Au Chateau Votes to Deny Essential Caregivers Indefinitely

Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon and Councillor Restoule voted to defeat a motion by three other members that would follow other nursing homes and allow visitor access.

Today, the Board of Management for the Au Chateau nursing home in Sturgeon Falls met to discuss the ongoing visitation rules which have denied many essential caregivers from entering for over a year now, even if tested negative for COVID.

The current Ministry of Health directives do not recommend denying caregivers based on vaccination status but allows homes to set their own rules.

Almost every other nursing home in the province including Pioneer Manor in Sudbury and Casselhome in North Bay allow all visitors regardless of their COVID vaccination status.

This obviously left the dozens of affected caregivers and visitors upset.

I have asked the nursing home as well as the board multiple times over the last month to provide any data, evidence or recommendations that support these measures however I have not received an answer.

The homes’ rules as well as the director’s recent comments prompted a large group of caregivers and their supporters to stage a protest last night. Around 50 people gathered peacefully in front of Au Chateau to demand that these rules be changed.

 

I requested access to today’s meeting which was held via teleconference in order to document the proceedings.

Councillor Anne Tessier provided the board with many facts and studies that show that the current COVID vaccines do not stop the spread of the virus. She questioned the Director and other board members as to why the home should be denying unvaccinated caregivers and impeding on residents’ right because of this.

The director simply explained that he did not believe the rules impeded the human rights of residents but he (nor did any other member) refute the claim that the vaccine does not stop the spread.

The motion on the floor presented by councillor Anne Tessier was that all other visitation rules stay in effect (including masks and testing at the door) but that immunization status be removed as a condition of entry. Anne was simply asking the board to follow the policies of our neighbouring nursing homes (Pioneer Manor and Casselhome)

She received the support of provincial appointee Catherine Neddow and fellow municipal councillor Fern Pellerin.

However, councillor Jamie Restoule stated that he wanted to maintain the status quo because he did not want to present additional risk to the home. He refused to provide clarification as to what risk he was referring to.

Newly elected mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon agreed with Restoule to continue denying essential caregivers entry to the home. Thorne-Rochon did not provide any clarification or rationale for her decision.

The vote stood at 3-2 before the chair of the board got to speak. He elaborated that sometimes chairs will refrain from voting if it means contributing to a tie. But he elected to vote because he felt this motion was of utter importance. He believed (without justification given) that it was paramount to continue denying these caregivers access to the home. He voted to tie the vote and defeat the motion.

This is an obvious emotional blow to the essential caregivers who have now waited 13 months to enter their loved-ones homes and have not been given any scientific reason for their punishment.

Speaking briefly to the ones affected, it’s clear that they will not stop fighting. Another larger demonstration is already in the works.