KITCHENER -- The Ontario Nurses Association has filed injunctions against Anson Place in Hagersville, two long term care homes in Toronto, and another facility in London.
The homes are being accused by the ONA of failing to enact proper safety measures for staff and residents in response to the COVID-19 outbreaks.
“We want the employers to step up to the plate,” said Vicki Mckenna of the ONA. “We want them to follow their own pandemic plans, which they did not, and to move quickly.
“It’s all about the failings to provide the registered nurses with the proper access to personal protective equipment. The homes have severely limited the ability of the registered nurses to access the N95s [respirator masks.]”
A spokesperson for Responsive Group Inc., the company representing Anson Place as well as Eatonville and Hawthorne in Toronto, provided a statement to CTV Kitchener.
"Each of our homes has been working very closely with their local public health units, hand in glove to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our residents and our staff," the statement read. "We have had all the Personal Protective Equipment we have needed to follow the very specific directives from Public Health to protect staff and work to prevent further spread of the virus - at all our homes.
"We will be filing specific details by way of affidavits in the legal process."
Anson Place tells CTV Kitchener residents and staff are checked for symptoms twice daily.
Tanya Fischer says she is worried for her COVID-19 mother-in-law who lives at Anson Place.
“She has Alzheimer’s and dementia,” she said. “It’s very difficult for her to realize something is wrong with her.”
Fischer adds she’s frustrated with the facility’s lack of communication, updates, and how they’re handling the outbreak.
“You can’t call Anson Place,” she said. “Nobody answers the phone. You can leave messages and nobody will call you back.”
CTV Kitchener reached out to Henley Place in London but did not hear back.
The ONA says the hearing is confirmed for Wednesday morning.
