The board that operates Region of Queens Home Support in Liverpool has given notice that it will terminate its contract with the Nova Scotia government to provide home-care services. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED 2:30 p.m. Tuesday

A non-profit group that delivers home-care services in Queens County has decided to terminate its contract with the provincial government partly because of a “substantial” deficit.

Region of Queens Home Support has been providing services like personal care, respite care and meal preparation for people in their homes for more than 40 years.

The Queens Home for Special Care Society operates the agency. The board gave six months’ notice recently to the province that it would no longer run it. That means a new provider needs to take over by January.

But Christopher Clarke, the society’s chairman, says its 174 clients in Queens and Lunenburg counties won’t see an interruption in service, and employees will keep their jobs.

“For the clients, it will mean they will continue to get service,” Clarke said Monday in an interview.

“We have a strong commitment from government that they will continue to get service. For the employees, they will be working for another employer, but they will be providing service to the same clients as we currently have.”

A Facebook post from someone who said they have worked with Queens Home Support for more than 20 years was widely shared on Monday. She said she is a continuing care assistant and that staff were told on July 4 that Queens Home Support would be closing.

“Let me be clear before I say what’s on my mind – to any clients or family with clients under Queens Home Support – the transition is supposed to be smooth without much upset to the (clients’) routines, themselves or their daily care,” the post said in part. “They will continue to receive care as usual.”

The post also claimed that Queens Home Support’s deficit is $1.5 million.

Clarke confirmed that the agency has run a deficit the past two years. But he said that it isn’t as high as $1.5 million.

“We have a deficit, yes. The number is incorrect, but we have a deficit. I’m not going to go into that. It’s substantial, so we have to work through that with government.”

He said the deficit is one of many reasons why the board decided to end its contract with the province. 

“There were a number of other problems too, but that’s the main issue that caused us to make the decision,” he said.

“I’m not prepared to go into them in any sort of detail.”

Much of the funding for Region of Queens Home Support comes from the province. Based on clients’ income and the kind of care they need, other costs may be paid by the client.

Clarke said the agency’s income dropped because their service hours decreased, but its expenses didn’t.

“We got compensated on the basis of service hours, those are hours that we actually service our clients. But there are a lot of overheads in addition to that, and those overheads don’t change even though your service hours diminish.”

Clarke emphasized that clients will continue to get care. And he said the approximately 60 employees will retain their jobs. 

“Government has assured us that they will continue to provide the services we provide under another agency. … And the employees will all be virtually employed by whatever the new agency is.”

Kim Silver, director of home and community care with the provincial Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, said Monday that when an agency notifies the province it’s winding down, officials immediately start looking for options to ensure services are maintained.

“Obviously, it’s concerning for clients and staff. For clients, they should know that there will be no impact to their care. The acting administrator has been in there for a little while now. She knows the organization well and she’ll continue to operate that organization until there’s a solid plan in place where we can seamlessly transition clients. In terms of staff, the plan certainly includes considerations for staff. We want to make sure everyone is treated fairly.”

Annette Hartlen, the agency’s executive director, is on leave. Kerry Hobbs, executive director of Lunenburg Home Support, is the interim director in Queens.

“We have options thankfully,” Silver said. “We’ve got a number of agencies in the province. Typically, we would have conversations with ones that make sense to see if they would be interested in taking over geographies. … We’re looking at other agencies in the area to support the clients.”

Silver said various factors could contribute to a reduction in service hours.

“Agencies are funded based on the number of service hours that they deliver on an hourly basis. So if service hours are lower, the funds the agency’s paid are lower. It could be a drop in clients, it could be that some clients have different care needs that might take a different amount of time. It could be that there’s more travel time involved. There are a whole lot of factors that can play into it.”

As for Queens Home Support’s deficit, Silver said that will be worked out between the province and the organization.

“It’s really about the sustainability of the organization. It’s a deficit that’s built up over time and would continue to be added to if the agency kept going.”

Queens MLA Kim Masland posted to her Facebook page on Tuesday morning and said that she’s working to make sure there’s no interruption in service.

“I commit to updating the community frequently as plans become finalized,” she said. “I want to be very clear that government did not cut funding!”

Clarke said that cancelling the home-care agreement was a tough decision for the board to make.

“Obviously, it’s not a decision that the board made lightly and obviously none of us feel good about it, but it’s something we had to do.”

Silver said they should have more information for clients and staff in the next few weeks.

“We’re working with the board to put a plan in place, to make sure people continue to get care, and that employees are treated fairly. Our primary focus obviously is our commitment to client care, so we’re working on solutions to make sure that we can continue that and have a smooth transition.”

Most of the agency’s clients live in Queens County, but a few live in neighbouring Lunenburg County. Clarke said that’s left over from when the agency had too many employees for its Queens County clients, so it took on some from the county next door.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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(L-R)Christopher Clarke, Kim Masland, Darlene Norman and Andrew MacVicar at the groundbreaking for the new Queens long term care facility. Photo Ed Halverson

Years of wrangling to get financing and another two years of planning culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday at the site of the new Queens long-term care home.

Public Works Minister and MLA for Queens Kim Masland and Mayor Darlene Norman joined Queens Manor Executive Director Andrew MacVicar and Board Chair Christopher Clarke at the podium to announce the first physical steps to building the new facility across the parking lot from Queens Place.

In her remarks, Masland said providing a new long-term care home is the reason she got into politics.

“I know Christopher, when he came to me we started talking about this in 2017 when I was elected and I said if I ever make government I’ll make you one promise and it’s the only promise I’m going to make anyone and that is I will deliver the funds for a new long-term care facility in Queens, and here we are.”

Once completed, the new care home will replace the county’s two existing facilities, the privately run Queens Manor and the Region of Queens’ Hillsview Acres.

Norman says the municipal facility has served its purpose for decades and with the new care home, residents have a lot to look forward to.

“It’s been part of the Region for so long, there will be many that will miss it. But to know that the residents are moving into a new facility surrounded by people and children and playgrounds and skate parks and life, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Combined, the aging facilities can currently accommodate 90 residents while the new home will increase that capacity by 22 bringing the total number of available beds in Queens up to 112.

MacVicar says the building is designed with the most modern best practices in mind and was the result of much consultation between residents, staff and professional architects.

“We were very keen to include the people who will use the facility on a day-to-day basis, hands on. So, we included people who work in laundry, people who work in the kitchen, our CCAs our nurses, our environmental staff, our residents, family input, all the way up to board input, and just overall community input. There are a lot of hands and a lot of minds that were involved in the creation of the plan.”

Construction of the new Queens long term care home gets underway. Photo Ed Halverson

Clarke says he’s worked since 2013 to get a new long-term care facility for Queens and is delighted the province stepped up to secure financing.

“It’s a little under $100 million. Nova Scotia Housing is financing the project for the Queens Manor board. We will own the facility. It will be mortgaged, I suspect, over 40 years so we repay Nova Scotia Housing to pay down that mortgage.”

The new, as yet unnamed long-term care home is scheduled to open in 2026.

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Announcement of Adult Day/Respite Care program at Queens County Home Support. Photo QCCR staff

Two months after it was announced, a program designed to provide desperately needed relief to caregivers has yet to launch.

On Feb 13 an event held by the Queens Home Care Society to celebrate the new Adult Day/Respite Care program was attended by Minister of Seniors and Long Term Care Barbara Adams, Kim Masland, the MLA for Queens/Minister of Public Works, Board Chair of Queens Home for Special Care Society Christopher Clarke and Albert Doucet Chair of Queens General Hospital Foundation.

The program was to begin two weeks later in a newly renovated location at 266 Main Street in Liverpool.

The province invested $500,000 in the program but two months on, the Region of Queens is being blamed for not issuing building permits.

Building owner Jerry Thibault says the trouble started when he began renovating the space in September of 2022.

“As soon as you get your framing up you call for a framing inspection, it’s the first inspection you do. So, I called them, and I said I need a framing inspection before I put my gyprock on and I was told I don’t have a building permit. I said yeah, I got it here in my hand and they said, well bring it up and will take a look. So, I took it up and they said no that’s not a building permit that’s a development permit which allows you to apply for a building permit,” said Thibault.

“So, it was my mistake at the start and I’m free to admit that but the fact that, you know I wasn’t trying to cheat them, I actually called for framing inspection.”

Thibault says the inspector told him to apply for a building permit right away, and he needed to confirm the fire separation requirements, but construction could continue in the meantime.

Thibault says the next time he heard from the inspector was February 10, three days before the planned launch event.

After some back and forth with the building inspector, Thibault agreed to provide the Region with designs guaranteed by an engineer.

He says the designs should be in the inspectors hand this week.

Executive Director of the Queens Home Care Society Annette Hartlen says the Adult Day/Respite Care program is desperately needed.

“[We] wanted to focus on people that don’t currently meet the criteria for the adult day program, the wonderful program that currently runs here in Queens County at the Manor. We definitely didn’t want to duplicate or step on their toes because they’re offering, you know, an awesome program there. So, we decided we would, yes, we’ll offer an adult day program we’ll offer a respite program, but we wanted to focus on high needs clients.”

Hartlen says while they wait to open the doors, the staff have been working on programming and are ready to welcome clients.

She is hopeful the occupancy permit issue can be resolved quickly.

A spokesperson for the Department of Seniors and Long-term care says despite the delay, the province is committed to funding the day program.

The Region of Queens was contacted but declined to provide comment for this story.

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Site plan for new Queens Long Term Care Home. Photo Region of Queens Council Agenda

The Queens Home for Special Care Society is asking the municipality to sell them more land and help cover the costs of building a road to the new care home being built near Queens Place.

At the recent Region of Queens Council meeting society chair Christopher Clarke and Executive Director of Queens Manor Andrew MacVicar appealed to council to cover part of the $400,000 they estimate it will cost to build a road and underground infrastructure to the new facility.

The society is paying close to a million dollars to buy the land at Queens Crossing from the municipality.

In the past, regional council has reinvested proceeds of land sales at that location back into the site.

The current council decided last month to not extend the Queens Place Road when they voted against building the new library on the site.

That left responsibility for building a road to the new care facility with the Queens Home for Special Care Society.

When addressing council, Clarke said their construction timelines are extremely tight and road construction to the new home site must begin this summer.

“Deputy Mayor, it has to be this year for us. Obviously the first thing that we do is to start pushing dirt to start construction,” said Clarke. “We hope to be doing that in July, August, kind of thing, so yes, we’ve got to do it tout de suite.”

Including the road construction in their plans may mean the society will have to move the entire build closer to the road by almost 70 metres.

Clarke explains the design is planned with residents and staff in mind to enjoy a southwest view that will maximize the light.

Moving the build will allow the construction to proceed without reorienting the building.

“When you’re dealing with seniors in homes is that it will also be facing activity at Queens Place,” said Clarke. “The coming and going, the people going to the skateboard park, even people in the parking lot we know from the Manor that anything happening outside the Manor is a is a key interest to the residents there and so the orientation of that building which had been carefully planned, is important.”

Mayor Darlene Norman says she has heard from the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing expressing their concern that the province is providing a million dollars to pay for the land and the municipality is unwilling to build a road to the new care home.

Norman would like the municipality to be a good partner in this important project.

“In my opinion, we need to do what I believe our area residents feel is right. And I suspect the majority of people in Queens County would expect us, if we’re getting $1,000,000 so the province can build, along with the Queens Care Society, can build this exceptional replacement facility for Hillsview and Queens Manor, that we build them a road to the driveway,”said Norman.

Council will consider the request and make a decision on funding at a future council meeting.

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