Workers at Extendicare Countryside rallied outside the long-term care home in Sudbury on Thursday afternoon to demand a halt to layoffs that they say will threaten resident care. “We’re here today because these layoffs will (have) a direct impact on resident care,” said Monique Wasney, chief steward for Local 1 SEIU Healthcare. “We recently had a cease admissions order and those were due to concerns of care and safety. So we are just bringing forward issues that staffing levels have always, since we’ve moved in, been a … concern.” The union represents 281 workers at the home. It said the facility is laying off 21 people, including nurses, maintenance workers, resident support aides and janitorial and housekeeping staff. “There’s going to be future issues, especially if we’re going to be running at staffing levels that will just get us by,” Wasney said. “So when staff do end up calling in sick, or if they take time off, we won’t have a very big body to replace them.” Lois Towers, who has lived at the home for three years, said her experience has been frustrating. “This is especially very bad for the residents as far as I’m concerned,” Towers said. “We don’t have enough staff to start with. And it’s a care home. How can you care for people if you don’t have enough staff?” Dave Drake, whose father and brother have received care at Extendicare, said the cuts will be a huge issue. “I go to see my brother and there’s nobody around,” Drake said. “You got to wait a long time to get somebody to help him out and so forth. And it’s just, you know, when you walk through the halls, it’s like a ghost town ... They’re suffering when they’re not getting that coverage and it’s just unacceptable.” CTV contacted Extendicare and received a statement. “Extendicare Countryside has been staffing above standard levels since its opening in 2024. With operations in the new home now stabilized, the home has reassessed its staffing requirements,” the statement said. “We are realigning the size of our janitorial, maintenance and front office teams to better match the current needs of the home. No primary care roles have been impacted and there are no implications to resident care. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our team members who help our residents live better every day.” Wasney said layoff notices were handed out a couple of weeks ago with a bumping process scheduled for May 6. She fears that there could be more layoffs due to seniority. In the meantime, the union has started a public petition and has already collected more than 850 signatures.
