SEIU Healthcare delivered space heaters to
keep people warm after slow response from the nursing home
PICKERING, ON, Dec. 23,
2024 /CNW/ - Yesterday, SEIU Healthcare, the largest
long-term care union in Ontario,
delivered large space heaters to bring warmth and relief to kitchen
staff left in freezing conditions by Southbridge's Orchard Villa
when the nursing home corporation failed to address an ongoing
outage of the heating system.
Staff were left to prepare meals in winter jackets. The small
personal-sized heater provided by management was completely
ineffective in raising temperatures in the industrial sized
kitchen. After initial complaints were raised by staff, their union
took it upon themselves to action and deliver large space heaters
to the nursing home on Sunday as temperatures dropped further. The
freezing conditions extended beyond the kitchen and into the dining
hall of the long-term care home.
In a letter sent to the Southbridge CEO on Monday, SEIU Healthcare is demanding accountability for
leaving workers and seniors in freezing conditions for a period of
at least five days. "Failure to properly act in the face of -20
degree temperatures is cruelty to workers. It's inhumane and beyond
corporate mismanagement," declared Tyler
Downey, president of SEIU Healthcare.
Downey added, "It's the job of the employer to protect workers.
We demand no less." SEIU Healthcare is calling on the Ministry of
Labour to inspect the failures of the nursing home.
During the pandemic, more than 70 residents died at Orchard
Villa. At 30 deaths per 100 residents, Orchard Villa has one of the
worst pandemic death records in Ontario, resulting in support from the
Canadian Armed Forces.
SOURCE SEIU Healthcare
