For five months a Winnipeg care home refused to accept new residents to protest a lack of funding from the provincial health authority it says it needed to keep the facility afloat.  

That ended on Oct. 1, but the executive director of the company that operates the facility doesn’t regret making the move to shut down admissions.

“It was the only way I could get their attention because I was being ignored,” said Gilles Verrier, the executive director of the of the Lions Housing Centres, which operates the Lions Personal Care Centre.

Verrier says he spent months trying to contact the government to secure additional funding for his 116-bed home in the West End, but he says the province wouldn’t agree to a meeting so the facility halted admissions.

In April, the nursing home was generally filling empty beds within a day, he says. After they stopped accepting residents, 18 beds become available while hundreds — about 60 of them in hospital — waited for a spot at a personal care home, Verrier says.

In a letter sent to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) on Wednesday, Verrier said he would once again open his doors  to new residents starting Oct. 1. 

A person is in a wheelchair in front of a desk.A resident is seen at the Lions Personal Care Centre. In the five months admissions at the downtown Winnipeg facility were halted, its executive director says, 18 beds became available. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

“I couldn’t stand the fact that we have empty beds and people are in dire need of them,” he said.

But in his letter Verrier said he would also “continue to publicly call out WRHA’s and Shared Health’s systemic failures and financial negligence.”

The care centre’s funding comes from residents and through the WRHA. In his letter, Verrier says payroll is covered through debt because the health authority “cannot deliver timely or sufficient funding.”

Kathleen Cook, Progressive Conservative health critic, told reporters on Thursday that the care centre has not received funding increases needed to keep up with soaring food costs and the wage increases negotiated by the government.

Verrier says the government believes funding of personal care home facilities is being managed equitably, but he argues expenses differ from one facility to the next. 

Because of the home’s West End location it’s had to deal with armed break-ins and vandalism, Verrier says, leading the company to spend millions of dollars a year on 24-hour security, something not required by other nursing homes. 

Currently, the home is undergoing a renovation to its entrance to improve accessibility and security.

But overall, Verrier says, the health-care system — not only personal care homes but supportive housing and adult-day programming — is running at a financial deficit, with some facilities even using reserve funds to make payroll. 

“How long do you think that’s going to continue?” he said. 

WRHA rejected staff rotation: Verrier

With admission restarting Verrier is expecting the care home will be at capacity again soon.

The care home tried to implement staff rotation to stay afloat and pay bills, but the WRHA declined the request based on union protections.  

“It’s very doable, but they’re afraid of the fact they don’t want to let anybody go,” Verrier said. “But if we can’t change the staff rotation to deal with who we have now … and to save money.” 

Each resident at the care home should get a little over three hours of care daily, and Verrier says that while rotation would mean reduced flexibility for staff the change wouldn’t lead to fewer hours of care for residents.

On Thursday evening a spokesperson for the health minister disputed Verrier’s allegations, saying they had increased funding for the home.

Emily Coutts says they increased funding to the home by 16.5 per cent in 2024-25. She also said the minister met in person with Verrier this summer. 

“Verrier refused to admit patients until the WRHA pay his deficit,” she said in an email statement.

In reference to his rejected staff rotation, Coutts said  Verrier was trying to cut staff levels, something “not allowed under the service purchase agreement without approval.”

A WRHA spokesperson said earlier the service agreement with the care home requires all beds be open, adding there will be no job losses or permanent bed closures. Their focus, the spokesperson said, remains on ensuring stability for residents.

WATCH | Winnipeg care home stopped admissions for months due to funding dispute:

Winnipeg care home stopped admissions for months due to funding dispute

Lions Personal Care Centre in Winnipeg’s West End says it stopped accepting new residents in April to protest ongoing funding issues between the nursing home and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority..

The letter Verrier sent to the WRHA was tabled by the Progressive Conservatives during question period at the Manitoba Legislature on Thursday. 

In response, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the impacts to the personal care home are a result of the PC’s negligence.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said they have directed the WRHA to work closely with the nursing home, but have also directed the health authority to be prepared to assume responsibility of the facility if necessary. 

“We will not lose personal care home beds in this province. We are going to keep beds not only open, but admitting residents … that’s the priority,” Asagwara said.