Editor:
My husband and I attended a meeting on Monday night at the seniors centre called by Vancouver Coastal Health. It was purportedly to sell the idea of opening a new private facility owned by the Trellis group which would replace, absorb and extend the two presently operating facilities of Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge.
As we came to the meeting with a fairly clean slate as far as information about this decision was concerned, we were interested to hear all the facts and points of view from Vancouver Coastal Health, representatives from Trellis, and from the large and extremely engaged audience.
The salient points we gathered were:
1. In this new private facility, seniors would receive less professional care per day than they receive in the present facilities.
2. The positioning of the proposed facility is out of town and up a hill, and would not be easy to access for a lot of people.
3. Workers in the present facilities would be fired. They could be rehired, but probably at a loss of seniority and wages.
Finally, and most importantly, why was a private facility the only option considered when the public situation in Powell River would appear to be superior?
We would hope it’s not too late in the day to revisit our options, this time with full community involvement.
Anne and Geoff Carr, Davis Bay
