January 22, 2021

Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg MB—The Manitoba NDP is calling on the Pallister government to release their review into the critical events that took place at Maples Personal Care Home in November 2020. The call comes after media reports that the care home’s license is under review by Manitoba Health.

“Manitobans will never forget the heartbreaking tragedy at Maples. Our seniors deserve so much better than that. They deserve to live in safety and dignity,” said NDP Leader Wab Kinew. “The province has had the preliminary results of their review for more than a month now. It’s time to make it public so that Manitobans can know exactly how the province failed to protect seniors and what steps they will take to ensure this never happens again.”

In November paramedics were called to Maples PCH after eight residents died from COVID-19 over a 48-hour period and several more were rapidly deteriorating from dehydration and malnutrition. In the immediate aftermath, WRHA officials were given inaccurate information about staffing levels from the care home’s operator Revera and an initial investigation proved the facility was understaffed.

The province hired Dr. Lynn Stevenson to lead a review of the level of care provided at Maples PCH, staffing levels, and the operator’s pandemic response procedures. According to a government news release, preliminary findings of the review were submitted to the Minister in mid-December and a final report went to the Minister in January.

“Despite what the Minister and Premier say, it’s critical to remember an investigator hired by the government is not independent,” said NDP Health Critic Uzoma Asagwara. “So far the province has done nothing to hold Revera Inc. accountable for their failure to keep seniors safe. They refused to intervene and save lives and have refused to take over the operations of Maples PCH despite serious outbreaks there and in other Revera facilities. The province should release the full, unredacted final report so that Manitobans can know exactly what went wrong.”