsor for TVAT's spring premiere of Crossing Over, a historical play commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Peter Robinson Irish immigration. Provides financial sponsorship and promotional support for cultural community event.
• kawarthaNOWminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2025Co-sponsor with Gardens of Peterborough for Trent Valley Archives Theatre's Crossing Over play. Local media partner providing promotional support for community cultural event.
• Community Care PeterboroughminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Title Sponsor for the Grandparent of the Year Award, an annual community recognition program celebrating grandparents in the Peterborough area. Supports community engagement and local charitable initiatives.
• AON Inc.coreOthersParent company that owns and operates Gardens Retirement Living. AON Inc. is a local, family-owned company with a 50-year history of innovation and outstanding customer service in retirement living. They manage all five Gardens properties and provide corporate infrastructure, HR, marketing, and operational support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Amica Senior Lifestyles: Amica operates premium retirement residences across Canada with independent living, assisted living, and memory care suites — closely aligned with the Gardens' premium 'Retirement Living at its Finest' positioning and continuum model.
• Chartwell Retirement Residences: Chartwell is Canada's largest retirement residence operator with a deep Ontario footprint, offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care across multiple care levels — directly comparable to the Gardens' continuum-of-care model and target market.
• Sienna Senior Living: Sienna Senior Living operates retirement residences and long-term care communities across Ontario, providing independent, assisted, and memory care — overlapping directly with the Gardens' service portfolio and Ontario-centric geography.
• Revera Inc. Revera is one of Canada's largest owners, operators, and investors in retirement living and long-term care, with a substantial Ontario portfolio spanning independent supportive living through memory care — comparable scale, services, and resident mix.
• All Seniors Care Living Centres: All Seniors Care operates retirement residences and long-term care communities across several Canadian provinces, offering independent and assisted living with a comparable multi-property, multi-care-level operating model.
• Verve Senior Living: Verve Senior Living operates boutique retirement communities in Ontario and other provinces with independent, assisted, and memory care services — comparable resident profile and care-level structure to the Gardens.
• Shannex: Shannex operates retirement residences, assisted living, and memory care in Atlantic Canada and Ontario, with a comparable continuum-of-care model and similar focus on enriching resident lifestyle programming.

Broad incumbents

• Sunrise Senior Living: Sunrise is a large North American senior living operator with independent, assisted, and memory care services. It competes broadly in the same retirement living space but at much larger scale and with a wider geographic footprint.
• Extendicare: Extendicare operates long-term care and retirement residences across Canada with overlapping service lines in assisted living and memory care, though its portfolio is broader and skews more toward long-term care than retirement living.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-gardens-retirement-community

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Gardens of Peterborough