Workers at one of Toronto’s largest nursing homes speak out on ‘chronic’ staffing shortages and ‘toxic’ work environments

The City of Toronto says it “does not tolerate discrimination or harassment” at any of its long-term-care homes. 

Oct. 22, 2024

Unionized workers represented by CUPE protest at city-owned long-term-care facility Kipling Acres on Monday.

Workers at one of the largest city-owned long-term-care homes in Toronto are calling on officials to address “chronic” staffing shortages and “mismanagement” they say are putting the quality of residents’ care at risk.

At a rally Monday afternoon in front of Rexdale’s Kipling Acres Long-Term Care Home, some 80 members of CUPE Local 79, the union that represents some 4,000 public nursing home workers, decried what they say are “toxic” work environments caused by “harassment” from management and overwork due to hundreds of job vacancies.

“These workers have been dealing with unimaginable stress made worse by positions left vacant, forcing them to shoulder the burden of understaffing,” Nas Yadollahi, president of Local 79 told the crowd, which responded with chants of “Shame!”

Read more at the Toronto Star