Some private care homes in P.E.I. aren't using funds designated for increased staff wages

One of P.E.I.'s private long-term care operators has left its share of millions of dollars in additional government funding untouched — money which was supposed to be used to increase staff wages.

Earlier this year, the province signed a new contract with operators which included an 18 per cent increase in the per diem for medical expenses for residents, and a nine per cent increase in the daily accommodation rate.

The funding was worth up to $7 million annually, to be split among the operators of P.E.I.'s 10 private long-term care facilities, but there were strings attached: the bulk of the money had to go toward staff wages, and homes had to agree to open up their books to the province.

While the funding increases were retroactive to April 1, 2022, the requirement to share audited financial statements doesn't kick in until the end of the current fiscal year.

But on Tuesday, Health P.E.I. confirmed to the province's standing committee on public accounts that not all operators have accessed the funding.

"We get the calls from employees who are saying, 'I understand that government is giving more money to the nursing homes, but I haven't got my raise yet, I can't get my raise,'" said PC MLA Sidney MacEwen.

Seven different staff members from Health P.E.I. attended the meeting to answer questions about the health agency's finances, including Calvin Joudrie, the province's manager of long-term care.

"Can you confirm again, we've got a number of private nursing homes that still won't show their financial statements and hence they haven't received that extra money yet?" MacEwen asked Joudrie,

"What I can say is, one group of homes has not signed the most recent contract, so they were not eligible for any of the increases in the previous contract, nor any increases going forward until that's resolved," said Joudrie.

"I'm at a loss to understand why that operator hasn't signed the agreement."

CBC asked the Department of Health and Wellness which long-term care operators had signed contracts with the province but no information was provided in time for publication.

CBC also contacted all private operators of long-term care facilities in P.E.I.

According to public records, there are only three ownership groups that operate multiple homes in the province.

Calls to Andrews of Charlottetown were directed to the head office of Murphy's Pharmacies, and ultimately not returned.