An Open Letter has been sent to Everett Hindley, Minister of Seniors and Paul Merriman, Minister of Health, by the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union.
The union is asking the government to end for-profit ownership of long-term care homes in Saskatchewan.

The union says seniors and advocates have been telling them for years how bad the conditions are in our province’s for-profit care homes. Now, the letter says, the pandemic has exposed these conditions as downright dangerous.

According to SGEU, these facilities are badly understaffed, with staff-to-resident ratios at dangerously low levels. The lack of resources and time-per-resident means that staff are unable to provide basic levels of dignity to residents, like regular hand-washing and timely bathroom breaks.

The union says, the drive to minimize payroll costs and maximize profits make the problem even graver in private facilities.

The union says, “we cannot continue to allow private companies to treat hard-working staff and vulnerable residents as a cash grab, sacrificing their dignity, their safety, and even their lives in order to pay shareholders hefty dividends.”

The union is calling on the province to place these facilities under the ownership of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), address staffing levels, and start enforcing higher standards of care.