Ottawa staying out of Revera care home management
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/12/2020 (1808 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA — The federal Liberals have no plans to intervene in the management of Revera Inc., an Ontario-based company whose personal care homes have disproportionately high COVID-19 deaths in Manitoba.
Ottawa instead plans to allocate infection-prevention cash solely based on each home’s population.
“As this crisis in its current exigencies draws to an end, there will be many reflections about how we deliver long-term care to seniors across this country,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Friday.
Revera is entirely owned by the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, a Crown corporation whose board members are appointed by the federal Liberals.
In October, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh asked Trudeau to leverage that structure and force the company to divert all shareholder profits to staffing and care.
Critics argue such an approach would inappropriately have Ottawa intervene in an arm’s-length board; the NDP argues the pandemic has altered people’s expectations of how far governments can reach.
When asked Friday, Trudeau did not say whether he will intervene in Revera’s governance.
“Right now, our focus is on doing everything we can to support the vulnerable Canadians in those care homes,” the prime minister insisted, without naming Revera.
More than 250 Manitobans have died from COVID-19 in personal care homes, and nearly half have occurred at Revera facilities. The company only accounts for one-sixth of Manitoba care homes that have recorded outbreaks, suggesting a higher-than-average death rate.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has called out Revera for giving false statements, such as how many medical staff were working during the deadly Maples outbreak, and which floors of the Parkview home had positive COVID-19 cases.
Last month, the federal Liberals pledged $1 billion for personal care homes across Canada to contain COVID-19 through protective gear, ventilation or wages; half the money is supposed to be spent by April 1.
Provinces must ensure the funding is “allocated on an equal per capita basis,” regardless of each home’s infection or death rate.
dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca