Resident’s death at Oakville group home amid staff strike not considered suspicious

A resident of a Greater Toronto Area group home for adults with developmental disabilities that has been at the centre of a bitter labour dispute has died. 

Halton regional police said emergency crews responded to a medical call Friday morning at 53 Bond Street in Oakville, Ont., a care home run by the provincially funded Central West Specialized Developmental Services.

They said first responders tried to save the resident’s life but the person was pronounced dead. 

Const. Jeff Dillon said the death is not considered to be suspicious after a police investigation, and the coroner has been notified.

The death comes more than two months after CWSDS moved 40 of its residents from satellite homes in Burlington, Halton Hills, Mississauga and Oakville into the company’s main facility in Oakville ahead of a strike by support workers.

The home’s management said at the time that moving all residents under one roof was done to ensure there would be enough staff to provide round-the-clock care in the event of a labour disruption.

“Our hearts go out to the family members and loved ones of the individual who passed away. We have been in communication with the family and have offered them support through this difficult time,” the CEO of Central West Specialized Developmental Services, Patricia Kyle, said in a media statement, adding the death was unrelated to the labour disruption.

Kyle said the person had been supported by CWSDS for many years, and that it “adhered to all protocols and procedures in response to this situation.”

The support staff represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 249 walked off the job on Nov. 19, more than 40 days after CWSDS requested a no-board report from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour.

Family members of residents protested the move, saying their loved ones were being subjected to an unsafe, overcrowded and stressful environment. Several of those family members penned a letter to Premier Doug Ford in October asking that their loved ones be returned to their original homes. 

The union said striking workers were mourning the death of the “beloved client” on Friday, but did not share any specifics.

In a news release, the union alleged conditions for residents have been worsening at the Bond Street location, saying that ambulance calls have been frequent and that residents have been “left sitting in soiled briefs for extended periods without adequate care.”

“We have raised our concerns to management again and again. We have raised these issues to the board again and again. We’ve called the government to act,” OPSEU Local 249 president Julie Geiss wrote.

Kyle, however, accused the union of attempting to use the death to strengthen its bargaining position. She said members of the leadership team are on site seven days per week, and that all members of their care team have the appropriate skills, training and qualifications.

“We continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of people we support, surrounding individuals in our care with compassion and positivity as we work to limit the impact of the labour disruption,” Kyle wrote.

“We have seen great resilience in those we support as they adapt to their temporary surroundings and continue to thrive.”