Mayor & Members of Council:
The purpose of this e-mail is to advise Members of Council of an incident that took
place at one of the City of Ottawa's Long Term Care facilities earlier this year and to
provide you with an update on a recent development regarding this incident.
I can advise that in March 2017, Managers at the Garry J. Armstrong Long Term Care
Home were notified of allegations that a Personal Support Worker had struck one of the
Home's residents. The Police had already been notified and we immediately removed
the worker from the Home and notified the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care of the
allegations. Staff from the Garry J. Armstrong Home have cooperated fully with both the
police and Ministry investigations. The Personal Support Worker was charged with
assault in relation to this incident and is no longer with the City of Ottawa.
We have recently learned that the Personal Support Worker pleaded guilty on June 27,
2017 to the assault charge under the Criminal Code. The matter remains before the
Courts for sentencing which we understand will take place at a later date. In addition, in
March 2017, the City received Notice of Intention to Commence Legal Proceedings
against the City from a law firm acting for the Power of Attorney for the resident in
question and for his family members. As a result, litigation is anticipated but no formal
proceeding has commenced to date. The City has also recently been advised by the
same law firm that they have disseminated video footage to the local media that
pertains to the resident. We understand this footage to be from a camera the family
installed in the resident’s room.
I can also advise that staff are currently working with the Ministry in response to other
complaints relating to the same resident regarding his medical chart and care. This
review is ongoing and does not relate to the Personal Support Worker.
We are deeply troubled by this incident. As Members of Council will be aware, the
mission of our Long-Term Care homes is to provide care and services to our residents
in a healthy and safe environment, and in a way that promotes the values of respect,
dignity, choice, equality, comfort and compassion for our residents. The actions of this
worker are completely at odds with our mission and our commitment to the health and
well-being of our residents. Long-Term Care will not tolerate any form of abuse of
residents. There can be no excuse for even a momentary lapse in the high standards
that we, residents and their families expect of the people to whom we have entrusted
the care of those who call our facilities home.
The Residents' Bill of Rights entitles all residents in City Long Term Care homes to
receive care of the highest standard, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to live in
an environment that is free from abuse and neglect. I would like to reassure that our
residents will not be subjected to any form of physical, emotional, sexual, verbal or
financial abuse or neglect from other residents, families, volunteers or employees.
Towards that end, the following measures are in place:

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All long-term care homes in the Province of Ontario are regulated by the LongTerm Care Homes Act 2007 (LTCHA) with regular and random compliance
inspections conducted by the Ministry;
In addition, Accreditation Canada, conducts peer reviews to assess the quality of
programs with a team of assessors completing on-site visits every four years to
review operations from several aspects to validate that required operational
practices and standards are being met. The City homes were accredited with
commendation in September of 2016 and were compliant with over 95% of the
required organizational practices. The homes have an overall rating of 95%
satisfaction as a place to live by residents and families in 2016;
All staff hired in LTC are required to provide proof of education in order to meet
the legislative qualifications for the appropriate positions and staff must submit a
clear police records check in order to work with the vulnerable sector before they
start working in the Home;
Staff are provided with a comprehensive orientation before they assume their
duties within the Home that covers all vital areas that they must be fully aware
of in order to effectively and respectfully provide direct and indirect care to
residents. In addition to the above, staff are required to receive annual
mandatory training; and
Abuse-Prevention training is provided to ensure employees understand how to
recognize abuse, how it can be prevented, and what to do if abuse is witnessed.
Staff are also required to review the Home’s practice annually and acknowledge
that they have read and understood the LTCHA’s requirements.

I deeply regret that one of our residents was subjected to this incident. Rest assured,
the safety and well-being of all of our residents is our number one priority. We take our
commitment to safety seriously. Long-Term Care staff work closely with residents and
resident’s families on an ongoing basis to address issues as quickly as possible. To that
end, I will also be reaching out to residents and their families who may have questions
in light of the Criminal Code conviction and the anticipated media reporting and video
footage. Staff are well-trained, dedicated and hard working and they will continue to
take whatever steps necessary to ensure proper support and care is provided to all
residents.
Janice Burelle
General Manager / Directrice générale
Community and Social Services / Services sociaux et communautaires
City of Ottawa / Ville d'Ottawa
Tel. / Tél. 613-580-2424 ext. / poste 44239
janice.burelle@ottawa.ca
(French to follow / Le français suivra)