'I'm frustrated': Residents with disabilities left in limbo as care worker strike looms

It’s been nearly one week since 160 unionized workers walked off the job at a facility for people with disabilities, leaving people without someone for the vital care they rely on.

The strike at Ten Ten Sinclair Inc. – a non-profit program that oversees 100 clients at seven facilities – started March 6, and residents said they’ve had enough.

“I’m frustrated, I’m annoyed, I’m angry,” said Lorna Ross, who has been a Ten Ten Sinclair client for more than three years.

Ross lives with her two cats, Princess and Oreo, and used to have the same healthcare workers come by every day to care for her.

“Three years I’ve had pretty much the same steady schedule, same routine,” she said.

But that routine was disrupted when her support staff hit the picket line, demanding better pay. Ross said their demands come at the cost of proper care for herself and other residents.

“Everybody says, ‘Oh you can’t blame the staff.’ Well, who do we blame? Who do we blame?” she asked.

“We really don’t want this to turn into workers versus people with disabilities,” said Melissa Graham, the executive director of the Manitoba League of Persons With Disabilities.

While Graham acknowledged that people with disabilities benefit from well-paid workers, she said a plan should’ve been put in place to continue caring for clients.

“We need to make sure that essential service agreements are in place and that nobody gets left behind when workers are exercising the right to strike,” she said.

To help fill the gap, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said it’s been on-site, treating around 100 clients at all seven of the impacted facilities.

But according to Ross, it’s been a difficult adjustment.

"You don't know who's walking through the door,” she said about the WRHA workers. “They don't tell you. And they don't tell you what sort of schedule they run.”

She said while she supports her care workers in their fight for better wages, the current state of uncertainty is impacting her wellbeing.

“I can't go into the bathroom right now,” she said. “It's not their fault. It's because I'm anxious and nervous.”

CTV News reached out to Ten Ten Sinclair Inc. for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

In a statement to CTV News, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said it met with the employer on Monday but an agreement hasn’t been reached and the strike is still on.

“The bottom line is the only way to end the strike is for the WRHA and Ten Ten Sinclair to step up and offer these workers a fair deal,” the statement reads.