Mayors in eastern Ontario are expressing worries about the possible closure of three long-term care homes, saying it would significantly impact the lives of seniors and their families.
The Ministry of Long-Term Care has announced that it’s considering a proposal to close three Southbridge Care Homes once a new facility opens in Cornwall, Ont.
The three homes at risk are:
Pinecrest, a 60-bed long-term care home located in Plantagenet, east of Ottawa. The Palace, a 70-bed long-term care home located in Alexandria, Ontario. Heartwood, a 118-bed long-term care home situated in Cornwall.
The new facility is planned to have 320 beds, which means it will offer 72 more beds than the three current facilities combined. According to the proposal, it will be built across from an existing Southbridge home at 800 Nick Kaneb Dr.
However, many people aren’t happy with this plan.
“To the people who live here, the Palace is home,” North Glengarry Mayor Jamie Mac Donald stated in a video shared on Facebook last Thursday.
“They worked here, raised their children here, supported our businesses and helped build this community. They deserve to remain connected to it when they need us most. Moving their care to Cornwall has consequences that cannot be measured by counting beds.”
In the same video, Mac Donald highlighted that answers are needed for those employed at the Palace as well. He raised concerns about what would happen to those who can’t relocate their lives.
Union says it has limited info
A representative for the United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at both the Palace and Pinecrest locations, mentioned that they have limited information regarding potential closures.
“The employer continues to inform employees that the closures are not yet definite and that it could take up to five years before the Cornwall facility opens,” Richard Leblanc, the union’s eastern Ontario area coordinator told Radio-Canada in a French-language response.
Later on, the union expressed its shock at learning about these possible closures through media reports in an English statement sent to . They added, “We’re concerned about the ability of these facilities to retain existing staff and to recruit new workers.”
French service standards
France Gélinas, provincial NDP’s critic for health and long-term care as well as francophone affairs mentioned that some beds at Pinecrest in Plantagenet might be protected.
She informed that one of these homes has gone through steps for designation under the French Language Services Act. “So the home has 60 beds and the 60 beds are designated which means they have to provide services in French 24/7 for all residents.”
According to Gélinas this could complicate any plans regarding moving those beds elsewhere.
“You cannot just shut those things down,” she asserted.</PConservative MPP Stéphane Sarrazin representing Glengarry-Prescott-Russell pointed out that it’s vital everyone remembers Ontario’s Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta also oversees francophone matters.
“If one of th e fa ci lit ie s i s ac tu al ly id en ti fi ed as a fa ci lit y th at pr o vides Fr ench se rv ic e then I’m su re th ey ha ve t o co nt i nu e com pli an ce w ith reg ul ati on,” Sa rra zi n told Ra dio-Ca nada.
“When a ho me un der goes re de vel op me nt or re lo ca ti on , th e Min i stry o f Lo ng-T er m Ca re wo rks cl os ely wi th op er at or s t o su pp or t con ti nu ity o f ca re , an d wh ere Fr ench-la ng u ag e se rv ice ob li ga ti ons ap ply , ho mes ar e ex pe ct ed t o ma int ai n se rv ic es in Fr ench ,” Ku send ov a-B as ht a’ s offi ce sa id i n a sta te me nt on W ed nes da y.
It said pl ac em en t co-or di na tors ar e av ai la bl e t o su pp ort fa mi li es i n th os e ki nds o f ca ses.
Ma yo r w or ri es ab ou t iso lat ing se ni ors
Like his fe ll ow ma yo r i n No rt h Gl eng ar ry , Yv es La vi ol et te , th e ma yo r o f th e To wn sh ip of Al fr ed an d Pl an ta ge ne t , st at ed tha t con so lid at io n wo ul d pr ove ch al le ng ing , an d po ss ib ly iso lat ing , fo r tho se liv ing at Pi ne cr es t.
Yv es La vi ol et te , th e ma yo r o f th e To wn sh ip o f Al fr ed an d Pl an ta ge ne t (Ra dio-Ca nada )
“It won’t be easy going to Cornwall especially during winter,” La vi ol et te told Ra dio-Ca nada. “And since it’s [currently] nearby,[ visitors] can come morning or evening.”
“It’s not easy for them moving away from Cornwall without having any visits,” he added.
So uth br idg e did n’t res pond t o Ra dio-Ca nada ‘s req ue st fo r co mm en ts be fo re th e de ad lin e.
Pu bl ic fee db ack on thi s pro pos al is st ill being ac ce pt ed with Oct. 16 as th e dead li ne.
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