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A health care union held a protest in front of a Extendicare Countryside in Sudbury on Thursday to call attention to 21 layoff notices they say have been issued by the long-term care home operator.
The chief steward of the local Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Monique Wasney, said the layoffs include nurses, maintenance workers and support staff. Her union represents 281 employees at Extendicare Countryside.
Wasney, who is also a long-time personal support worker (PSW), said all workers are essential to patient care at the 250-bed home.
“We need all the manpower to keep this building functioning,” Wasney said. “When we have those people who are being laid off, it’s scary because then the workload falls on everybody else.”
Monique Wasney is the chief steward of the local Service Employees International Union at Extendicare Countryside in Sudbury. (Chris St-Pierre/Radio-Canada)
The company responded in a statement saying that “no primary care roles have been impacted.”
Wasney disputes that distinction, noting that eight registered practical nurses (RPNs) are among the 21 workers facing layoffs.
“They pass pills to the residents, take vitals and they are there for all emergencies,” she said of the RPNs. “That is direct care and that’s frontline staff.”
A spokesperson for Extendicare Countryside insisted no nurses are affected.
Patient care isn’t the only concern, said Wasney, citing complaints from family members in the past about cleanliness.
“They promised to increase that department, and they temporarily did,” Wasney said. “But now they’re laying them all off.”
The long-term care home has faced regulatory scrutiny since it opened in 2024.
The Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care froze new admissions for six months last year, following patient complaints, saying the home needed to work on certain standards.
Care implications
Some residents came out to support workers during their protest Thursday.
73-year-old Lois Anne Towers said she can look after herself, but worries about others who can’t.
“What about a person who’s lying in bed wet and waiting 15-20 minutes for a PSW that is busy with another patient because she has to look after the whole community,” she said.
Lois Anne Towers lives at Extendicare Countryside in Sudbury. (Kate Rutherford/CBC)
She also described issues with housekeeping and maintenance, like garbage not being emptied and equipment breaking down.
“The building is beautiful,” she said. “But inside is difficult.”
Extendicare wrote to CBC that it has been staffing above standard levels since it opened and the layoffs are part of a realignment of staffing levels.
The company wrote that it’s adjusting janitorial, maintenance and administrative roles to “better match the current needs of the home” and maintained “there are no implications to resident care.”
Contract talks between the union and the company are expected this summer.