Manitoba
Government
and General
Employees?
Union

Head Of?ce

601-275 Broadway
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada BBC 4M6

ANY 

Call the Resource Centre:

204-982-MGEU (6438)
(6438)
Fax: 204-942-2146

TTY: 204-982-6599

1?866?982?6599
-11th StreetW
(Box 1859)

The Pas MB BSA 1L6

Dauphin
322 Main Street 8
Dauphin MB RTN 1C6

Brandon
1665 Parker Blvd.
Brandon MB R7A 7P7

Portage la Prairie

214 Saskatchewan Ave. 
Portage la Prairie MB
RIN 0K9

Selkirk
413 Main Street
Selkirk, MB RIA 1V2

Thompson
19 Elizabeth Drive
Thompson MB B8N 187

 

May 31, 2017

The Honourable Kelvin Goertzen

Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living
Room 302 - Legislative Building

450 Broadway

Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8

Dear Minister Goertzen;

Several concerns have arisen from a recent meeting with senior leadership at the
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). I?m writing this letter asking you to
clarify the direction your government is moving in when it comes to home care in
Manitoba.

When you and the WRHA announced the closure of three Winnipeg emergency
rooms at the beginning of April, the announcement included a vague reference to
?enhanced hOme care.? At that time, no details about this initiative were provided.
Then, on April 19, 2017, the WRHA quietly issued a news release about enhanced
home care, but once again did not provide any meaningful detail about the
changes planned for home care.

At a meeting held at request on May 8, 2017, WRHA President and CEO
Milton Sussman and WRHA Vice President, Real Cloutier outlined a vision for what
they are calling ?a new enhanced home care service.? At that meeting, Mr.
Sussman and Mr. Cloutier provided some details about this new enhanced home
care service. We were advised that the WRHA will be moving forward with this
initiative, and is looking at contracting out or outsourcing these services.

Every day, approximately 5,000 MGEU members work to care for our parents,
grandparents and other loved ones who depend on home care. Manitobans are
proud that in our province, home care is a comprehensive, universal, publicly
accessible program.

News that Manitoba is actively exploring the privatization of home care is very
concerning for patients and the dedicated staff who deliver home care services. In
the 19905, the government of the day tried unsuccessfully to privatize home care.
Manitobans mobilized against privatization, and an independent review found that
privatization of home care services led to higher program costs. Why would
Manitoba head down this failed road once again? The best way to strengthen
home care is to build on the of our current, public system.

as? 7 A Component of the National Union of Public and General Employees (CLC, PSI)

Letter to Minister Goertzen 5.30.17 Page 2

We look forward to further discussions with you about the initiative, but wanted to
bring to your attention the current agreement between the MGEU and the Employer (Labour
Relations Secretariat Representing Regional Health Authorities) and in particular the provision in
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This MOA
limits the employer's ability to contract out home care attendant services in the city of Winnipeg
to alternate service providers to a maximum of 20%. While we are aware that some home care
services are already being contracted out by the WRHA, we are very concerned that the
new home care initiative could breach this provision of the collective agreement.

We would like to work with your department and the WRHA to look at ways to improve the
current program. The best advice you can get on what?s working and what isn?t is by talking to
the frontline staff that care for clients every day and schedule their visits.

We have arranged a meeting on June 5, 2017 from 9:30am 11:00am at Union Centre (275
Broadway Ave.) with home care members and the senior leadership group at the WRHA to
discuss the concerns we have with this new program. We invite you to attend and be a part of
this important discussion.

Please contact my Executive Assistant, Debbie O?Hare at 204?982?6416 if you have any
questions about the meeting and to confirm your attendance. I look forward to the discussion.

7

  

EU President

MG/do