More than 400 long-term care workers in Thunder Bay are on strike as they push for improved wages and better working conditions.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says approximately 97% of members voted in favour of strike action, with all eligible workers signing up for strike duty.
Union representatives argue that long-term care staff are being left behind when it comes to compensation, despite the essential role they play in caring for residents.
OPSEU President J.P. Hornick says workers are deeply committed to their jobs, but many are struggling to make ends meet.
“They love the work they do,” Hornick said. “But if they can’t pay their bills, they simply can’t afford to stay.”
The union says it will remain on the picket line until a fair deal is reached.
Janet Flemming had planned to visit her 92-year-old mom at Ocean View Care Home on Mother’s Day, but instead, she received a call that left her feeling worried and disappointed.
“As of Wednesday, they’ve closed Ocean View completely,” says Flemming.
She explains that an outbreak of norovirus prompted the closure and that families were notified they were no longer allowed inside.
Since long-term care workers have been on strike, families across Nova Scotia have been concerned about whether their loved ones in care homes are receiving proper support. Now, with an outbreak like norovirus, Flemming says she worries that already strained staff won’t have the capacity to care for sick residents.
Flemming says she received notification on Friday that four additional units were being closed off as the virus spread.
“One of those units is where my mom is,” she says. “I got a call yesterday saying that at noon she started showing symptoms and that we’re unable to go check on her. And with their short staff, you know, that’s more work for them with everybody ill.”
Flemming says that since the CUPE long-term care strike began on April 13, she has seen staff take on roles outside their usual duties, often working extra to ensure residents are cared for. That’s because more than 3,000 workers across 30 facilities are now splitting their time between residents and picket lines.
“One of the ladies was saying she’s very tired because she’s only used to an eight-hour shift and just working in the kitchen, not serving. So, they’re not all doing their specific jobs,” she explains.
However, Flemming had hoped they would have the virus under control by now and worries the situation may be worsening.
“If my mom just got sick yesterday, there’s still people getting sick. They said the symptoms usually last for three days, so I don’t think they’re opening anytime soon.”
Flemming’s mom, Freda McCormick, has dementia, and given her age and now a virus, Flemming says she’s especially worried about not being able to visit—particularly on Mother’s Day weekend.
“It’s disappointing and it does concern me. If she gets worse, I don’t want her to die alone. [I’m afraid] we’ll just get a call. I don’t want that to happen, we would want to be there with her.”
A Cape Breton woman whose mother-in-law is in a nursing home says she is deeply concerned about the quality of care she is receiving as thousands of nurses hit the picket lines for their second week of strike action fighting for higher wages.
LeeAnne Marchand says Delores Marchand, 87, lives with Alzheimer’s disease and is being cared for at St. Anne Nursing Care Centre in Arichat.
Delores—affectionately known as Mary around the home—feels more like a mother than an in-law to her, so she has visited daily since the strike began to ensure Mary’s needs are being met.
Marchand says when she walked in on Monday the first thing she saw was her mom crying in pain.
“I was frantic. She needed to go to the washroom so desperately that she felt like she was going to vomit. So, I know that the quality of care is being affected,” Marchand says.
Delores Mary Marchand, resident at St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre in Arichat, Nova Scotia. PHOTO: SUBMITTED
Although Marchand says no fault is laid on those in the building working hard to meet residents’ needs, the absence of familiar staff is taking a toll.
She says another resident who is a friend of Mary’s, also living with Alzheimer’s, is struggling without her favourite nurse.
“I was walking by, and she looked at me and she said, ‘I would be better off in the harbour across the road than I am here’, and that is devastating,” Marchand tells our newsroom, her voice pained.
Marchand says these workers act as emotional anchors whose absence has disrupted residents’ sense of stability.
“With Alzheimer’s there is a natural progression, but if they are not in familiar settings with familiar people in familiar routine than that can certainly cause the progression to escalate,” explains Marchand.
Meantime, in an interview with Acadia News, Seniors Minister Barb Adams says any disruption to care makes her very sad.
She says striking facilities meet with CUPE every day to make sure essential care is being met. They then touch base with her department.
“If family have any concerns about whether the care for their loved one is being met, I would encourage them to reach out to the facilities themselves,” says Adams. “If someone has concerns about the care their loved one is getting, that would be a concern for me.”
Police in Thunder Bay have laid criminal charges against a 52-year-old woman and the long-term care facility where she is employed following the death of an 86-year-old resident who was in their care.
Investigators say Pioneer Ridge Long-Term Care Home failed to take reasonable steps to prevent serious bodily harm to the resident. Authorities also allege efforts were made to obstruct the investigation that began on February 11, 2025, after the Crimes Against Seniors’ Division received a report about an incident that took place at the facility.
Charges against the seniors care home include:
• Criminal Negligence Causing Death contrary to section 220 of the Criminal Code • Obstructing Justice contrary to section 139(2) of the Criminal Code
The charges stem from an inquiry into the senior’s death on March 6, 2025. During the investigation, police say they uncovered additional injuries involving residents that were previously unreported and unrelated to the original case.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information about potential elder abuse to contact Detective Constable Kevin Middleton at .
