Families call for licence review of Oakview Place, whistleblower protection in wake of abuse allegations

Two families whose loved ones are alleged victims of abuse at Extendicare Oakview Place in Winnipeg want the long-term care home’s licence reviewed and for more protections to be put in place for whistleblowers.

“As soon as there were any signs of abuse and cover-up, which my family totally feels that’s what’s happened, the review should have been immediate. That should have never been a question,” said Gail Johnson Tuesday morning at a joint news conference with Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont.

She said her family was sent a letter notifying them that their mother is one of the alleged victims of abuse.

In June, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority announced a criminal investigation was underway after a whistleblower came forward with serious allegations of mistreatment at Oakview Place involving 15 residents.

Extendicare, the company that operates Oakview Place, says it knew about the allegations in February and launched an internal investigation but apologized for what a spokesperson called a "breakdown" in that investigation, which included notifying only one family.

It wasn’t until a second whistleblower came forward four months later on June 10 that the WRHA was involved and at that time two health-care aides were placed on paid leave. The WRHA said it also contacted the police and the Protection for Persons in Care office.

Johnson, whose 92-year-old mother still lives at Oakview Place, wants better protections for people who come forward with information on what’s happening inside the care home, because if it wasn’t for them this may have gone unnoticed.

“If someone can’t come forward and tell you something is going on or something is wrong, then that’s a problem,” she said.

“We’d really like if anyone has more information on what’s happened to my mom or to any of the other residents who are alleged victims, please come forward. We want to make sure you’re protected and that you can feel right about coming forward.”

“We know there is a history when whistleblowers try and speak up that they end up getting punished,” said Lamont. “They’re retaliated against, they can lose shifts, they can be blacklisted or painted as a trouble maker. When that happens, that is the sort of situation where abuse is made possible because people are more interested in covering up than they are in doing the right thing.”

David Middleton is pictured in 2018, shortly after he moved into Extendicare Oakview Place (supplied photo)

Dianna Klassen’s father David Middleton passed away on January 10 and she said her family didn’t learn their father was an alleged victim of abuse until June 20, the day after they had laid him to rest.

“The last few weeks have been traumatic, the shock, and the anger and the lack of communication,” she said. “You ask questions, you don’t get answers and it’s been extremely difficult.”

Klassen said her father was 92 years old when he died and he lived at Oakview Place for 4 years.

“He was in a private room which made access to him, I guess, easier and in a wheelchair not able to feed himself, barely could get a glass of water to his lips. So this was a man who was not able to defend himself,” she said.

“His personality changed. Like Gail’s mom, he became very aggressive. He didn’t want people touching him,” she said. “We could only guess because you can’t ask him and even if he were here to ask him, he wouldn’t have been able to tell me. It’s just awful.”

Lamont said at the end of the day, the provincial government should be held accountable because it issues the licences.

“Extendicare needs to have its licence reviewed immediately and it has to be considered whether we need to take these homes over or not,” he said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the province said they were committed to preventing a similar incident from happening again.

“Our government is committed to full cooperation with all investigations related to the appalling allegations raised at the Oakview Place personal care home and will take action on any recommendations rising from these investigations to protect seniors in care,” the spokesperson said.

“WHRA immediately contacted the Winnipeg Police Service upon learning of the allegations, who launched a criminal investigation. As that investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for our government to comment further. The Protection for Persons in Care office has also been notified and will conduct its own investigation upon the conclusion of the criminal investigation.”

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said additional allegations have been brought forward by residents and their families. They said these allegations will be fully investigated and reported.

"We appreciate those who have brought further concerns to our attention so that any ongoing issues at Extendicare Oakview Place can be identified and addressed," the statement reads. "The WRHA is grateful to the whistleblowers in this case. We have a whistleblower policy in place, and encourage anyone within our organization to report anything they see or hear that does not reflect our values in order to protect our patients, clients, and staff."

The spokesperson said the police investigation is still underway and there is no timeline for when it will be completed.

In a statement, Extendicare said it shared the concerns of residents and families about what happened, and said they are focused on rebuilding trust.

“There were clear breakdowns in process at the home. Our Zero Tolerance Abuse and Neglect policies outline very clearly that we are required notify all affected families and the WRHA when allegations of abuse are made,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “It is completely unacceptable that this did not take place. For that, we have unreservedly apologized to the residents, their families and to the WRHA.”