PLANTAGENET and ALEXANDRIA, Ont. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) is urging the provincial government to reject a proposed closure of long-term care (LTC) homes in eastern Ontario and to instead modernize these essential facilities.
As part of a public consultation process initiated by the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care, the USW has filed a submission calling on the province to reject a proposal by Southbridge Care Homes to close its Pinecrest LTC home in Plantagenet and its LTC facility in Alexandria, named The Palace.
The 60-bed Pinecrest home and the 70-bed The Palace are the only long-term care facilities in their respective municipalities.
The province launched public consultations after Southbridge submitted a proposal to the government, seeking approval to develop a new, 320-bed LTC facility in Cornwall. Southbridge’s proposal calls for closing its homes in Plantagenet and Alexandria, as well as a facility in Cornwall.
The USW represents about 135 workers who provide front-line services to residents of the LTC homes in Plantagenet and Alexandria. The union has joined with community leaders who also oppose the Southbridge proposal, warning it would have devastating impacts on their communities.
“The closure of these two homes has attracted strong opposition … because it will cause harm to the social fabric of the rural communities of Prescott-Russel and Glengarry Counties,” the USW’s submission states.
“We submit that the request to close Pinecrest and The Palace should not be granted.”
Closing the facilities would result in job loss and would risk compromising services, including the provision of French-language services to francophone residents which currently are guaranteed under provincial legislation, the USW states.
Currently, family members can easily visit their relatives at the LTC homes in their communities, with many able to walk to the facilities. Moving services to Cornwall would mean increased isolation for residents whose well-being depends on visits and caregiving by family members, the union says.
“There is no public transportation available for the trip,” the USW submission states.
“The distance involved in travelling from the affected communities to the proposed new facility will create hardship for the elderly, disabled residents and their families. Travel to the proposed new facility will become more difficult, expensive and time consuming for families, and this would only hasten the decline of the frail elderly residents.”
The USW argues the aging homes in Plantagenet and Alexandria should be modernized, not removed them from their communities.
In fact, “generous funding” – up to $370,600 per bed – is available from the province to upgrade such facilities, in addition to other grants, the union notes.
“With respect, when allocating public money, the needs of the vulnerable residents and the communities affected should take precedence over the desire of Southbridge to maximize profits.”
Click here to read the USW’s full submission to the Ontario government.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.
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