It may not seem like anything is coming of it, but the back-and-forth discussion on whether or not to privatize the Golden Manor continued Wednesday evening.

And there is seemingly no budging on either side of the debate.

Manor officials presented their budget, and one of the main asks was for $300,000 to do a feasibility study to figure out redevelopment options.

As part of the Enhanced Long-Term Care Home Renewal Strategy put forth by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, all homes looking to redevelop must have the project completed by the end of 2024.

(It’s also worth mentioning that officials are proposing an 8% drop in the city contribution line, or nearly $300,000.  CLICK HERE to see the full presentation.)

One of the biggest supporters of the Manor over the years has no doubt been senior councillor Mike Doody.

He says even if they go over budget, keeping the level of care where it is is crucial.

“There’s more (to the Golden Manor) than the almighty dollar,” Doody stated.

Talking with officials, the former Mayor made a point that an upwards of 80% of people at the home suffer from some form of dementia.

Doody though, brought up some criticisms at the Manor.

“People who have been sent to our jail facilities, penitentiaries, get a higher ‘per diem’ rate for food than we do at the Golden Manor for our seniors.”

Doody noted that when the KPMG report came out, officials at the Manor got together and decided to take a look at areas they could improve on and save a few dollars at the same time.

Ward 5 Councillor Rick Dubeau, meantime, says it’s not an issue of quality care, but one of fiscal responsibility.

He says the Manor’s become more of an “extreme liability” than an asset to the city, pointing to how Timmins pays $115 for every $100,000 of assessment and “by far” pays more than anyone in the province.

While not stating specific cities, Dubeau says the next closest pays 8% less and after that, it’s a drop of 41% to Timmins.

The Ontario average per $100,000 is around $22.

“Fact is we pay over five times more than any other community in the province for long-term care,” he says.

“The MOH (Ministry of Health) Quality Care Index doesn’t demonstrate that the Golden Manor provides better care than anybody else.  The ExtendiCare has less staff and their index is better.”

Dubeau says he brought that stat to an in-camera meeting in the past, and cautioned council on making claims that care at the Manor is better than other homes.

Doody chimed in, stating he never did such a thing.

Nonetheless, Dubeau asked why the city continues to be in the business of long-term care homes.

“It just doesn’t make sense for us to go forward with this,” he said, looking at further spending by the city, namely the $300,000 study.

Mayor Steve Black says no matter what side of the fence council is on, this study is needed.

Black made the suggestion to officials to compile a report of other long-term homes around Northern Ontario, and then come back to council for further discussion with facts on the table to work with.

CLICK HERE for the full video, under Item 2B.

 

 

 

 

 

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