The Saskatchewan government is probing the sudden eviction of 10 seniors due to a rotting floor at a facility that previously had a carbon monoxide leak that contributed to the deaths of three people and illness among dozens of others.
The St. Mary's Villa in Humboldt is emptying 32 rooms in one wing by the end of March, but 10 residents of the facility's independent living wing were told last week to find new homes by the end of this week to make way for people who will be moved.
In a letter to the families, local MLA Donna Harpauer said Saskatchewan Health Minister Don McMorris has ordered a probe into the situation.
"The minister's office will be investigating who within the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority authorized demanding such an unattainable short time period in which the residents were expected to move and why this decision was made," she wrote.
Ms. Harpauer described the situation as "not acceptable" and apologized for the "turmoil" it has caused.
"I assure you that no residents will be evicted and a reasonable amount of time will be allowed to accommodate what will be best for the seniors involved," she added.
Despite that pledge, the moving trucks are arriving on Thursday, at least for some residents, including Alice Ramsay.
Ms. Ramsay was an administrator at St. Mary's Villa in Humboldt before she became a resident of the seniors facility at age 83. Three years later, she performs volunteer palliative care duties there. She has been lauded for her contributions to public service, but now the wheelchair-bound 86-year-old is among those who were suddenly evicted due to concerns about the floor – a problem that has been on the provincial radar for five years – and who will receive partial compensation for the forced move.
"When someone gives you a good swift kick, it doesn't make up for it when they kiss your hand later," said Ms. Ramsay.
The carbon monoxide leak in 2010 prompted building and engineering inspections at the facility. The preliminary engineer's report submitted to health officials last week found serious problems in the Dust Wing, which was built in the 1970s, but didn't note any "imminent" danger to residents or staff. (A gas leak in a boiler in that the wing in late December, 2010, caused CO problems.)
"We got the report and based on what we saw and heard it the draft report we felt we needed to act," said Bonnie Blakley, vice-president of people strategies with the health region, "We don't want to put people at risk."
Officials said they needed the quick turnaround so they can renovate the independent living wing by March 31 to accommodate infirm residents who will have to be moved out of the structurally unsound Dust Wing. But Ms. Ramsay and some others don't see it that way.
"It's not fair we've been given such little time," Ms. Ramsay said. "It's a form of abuse."
The health authority is paying for the move, any upgrades required to residents' new homes and will cover any increased rental costs for a year. Ms. Blakley said it's not clear how much it will cost to renovate the Dust wing, or whether it will be rebuilt at all. In the meantime, the displaced residents are being told they shouldn't plan to return.
"This is hard for people. This is their home," Ms. Blakley added. "...We're trying hard to be respectful and be compassionate."
Ms. Ramsay is currently paying room and board of about $1,400 a month, which she covers with income from the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and her husband's pension. But it's not enough to handle the $2,700 fee at the new seniors complex after the province's subsidy expires in a year.
"That's not the district's problem. They are washing their hands," said Jim Ramsay, Ms. Ramsay's son.
Ms. Ramsay said this isn't the way she would have run things, adding she doesn't know what will happen to her a year from now or how she'll scrape together the rent.
"Maybe they're hoping some of us won't be around," she said.