Intent was 'never to close Pioneer Manor,' Kilgour says

Staff and residents of Pioneer Manor will breathe a little easier over the next couple of months knowing their long-term care facility won't be suddenly sold out from under them.

City council will form a committee to explore potential changes that would enable Pioneer Manor to be operated in a manner that would maintain a high level of care, but at a cost more in line with other facilities across Ontario.

Earlier in the day on Dec. 14, staff and supporters took to the streets outside of Pioneer Manor on Notre Dame to deliver a message to the public: Keep the manor public. It is home to 433 long-term care beds and about 400 employees under CUPE Local 148, as well as members of the Ontario Nurse's Association.

Ward 7 Coun. Dave Kilgour brought forward that idea of forming a committee after he had made mention of the possibility of privatizing the facility to save millions of dollars for the city. He said he asked for a report in February, and it only happened to materialize now.

“My intent was never to close Pioneer Manor; my intent was to get costs under control,” he said. “Tonight is not the night to make dramatic decision. It's a time to bring all people together to make sure the city is doing the right thing for taxpayers, seniors and manor staff. This panel will start us on the right path.”

Council has budgeted about $4 million for Pioneer Manor for 2012. On top of that, there was about $1.3 million worth of overtime worked this past year, and an average of 30 sick days per employee, he said. Pioneer Manor is costing $50 to $100 for every taxpayer in the city right now, and if the city was to privatize it, it would drop the property tax increase by more than two per cent.

“This uproar has been a benefit, really, because it caught a lot of people's attention,” Kilgour said. “It made some people think, and it got some people mad. I'm hoping that, unlike the transit situation, people are aware of this situation, and they can't accuse us of hiding things.”

Kilgour said he was happy his fellow councillors backed his plan to delve deeper into getting costs under control at Pioneer Manor. He said a lot of people around the council table and throughout this city that have a lot of pride in Pioneer Manor, and the fact they are willing to take a look at new ways of operating the facility is a real plus for the city.

“This shows a strong council, and hopefully we'll get some results. Moving forward, we realize there is a problem, and we are taking steps to fix it.”

Julie Bisaillon, president, CUPE Local 148 at Pioneer Manor, said she was surprised to see council defer the matter and put forward a motion to establish a committee. Employees and residents of Pioneer Manor will look at this as a positive step; however, she said she also hopes this doesn't result in “something that benefits the employer and is a burden to the members. We don't want to see any job losses as a result.”

“There were some positive comments from many of the councillors, and it will be easier to breathe, especially with the holidays coming up,” she said. “We will rectify the issues with overtime and sick days, and we know there is room for improvement, but we're always short of RPNs and PSWs, and we're not the only home in this situation. It's an uphill battle.”

A lot of employees at Pioneer Manor are single moms, and if their children get sick, they have to take a sick day to look after their children, Bisaillon said.

We're not going to stay home and not get paid, so we have to utilize a sick day. It's not necessarily a good way of doing things, but we have no choice.”

Seniors are prone to viruses, she said, and if a virus isn't caught on time, it results in a lot of sick employees, who can't return to work for 48 hours. Full-time employees have to be replaced by a part-time employees, and this is where there is a big cost factor, she said.

“We're hoping it improves next year, because it's a criteria identified by councillors,” she said.

Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis said that in order for this committee to be effective, it needs to bring to the table all key partners involved with Pioneer Manor including its resident council, family members, and co-operation from the unions would provide invaluable input.

“It won't be a large committee, but it will involve all key players,” he said.

Posted by Arron Pickard