A considerable hurdle has been crossed when it comes to the new residential care home on the Sunshine Coast.
A year ago there was an announcement that a new care home, Silverstone, was going to be built on shÃshálh Nation lands and the plan was to have the 125-bed facility open in late 2019.
It was going to be operated by Trellis and would replace the aging Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge facilities.
But then it was put on hold after the community expressed concerns about the jobs that would be lost when the care was privatized.
Health Minister Adrian Dix asked Vancouver Coastal Health to go back and look at the project through the lens of the community members.
Now the BC Nurses’ Union, the Hospital Employees Union, Vancouver Coastal Health, the Ministry of Health, Health Employers Association of BC and Silverstone Care Centre have agreed that care staff who currently work at Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge will be guaranteed the same wages, benefits, pension and seniority when they transfer to the new care home.
That covers about 80 care aides, licensed practical nurses, activity workers, therapy aides, and registered nurses.
And contracted food and housekeeping support staff who work at Totem Lodge and Shorncliffe will also be offered comparable employment opportunities with no loss of wages or benefits.
Over the next few months, Silverstone will move through the building permit process and into construction, which is expected to take 18 to 24 months.
In the interim, seniors who are at the Sechelt Hospital waiting for long term care will be accommodated in a new 12-bed short-stay unit at the hospital.
