OSA / HEU interaction on emergency admission’s report: a timeline

After yesterday’s important revelations and call for the resignation of the BC Seniors’ Advocate, we are clarifying the details of the freedom of information request, which is complicated by the lack of a straightforward timeline. The following post documents the interactions between the Seniors’ Advocate (OSA) and the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) leadership in sequence from September 2017 until August 2018.

Click to access the Freedom of Information document

September 12, 2017. FOI reveals discussion on release of residential care provincial survey between HEU’s Whiteside & Mackenzie. Survey shows “not really much difference” between health authorities in the survey results, but HEU might have “different lens” and will review data shared “at the facility level.” They plan to pick up the conversation later.

October 7, 2017. Calendar appointment shows Mackenzie meeting Whiteside at HEU office.

July 4, 2018. Letter sent to HEU by OSA asking for detailed wage and benefit information in care homes not covered under the “Master Agreement.” OSA signals her “keen interest” in starting wage, vacation allotment, sick leave, and whether they are on the MPP (municipal pension plan). OSA offers to loan her research staff to collect this data from HEU.

July 18. HEU has just provided OSA with a list of all care homes where residential care aides (RCA) are covered by master agreement. OSA tells HEU her aim is to discover “how much money is left for private operators to pocket based on the wage differential.”

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July 25. Whiteside texts Mackenzie number of care staff at 2 sites that had recently undergone a negotiation with HEU and Fraser Health during a change of sub-contractor. Text notes that the operator is a BCCPA member. Mackenzie texts back: “I just emailed you a re-write of the section we discussed. Let (HEU colleague) know I put data source more up front” (in the report). Whiteside and Mackenzie meet later that day.

July 26. Mackenzie sends email subject line “see my re-write” with draft language of section of her report surmising that wage/benefit differentials and “contract flipping” are “compromising” consistency of care.

July 27. Mackenzie sends HEU another draft of report, saying “some of what we discussed is now incorporated”. Gives HEU heads up on release date, but wants no other government announcement to conflict with her news. OSA thanks HEU for their “thoughts.”

July 31, 12:40pm (20 hours before release). OSA tells HEU of strategy to leak report to media before going out the following day. Mackenzie has changed language “contracted” from “private” in reference to non-government care homes “further to [HEU] points.” She tells HEU she will deliberately not separate for-profit care home results from non-profit site as the latter “have the highest rates.” OSA says they are still crunching numbers the day from the report’s completion and release.

NOTE: it was during this afternoon period on July 31^st that BC Care Providers was provided with a draft copy of the report provided by a third-party source. It was the first time our organization became aware of the report or the research behind it.

July 31, 5:33pm. OSA sends final report to HEU with release timing information. Key statistic has been changed in the past 5 hours from “20-to 54% and obviously will raise more questions.”

OSA thanks HEU for their “time and input.”

August 1, 2018, 9am. Final OSA report officially released to public. Story launched on Vancouver Sun website, and reported on front page the following day. BCCPA and Denominational Health Association responded with this joint release.

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