New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development is revoking the licenses of two special care homes in an effort to “protect the welfare of residents,” but won’t say what “violations” led to the move.
The ministry said in a news release Tuesday night that it revoked the business licenses of Villa Neguac and Foyer St. Bernard, which are located in Neguac, a village in northeastern New Brunswick.
Social Development Minister Dorothy Shepard said in the release that the department has “no choice but to take action” when it can’t get assurance of full compliance with provincial standards.
“The safety and well-being of residents in long-term care facilities remains a top priority for the government,” Shepherd said in the release.
“When we can’t get assurances of full compliance with provincial standards, we have no choice but to take action to protect the well-being of residents.”
The release said the 29 affected residents have been notified and the department is working with them to find an alternative solution to meet their needs.
The department declined CBC News’ request for an interview with Shepherd.
In an email, spokeswoman Rebecca Howland said the department cannot talk about specific situations or share information that could identify someone as a client of the department.
“We are also unable to clarify the nature of the violations and the investigation that took place regarding the two establishments in Neguak,” she said.
Howland said operators whose licenses have been revoked have an opportunity to correct the ones issued before operations cease at their facility. However, once the facility is no longer operational, the operator cannot operate another facility, she said.
Howland said there are other facilities in northeastern New Brunswick that have beds and services that can meet the needs of residents at the Neguac facilities.
It’s “inhumane” how residents were notified, worker says
Cynthia Saint-Coeur, a resident at Villa Neguac, said officials from the Ministry of Social Development showed up on Tuesday and informed staff and residents that they had until February 17 to find another place to live.
Foyer St. Bernard is one of two special care homes whose operating licenses have been revoked by the Ministry of Social Development. (Google Maps)
“They just came here and the way they did it is just inhumane because social development [staff] came here and had not advised or called any of the residents’ family members at all,” Saint-Coeur said.
“We are [home] where there are elderly people, you know, there are elderly people, there are some who are in the early stages of dementia, there are some [who have] anxiety and all that, but they went in, they went to all the residents, they all handed them a letter.”
St-Coeur said the Department of Social Development never gave her and other officials an explanation why the home’s license was revoked.
The New Brunswick Corporate Registry lists Dr. Amarjeet Singh Jatana as the director of the two special care homes.
CBC News was unable to reach Jatana for comment.
St-Coeur said that since last summer, Villa Neguac has faced problems after staff learned food and waste contractors for the home were not paying.
This led to problems around garbage not being collected and difficulties in purchasing food to provide to residents.
“We had to fight all the time to make sure there was always enough food,” Saint-Coeur said. “We’ve never waited until we ran out of food, but I mean, they’re just not responsible people.”
Cynthia Saint-Coeur, a resident of Villa Neguac, says Department of Social Development officials showed up at the home on Tuesday to let residents know they had a month to move out. (Submitted by Cynthia Saint-Coeur)
St-Coeur said the staff at Villa Neguac consider the residents family and are willing to stay on the job as long as it takes to find them new homes.
However, she said the Ministry of Social Development has shown limited involvement in helping, and she worries about what might happen to her grandfather and other residents.
“They are happy here. They don’t want to leave. This is their home,” she said.
“There are no other places down or around the community that are available to them.”
Neguac Mayor Georges Savoie said he was also concerned about the 29 residents affected by the sudden loss of the homes’ operating licenses.
He said they are the only two special care homes in Neguak, with the next closest home in Tabusintak — about 10 kilometers away — already full.
He said that leaves the homes in Bathurst and Miramichi as the next closest option for housing those residents who have been displaced.
“They [residents] are Neguac people and … they’re going to have to go out of the community, and their family and close friends won’t be able to visit them as often as they do now,” Savoie said. “It’s terrible for these people.”
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