The residents of a retirement home in Aylmer, all forced to move this week, have found accommodations elsewhere.
The last remaining residents of Brookside Retirement Manor moved out Friday.
Many family members are still asking why they were left scrambling with so little notice.
“There’s been a lot of tears even today. There's been tears, but there’s been a lot of hugs and a lot of laughter,” says Sherrin Guyard, whose mother was living in the home.
While the minister responsible for seniors affairs, Mario Sergio, says his office became aware of non-compliance issues at the home last July, it was only late Wednesday that the 13 remaining residents were informed the manor would be shut down.
Ontario’s retirement home watchdog shut down the facility because it failed to gain a licence to operate.
Sergio says the owner does not live in Canada.
An official at the Community Care Access Centre said Friday that all of the residents have now been placed, either with family members or in other area homes.
Sandra Coleman says they had to move quickly once it became clear staff were not being paid.
“The real risk was that staff would leave. I understand some, out of the goodness of their hearts have stayed on,” she says.
The messy situation began with refusal of a licence based on ability to provide care and it ends with an owner operator that appears to have bailed, leaving vulnerable seniors without a home.
After six years on the job, former maintenance worker, John Merrow left his post last fall.
He says the owner continued to ignore a growing list of infractions, including electrical problems, water pipes freezing, fire alarm system.
“There were a lot of maintenance that had to be done,” he says.
As for Guyard, she's taking her 86-year-old mother Frances to check out a home in nearby St. Thomas, but she appreciates those who helped the seniors.
"I’d just like to say thank you (to staff). Some of them worked 16,17 hours straight to be here, to make sure our families were taken care of,” an emotional Guyard says.
