The provincial labour board has ordered mandatory weekly health and safety inspections at three long-term-care homes where 92 residents and one front-line worker have died, following an emergency application alleging critical shortages of protective gear and understaffing.

The application filed earlier this week by the Service Employees International Union took aim at three nursing homes that have seen some of the deadliest consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Altamont Care Community, Anson Place and Eatonville Care Centre. The submissions described the facilities’ response as “unlawfully inadequate” to protect workers, and said employees often had little to no information about infections among residents or colleagues.

In a decision reached Friday following mediation, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) has now ordered that weekly physical inspections be conducted by a Ministry of Labour officer for two months. The inspector will also attend the facilities’ joint health and safety meetings.

The decision by labour board vice-chair Matthew Wilson also mandates proper protective gear for all workers, instructs the three homes to update workers and their union daily about COVID-19 cases and deaths, and orders weekly staffing reports to address concerns about dire shortages.

While directly hired front-line workers with positions at multiple homes are already required to pick one workplace to limit the virus’ spread, Friday’s ruling also orders the three facilities named in SEIU’s application to limit any temporary agency staff to one home.

SEIU Healthcare president Sharleen Stewart said it was a “stain on our province that it required filing these applications to have the provincial government and for-profit long-term care corporations do the right thing, especially in a time of crisis when people are getting sick and dying.”

In addition to seeking a number of health and safety orders, the union’s original application also sought to place the care homes under the direct control of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which the board did not instruct in its decision Friday.

Responsive Group Inc., the company that operates Anson Place and Eatonville, said it was “pleased to have reached an agreement with SEIU and the OLRB.”

“We welcome the opportunity to work with them to formalize many protections for our hard working staff. We remain committed to ensuring we have the appropriate PPE available to all staff at all times.”

PPE refers to personal protective equipment, such as masks.

Sienna Senior Living, which operates Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, said it was also “pleased to have reached this agreement.” It said the decision “substantially reflects Altamont’s current practices and protocols including the provision of and access to personal protective equipment, used in accordance with provincial directives.”

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“We are stronger working co-operatively and focusing on our primary concern: the health and safety of residents and team members. Collaboration is of utmost importance, as we work with the common goal of fighting this crisis and supporting team members who are doing extraordinary work,” its statement said.

It is the second victory this week for front-line workers demanding stricter safety measures. On Thursday, the Ontario Superior Court sided with the Ontario Nurses’ Association in an injunction seeking to allow nurses to choose what kind of protective gear to use in long-term-care homes coping with COVID-19.

Stewart said SEIU intends to share outbreak and staffing level information with family councils to assist with “transparency” at the facilities.

“We call on all long-term-care companies to do the right thing and demonstrate that our families come before their profits,” she said.