Rosslyn Retirement Residence’s licence revoked
The provincial agency that governs Ontario's retirement homes has issued an order to revoke the licence of Rosslyn Retirement Residence, the site of Hamilton's worst COVID-19 outbreak.
The Rosslyn is owned and operated by members of the Martino families, which also operate seven other retirement homes and residential care facilities in Hamilton, along with the Greycliff Manor retirement home in Niagara Falls.
Brothers Aldo Martino and the late John Martino previously owned the Royal Crest Lifecare chain of care homes until it collapsed into bankruptcy in 2003, leaving Ontario taxpayers on the hook for $18 million.
Fourteen residents of the Rosslyn have died from the outbreak and more than 60 residents had to be hospitalized when the home was evacuated on May 15.
A Spectator investigation last week revealed horrifying conditions and alleged mismanagement at the home on King Street East near Gage Park.
Former staff members and families of former residents of the Rosslyn made shocking allegations of chronic problems with rodent and bedbug infestations, understaffing, poor living conditions, and a lack of proper care for residents with dementia.
This has been a disruptive and extremely upsetting situation for all the residents and their families," said Kathryn Chopp, director of communications for the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), which governs Ontario's retirement homes.
We're working with the City of Hamilton and other community resources to ensure residents are supported as they consider alternate housing options," she added.
Chopp said the RHRA has made financial support available to Rosslyn residents through the RHRA's emergency fund.
The Rosslyn owners can appeal the RHRA's decision to the province's Licence Appeal Tribunal.
Members of the Martino families did not respond to a request for comment and have not responded to repeated requests for comment since the outbreak began at the Rosslyn.
The Rosslyn remains closed and won't be allowed to readmit residents or accept new residents during the revocation process.
Earlier Monday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on Premier Doug Ford to revoke the licences for all care homes associated with the Martino families including the Rosslyn home.
The Rosslyn Retirement Residence is a house of horrors, not a home," said Horwath, who is also the MPP for Hamilton Centre. We saw harrowing evidence of extreme neglect and suffering, even before COVID-19 hit."
I'm calling on the province to remove all licences this ownership group holds, and to ensure they never again are allowed to operate any kind of congregate living home where vulnerable people can be neglected and hurt," Horwath added.
A spokesperson for the Ontario premier did not respond to a request for comment.
All eight of the Martinos' Hamilton homes are either now subject to orders to comply by the RHRA or the city's public health department, have been cited for rules violations by the RHRA or public health in the past six months, or both.
New violations of Ontario's Retirement Homes Act have just been reported at four homes associated with the Martinos based on recently conducted inspections.
Cathmar Manor, Dundas Retirement Place, Montgomery Retirement Home and Greycliff Manor in Niagara Falls have all been found in violation for failing to comply with infection prevention and control programs.
The homes were found to be deficient with respect to COVID-19 screening, personal protective equipment, appropriate staffing and enhanced cleaning, according to inspections carried out by the RHRA.
All four of the homes are already facing orders to comply from the RHRA.
Horwath is also taking aim at the RHRA, a self-governing industry body that has the power to enforce the Retirement Homes Act.
Horwath is calling for the RHRA to be dismantled and for oversight of the retirement home industry to move back within the provincial government.
The whole thing needs to be upended and we need to have a true regulatory regime that has teeth," Horwath said. You can't have the same bad actors get a slap on the wrist over and over and over again.
Chopp said the RHRA continues to monitor all retirement homes including those owned by the Martino families."
Where appropriate, the RHRA has issued orders and taken regulatory action in accordance with the law," said Chopp.
We do inspections and communicate with our community partners on what they are seeing, but everyone has a role to play in protecting our most vulnerable," she added.
Steve Buist is a Hamilton-based investigative reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbuist@thespec.com