Email reveals Legault government knew about CHSLD Herron crisis earlier than thought

A newly surfaced email reveals the Legault government learned about the crisis at the Herron long-term care home in Montreal's West Island 10 days before the situation was made public by the Montreal Gazette in April 2020.

The email was filed into evidence at the end of the coroner's inquest into what occurred in the early days of the pandemic at the Herron, a privately run CHSLD (Centre d'hébergement de soins de longue durée).

It was sent to former health minister Danielle McCann and the minister responsible for seniors, Marguerite Blais.

At 8:11 p.m. on March 29, the assistant deputy minister for seniors, Natalie Rosebush, wrote an email to Blais's chief of staff, Pascale Fréchette with the word "URGENT" in capital letters in the subject line.

The email warned of a worrisome situation at CHSLD Herron, located in Dorval, Que., that had developed after one resident tested positive for COVID-19. When close-contact employees called the province's health hotline for advice, they were told to isolate themselves, the email says.

"The result is that there are almost no staff to take care of the 154 residents," the email says. "It is very problematic."

At 12:56 a.m., Fréchette forwarded the email to Blais and to Marjaurie Côté-Boileau, the minister's press secretary at the time.

When workers from the local health authority, the CIUSSS Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, arrived at Herron on March 29, 2020, there were three employees caring for 133 residents, according to a report released later that year. 

The residence was filled with a "nauseating odour of urine and feces" and unwashed dishes, the report said.

By then, at least 31 people had died. A total of 47 people died in the spring of 2020 at the Herron CHSLD, but precisely who is to blame for what transpired remains the subject of debate.

During a provincial inquiry into deaths in several seniors' residences led by Coroner Géhane Kamel late last year, lawyers representing both Herron and the CIUSSS offered different versions of what led to the dire situation. Kamel's final report is expected later this year.

Blais has repeatedly declined to say what she knew, and when. But her office issued a statement about this newly surfaced email, saying they believed the issue was being dealt with because the email also said the CIUSSS was taking over.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Blais said it is important to put the situation into context. By the end of March, there were 25 residences experiencing outbreaks and then as of April 10, there were 274 outbreaks, she said.

She said it's not for her to judge whether the CIUSSS did its job, "but I can say that my cabinet and my office did its job."