A shortfall of some 100 employees combined with predatory third-party agencies rushing in to fill the gaps are hammering the District of Muskoka financially, Bracebridge council heard recently.
The news came from District Councillor Tatiana Sutherland during the latest Bracebridge Town Council meeting.
Sutherland was reporting on a recent District health services meeting, wherein councillors were told the District typically employs some 900 people but there are currently only about 800 people employed. The shortfall is almost entirely made up of long-term care (LTC) workers, she said.
“This has put us in a dire fiscal situation where the District is paying predatory staffing agencies to fill the provincially mandated staffing requirements,” she said. “It’s not sustainable and in my opinion, it’s quite possibly the biggest fiscal crisis the District is facing.”
Sutherland said those third-party staffing agencies charge up to five times what it would typically cost per hour. In some cases, those staffing agencies are even recruiting workers out of parking lots of long-term care homes with promises of higher pay and greater flexibility.
While the province has committed to cracking down on the agencies, Sutherland said that will likely do little to address the staffing shortfall.
According to a District report, some 81,000 staffing agency hours were required to provide care or support to both District LTC homes last year. Should the province not provide additional funding for agency premiums, and the use of staffing agencies continue at the 2022 rate, the estimated unfavourable variance for 2023 is expected to be $1.13 million at Fairvern and $2.43 million at the Pines.
Over 275 staff currently work in the District’s long-term care teams with 91 vacancies across the District’s two homes.
According to District staff, the Fairvern redevelopment will require the recruitment of an additional 130 care professionals by 2025.
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Gertrude D.M. Gilbert says
Well I am not surprised consider personally, I seen and faced alot of harrassment in Bracebridge. I don’t understand why clicks seem to run Muskoka’s work force. Causing victim to be criticized, belittle and bullied by these groups. Alot of people are working out of Bracebridge because of this. Management says no tolerance to bullies but let, teach, even their children and youth to use these techniques on others. Revicimizing the victims of harassment and bulling. No wonder working people do not want to work here.
TLC healthcare services says
There is no excuse for the homes accepting this behaviour and financial cost from these non local agencies. You have a local agency that has strong ethics and cares about these homes. Their rates are and always have been reasonable unlike these extremely high priced ones who have to pay travel and accomodations plus high wages to their staff. We dont hire your staff, it’s against our policy. We are here to help you staff not take your staff. As a matter of fact, we hire local staff so after so many hours of a staff working your home you can hire them. You cant do that with Toronto staff living in motels.
Stop using out of town agencies, use local. It’s the workers who demand the higher, rediculous rates of pay and force the agencies to increase rates. Trust me, it’s why it’s very hard for a local agency to compete with the Toronto agencies pay rates. Using the out of town agencies is pushing the local one, who is trying to remain extremely fair with price, out of business. You are doing this to yourselves. Just stop using the out of town agencies and let the pay rates for PSWs and nurses go back to normal. You are allowing the price gouging by these high paid agency staff. How can I possibly help you if you replace me with high paid staff from agencies. Staff are price shopping and agency hopping. Let’s pull together and stop it.
TLC Healthcare services, your local shift relief agency.
-Sharon Brock
Erin Jones says
Um…I may be missing something here, but, wouldn’t it make more sense to pay local people to staff facilities than pay the “predatory third-party agencies”? As is very often the case, centralization of authority has ended up hurting local businesses/workers as well as the taxpayers.
Marlene F. Muller says
The TLC agency is a great alternative to out of town agencies. Better yet, why not increase the wages of the PSWs at FAIRVERN and The Pines. That would certainly attract more local workers. As it stands now I do believe a PSW doesn’t make much over minimum wage. Disgusting for the amount of work and stress level of working in a LTC home.
rob belsey says
I note you mention that these agencies are recruiting staff in LTC parking lots by offering higher pay and more flexibility. There’s the obvious answer – right in front of your face. You are experiencing the alternative right now and you will be forced to afford it. Why do we insist on paying low wages and being inflexible? My wife dropped out of this workforce for those reasons – it is tough, demanding work, with frequent abuse from patients with dementia and inflexible schedules. If you don’t value LTC work as much as we value/pay tradespeople then in my considered view there is something wrong with you. You got what you asked for, and now you say you don’t like it. Hmmmmm
Thai Green says
Rent is about 1600$ a month, this place is dying and you don’t pay enough for seasonal work. I don’t know what’s so hard to get. If I can’t afford to live on the wages you are offering, than I’m not gonna apply.