‘Heart wrenching’: Manitobans left upset by personal care home evacuation

Family members are criticizing the handling of a care home evacuation in Flin Flon, including the decision to give away their beds. CTV's Danton Unger explains.

Flin Flon residents say the continued evacuation of a local personal care home, despite the go-ahead for residents to return home, has been mind-boggling.

One of these residents is Vincent Guay, who lives at a care home called Northern Lights Manor and has been waiting to go home for more than a month.

Wildfires forced the evacuation of Northern Lights Manor in May. Since then, Guay has been at a facility in Carman, waiting for the green light to go home to Flin Flon.

That green light finally came last week, when the Northern Health Region told residents they would be allowed back as of Monday.

“We were all excited here and ready to go home,” Guay said.

But the excitement was short-lived.

One day later, Guay and other residents received a letter from the region, saying their return was being delayed as residents of a care home in Thompson were being proactively moved to Northern Lights Manor.

“This is a precautionary decision due to the air quality and smoke levels in Thompson,” the letter said

“Their choice to bring in Thompson residents instead of letting our own residents in is really heart wrenching. Mind-boggling. It is mind-boggling,” said Annette Benach, whose grandfather is among the residents of the Flin Flon care home.

Louise Last, the daughter of a displaced resident, described the situation as heartbreaking.

“[My dad is] 92. He has dementia, so he’s off-and-on in his memory, and he’s been crying on the phone,” she said.

Nearly 900 people signed a petition calling on the province and the health region to allow the Flin Flon seniors to return and find other accommodations for Thompson residents, which could happen soon.

Minister Uzoma Asagwara told CTV News, “I’ve also directed the Northern Health Region to ensure that residents of Northern Lights Manor return to Flin Flon in the coming days as quickly and safely as possible.”

The minister added plans are in place to begin repatriation in the coming days.

For Guay, he said the entire process has been confusing and difficult for residents who just want to go home.

In a statement to CTV News, the Northern Health Region said the temporary relocation of Thompson residents to Flin Flon was a short-term measure in response to the rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Officials said residents of Northern Lights Manor will return to Flin Flon in the coming days.