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BRAMPTON, ON. – Despite assurances earlier this week that the Peel Manor long-term care facility is not being sold, the future of the home, its residents and its staff is far from certain, says Mary-Jo Falle, President of Local 966 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents workers at the residence.
Workers from Peel Manor were joined by Falle, as well as CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and the executive of CUPE Ontario, and Motilall Sarjoo, President of the Brampton and Mississauga Labour Council in a rally at Peel Regional Administrative Headquarters on Thursday.
A letter sent earlier this month by the municipality implied that Peel Manor could be sold. At a rally on Tuesday, the municipality stated that the building is not being put up for sale.
“They wouldn’t say what they plan to do. The municipality told management they’d do here what they did at Sheridan Villa Long Term Centre, which is the long-term care facility I used to work at,” says Falle. “That’s still in arbitration. They closed half the building for renovations and reduced the number of residents and staff by half. When they opened a new facility, we asked them to hire on our staff. It makes sense for residents to go with the people who have been caring for them for years. Instead, they hired people off the street, and that change is stressful for residents.”
The union is concerned that renovations at Peel Manor will lead to similar layoffs and uncertainty for staff and residents alike, and that the municipality could transfer residents to private nursing homes.
Outside the regional council chambers, Commissioner of Health Janette Smith stated that the region does not yet know what it is doing with Peel Manor, and committed to meeting with the union next week.
“Long-term care facilities operated by municipalities have higher standards of care for seniors. Peel has a growing, aging population of seniors who have every right to the highest quality of care available, which is performed by the public sector and by CUPE members,” says Hahn. “We’re glad today’s actions will lead to discussions with Peel and are hopeful for a positive outcome.”
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For more information, please contact:
Mary-Jo Falle, President, CUPE Local 966, 905 502-6599
Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications, 416-576-7316
