‘Completely traumatic’: Family members worried after GTA residents moved from group homes

Sheree Burnett and her son Jay Gualtieri are seen in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Sheree Burnet

TORONTO — Family members of people living in a number of Greater Toronto Area group homes are asking Ontario’s premier for help after their loved ones were moved into a new facility without their consent due to a labour dispute.

Central West Specialized Development Services — a provincially funded supportive living community for adults with developmental disabilities — says it temporarily moved residents of homes in Burlington, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Mississauga and Oakville into its main Oakville facility in the event of a strike by its support workers.

The workers, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, requested a “no board” report and put the employer in the position of a legal lockout position as of Oct. 9. In a post on their website on Thursday, the union says it is not in a legal position to strike yet as members have not taken a strike vote.

A letter, which is dated Oct. 17 and signed by more than a dozen family members of CWSDS residents, asks the premier to return their loved ones to their regular homes to familiar surroundings and daily routines “with staff who know how best to support them.”

Sheree Burnett, whose son Jay Gualtieri has lived at a CWSDS facility in Oakville for about 12 years, is one of those signatories, and said she was given just three-days notice before the moving process began. She said Jay, who is 35 and has autism, has asked staff to take him back to his regular home every day after being moved.

Moving is one of the most stressful experiences for anyone but for people with special needs it’s even worse, Burnett said. She said people with developmental disabilities thrive best with a routine, which she said has been seriously disrupted by placing them in a new environment with people and staff they don’t know.

“When someone with special needs goes through a move, it only becomes more stressful for them, she said.

“It’s just completely traumatic. They don’t understand. They’re confused, they’re scared.”

Before he was moved, Jay was one of five people living together. He is now one of 12 people at the temporary arrangement at the main group home — an arrangement that comes with double the staff as well, Burnett said.

Burnett said Jay came home for Thanksgiving and he was “really off the whole weekend.”

“He was really upset. Banging doors. He was just not himself set up like that,” she said, adding that Jay was also having a hard time sleeping.

Rabia Khedr, whose brother lives in the main Oakville home, said she’s also concerned about the sudden increase in people living with her brother. He got five more housemates when residents were moved, with the new residents staying in repurposed activity rooms.

“None of us were consulted. Our family members did not give consent because they cannot independently give consent. They need supported decision making. And we are their natural support,” Khedr said.

Khedr and Burnett said the sudden change in staffing could be dangerous for residents. Many of the residents of the homes are non-verbal and communicate in different ways. They rely on support workers who know them to ensure they get the care they need, they said.

“A stranger couldn’t begin to understand what they’re saying or what they want,” Burnett said.

“(Temporary workers) may misinterpret their communication for something negative as opposed to understanding this person might be in pain and struggling,” Khedr added. “This has actually happened to my brother in the past where he ended up going by ambulance to hospital and needed emergency surgery.”

They both questioned how well trained temporary workers would be, if called in.

Burnett said she’s heard from some family members who have considered removing their loved ones from the homes altogether in the event temporary workers come in. She has also considered this, but at 69, she said it would be challenging.

“I don’t have the energy I had when I was younger,” she said.

In a news release, the group of family members said they brought their concerns to Robert Lattanzio, the executive director of ARCH Disability Law Centre.

“It is unconscionable for people with disabilities, in violation of their rights and with the potential for devastating consequences, to be moved from their homes without their consent as a way to navigate an evolving labour dispute,” Lattanzio said in the release.

In a statement to The Canadian Press, the Ministry of Children, Family and Community Services did not address the families’ concerns, but said collective bargaining is a matter between the employer and union.

“The ministry requires agencies to develop a contingency plan, which identifies potential alternative courses of action, while ensuring the safety, health and well-being of staff and those who receive services during a service disruption,” ministry spokesperson Chris Clarke wrote.

CWSDS CEO Patricia Kyle said the decision to move residents from their facilities into the central Oakville location “was not a decision we made lightly” and ensures there will be enough staff to provide round-the-clock care in the event of a potential labour disruption.

“We bear a responsibility to the individuals we support to prepare for the potential of a labour disruption by members of OPSEU,” Kyle wrote in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2025.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press