Minister asked to fast-track opening of seniors advocate office

The Manitoba government has been asked to fast-track the full opening of the new seniors advocate office, which isn’t expected until 2027.

Eddie Calisto-Tavares, whose father was one of 56 residents in the Maples Personal Care Home who died in a COVID-19 outbreak, has written to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara to complain the full opening will take too long.

Leigh Anne Caron began her job as seniors advocate on Nov. 12, but the office won’t be fully functional until next year.

Caron was hired by the legislative assembly management commission after the NDP government passed legislation in 2024 to create the office. Its mandate is to identify and evaluate systemic problems faced by seniors and make recommendations on a range of government services including health care, housing and programs and supports. The annual budget for the office is $1.65 million.

Calisto-Tavares said she also told the minister she wants an increase in long-term care funding to bring each resident 4.5 hours of care, up from the current target of 4.1 hours, and she wants 70 per cent of nurses and health care aides to be full-time.

Calisto-Tavares, who ran unsuccessfully for the Manitoba Liberal Party in 2019, said when the NDP was in opposition during the pandemic, the party told her they would fix problems with long-term care.

The NDP won the October 2023 election. Calisto-Tavares said the problems persist more than two years later.

“The lack of action from the current government continues to adversely impact on the vulnerable seniors population,” she said on Tuesday.

“I have been very patient. I managed my expectations and I allowed this minister to be in place for awhile, but now I see it will be 2027 before the seniors advocate is in place… I am very frustrated and I know 97 families with the organization Families Voices are also frustrated.”

Tory Health critic Kathleen Cook said workers in the long-term care sector have the same complaint.

“What we’ve seen from the current government is lip service to (that) sector,” Cook said.

“Funding is not keeping pace with inflation, funding increases from the current government barely cover the government-negotiated wage increases and, in Winnipeg, they don’t even cover the full costs of benefits.”

Cook said it’s “pretty disappointing” to hear it will take more than a year for the seniors advocate office to get up and running.

However, Asagwara said the government is working on the seniors advocate office and long-term care needs.

“Everybody is hopeful the seniors advocate will be fully operational earlier than the projected timeline,” the minister said.

“What I can do is certainly reassure Eddie and others that our government is addressing every single area she has brought forward… we are doing the work of increasing the hours per resident per day, we are adding personal care home beds and building personal care homes.

“Like Manitobans, I would like to see that work happen faster too, but we’re going to keep working on it as quickly as we can.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca