Intermediate housing providers for those in need at wits’ end awaiting agreement with Quebec

A caregiver helps an elderly woman drink tea, showcasing empathy and support. (Pexels)

Intermediate resources (RIs), particularly in remote areas, say they are worried after the expiration of the agreement between the Association des ressources intermédiaires d’hébergement du Québec (ARIHQ) and the Quebec Health Ministry over a year ago.

They say they fear the facilities, designed to help people with a slight to moderate loss of autonomy, could close without new funding.

“I’ve had many facilities in rural areas reach out to us because they were facing financial difficulties,” said Manon Charpentier, executive director of the ARIHQ. “For the past year, I’ve been getting a lot more calls for help from people telling me, ‘We won’t make it. It won’t be possible.’”

Éric Poirier, the owner of four RIs in Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Que., says he’s holding on, but fears at least one of his establishments may close without a quick agreement with Quebec.

• READ MORE: Group raises alarm as Quebec seniors’ homes continue to shutter

In Îles-de-la-Madeleine, operating costs are skyrocketing, he says, particularly for groceries, which are about 25 per cent more expensive than elsewhere in Quebec.

Nevertheless, Poirier says he is determined to keep his RIs running, regularly travelling to Moncton, N.B. — a trip that includes a five-hour boat ride and a long drive — to stock up on groceries at big-box stores.

Poirier estimates that if he weren’t “creative,” he simply wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.

Over the past year, he says, one of his homes has cost him about $1,000 a month out of his own pocket, but he’s managing to keep it open for now thanks to profits from his other facilities.

According to the ARIHQ, residential institutions receive $11.61 per day from the government to feed a resident.

“Roughly speaking, over the course of a year, I receive about $130,403 for food for my four facilities, but my actual cost is $300,000,” explained Poirier.

He argues that grocery prices are much higher outside major urban centres, and this should be taken into account when the Quebec government allocates money to residential care homes.

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“It doesn’t make sense that the grocery allowance is the same as for someone in Quebec City, Montreal or Trois-Rivières who has a Costco and a Super C right outside their window. It doesn’t make sense,” he laments, adding that other communities are in similar situations.

Negotiations moving slowly

The executive director of the ARIHQ says she would like to see negotiations speed up.

The more time that passes, the greater the risk that intermediate resources will close, she says, adding that there are also more than 5,500 people on the wait list.

Charpentier insists that the ARIHQ’s messages have been conveyed to Health Minister Sonia Bélanger and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant.

“We sense a willingness on their part to resolve this,” she said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t yet felt the impact of their efforts.”

She says she hopes the ministers will add meeting dates to the negotiation schedule so there can be a real push to resolve the issues by the summer.

“That would be a sign that there is a willingness to resolve this quickly,” commented Charpentier.

• READ MORE: 4 dead seniors in 1 month raise alarms about future of long-term care in Quebec

A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, but the next date on the agenda isn’t until a month later.

“That doesn’t leave much time to have a real dialogue, to break the deadlock on issues, and to make progress,” she argued.

She adds that there are other issues to discuss at the table, including the maximum amount allocated per room for the construction of new intermediate care facilities, which the ARIHQ insists is out of touch with reality.

The workforce is another area where there is “nonsense,” according to Charpentier.

In an intermediate care facility, she says, there can be three nurses showing up at three different times on the same day.

“There is a loss in productivity for the network,” she criticized.

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Currently, professional services are provided by Quebec City, but several RIs already have staff on site.

However, for example, nursing assistants hired by the RIs cannot perform certain medical procedures; the institutions have to send for nurses to meet these needs.

Charpentier says she would like Quebec to determine the number of nursing hours required in a residential institution and provide funding to cover those hours.

“We’re not asking them to pay the salaries of all our professionals, not at all. We just want to ensure, on the one hand, that we have the right to use (our nurses), and on the other hand, that there is meaningful compensation,” she explained.

• READ MORE: Allegations of neglect at senior’s home in Laval prompt investigation

In Quebec, there are 2,200 long-term care facilities housing more than 20,000 Quebecers, including seniors with reduced autonomy, people with disabilities and those with mental health challenges.

The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 14, 2026.