A provincial watchdog has found a series of alleged violations at the LeBlanc Rest Home that could point to reoccurring issues.
According to records from the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), their staff conducted eight complaint-based inspections and one routine inspection of the rest home at 40 Toronto St. in Bradford in 2024 alone — all between May 24 and Nov. 8 — and reported finding a variety of issues. Among other things, those allegedly include: abuse, neglect, unsanitary conditions, failing to properly store medications, failing to create protocols for a resident known to be a danger to themselves and others while exposing others to that resident, failing to update and/or test emergency plans, failing to update staff training, failing to report a COVID-19 outbreak, exposing other residents to the outbreak and even lying to an inspector about having informed public health.
“If you have loved ones, don’t bring them here,” resident Bryan Deveau said.
At 70 years old, Deveau said he’s been living in the facility since March 2022 and made multiple complaints to the RHRA about the way he and others have been treated, before deciding he wanted to expose the issues at the home.
“People know about this place, but they don’t really know about it,” he said.
As one example, in the time he’s been there, Deveau said he’s never seen or heard anyone conduct any nighttime safety checks, and the RHRA also found the home was neglecting to conduct those same checks and providing no response to residents who had fallen and called for help.
“If you fall here and it’s nighttime, you want to have your phone in your hand, because nobody will find you,” Deveau said. “If you don’t come for breakfast in the morning, then they’ll come looking for you.”
However, the facility's owner, Arthur LeBlanc, said he conducts the checks himself, making his last round sometime between 1:30 to 2 a.m.
According to reports from inspector Michele Clarke, in all instances in 2024 the RHRA instructed LeBlanc to take corrective action, but the reports don’t detail the specifics of what was required.
Several of the issues reported in 2024 indicate reoccurring problems, as between 2014 and 2022 the RHRA also lists five compliance orders for the home requiring LeBlanc to address issues including abuse, behavioural management plans, care plans, staff training and storage of medication.
That all follows five inspections in 2023, three in 2022, four in 2021, three in 2020, one in 2019, two in 2018, four in 2017, six in 2016, two in 2015, five in 2014 and one in 2013, the first year for which reports about the home are available on the RHRA’s website.
In an interview with BradfordToday, LeBlanc disputed most of the claims against the home in 2024, and said they haven’t failed to protect residents against abuse, they store medication properly, and the washrooms are cleaned every week — unless a resident soils one, in which case it is cleaned “right away.”
On the issue of hygiene care, LeBlanc explained only a few residents rely on the home’s PSWs, who help them with showers and other tasks.
“Our residents are virtually all independent, which is why they provide their own hygiene,” he said.
While he acknowledged there was a COVID-19 outbreak during the pandemic, LeBlanc said it was reported to public health and they were “completely aware” of it.
“We have to document everything,” he said. “We document all falls and all incidents that happen.”
When asked if eight complaint-based inspections in one year is normal, LeBlanc explained it all depends on the number of complaints residents decide to make, adding that most incidents are between residents.
“In retirement homes there are certain issues that can come up all the time,” he said. “Especially lately, where we’ve had some residents who abuse substances. They can get into altercations with each other.”
A representative of the RHRA explained they “act swiftly” to deal with complaints, and inspectors conduct interviews, collect evidence and review documents to determine if there’s been an offence under the Retirement Homes Act.
Depending on the nature and severity of those offences, the RHRA can issue compliance and management orders, issue monetary penalties, revoke licences, or pursue prosecution under the Provincial Offences Act.
When it comes to the almost 780 licensed retirement homes in Ontario, for the year ending March 31, 2024, the RHRA issued 70 enforcement orders or decisions, including 27 compliance orders and three management orders for issues such as plans of care, staff training, behaviour management, abuse, and neglect.
As a condition of maintaining its licence, the LeBlanc Rest Home is required to employ a professional acceptable to the RHRA with experience managing the operations of a congregate-care facility, who will have full responsibility for directing and supervising the operations of the home.
LeBlanc is required to ensure that person is physically present in the home at least 7.5 hours each week. The RHRA said they are actively monitoring compliance with that condition and further enforcement measures will be explored if further offences are committed.
For his part, Deveau thinks its time for new management altogether.
“Arthur needs to be out from behind the wheel of driving this place,” he said.
The LeBlanc Rest Home is an assisted-living facility that offers 26 beds in 24 rooms, two of which are double rooms, all with their own bathrooms. LeBlanc said he has been the owner since the now three-storey facility was built in 1989; it was expanded via additions about eight years later.
Established in 2011, the RHRA is an independent, self-funded, not-for-profit regulator mandated by the government to protect and ensure the safety and well-being of seniors living in Ontario’s retirement homes under the Retirement Homes Act.
For more information, visit rhra.ca or call 1-855-275-7472.
Full list of issues
In 2024, the RHRA conducted eight inspections of the LeBlanc Rest Home based on complaints and found LeBlanc was responsible for alleged violations under the Retirement Homes Act for issues including:
- neglecting to conduct safety checks on residents at night and providing no response to residents who had fallen and called for help
- failing to properly respond and document that a resident had fallen
- neglecting a resident by failing to provide necessary personal hygiene care
- failing to keep the common area bathroom clean or sanitary
- failing to properly store medication in secure locked location
- failing to protect residents from verbal abuse
- failing to create strategies or protocols to address a resident with behaviours harmful to themselves or others, failing to monitor the behaviours, failing to protect residents from abuse by exposing them to those behaviours and failing to report the abuse to the registrar
- failing to properly create, implement, document as well as update and reassess residents’ care plans as required, including details of the service, the goals, and the direction to staff for care services
- failing to follow guidance on COVID-19 outbreak management, failure to report the outbreak to authorities, failing to follow infection prevention and control procedures, neglecting residents by exposing them to others who were COVID-19 positive and lying to an inspector about having reported COVID-19 positive residents to public health
- failing to test the emergency plan for a full evacuation as required
Clarke also conducted a routine inspection on Aug. 30, and found LeBlanc responsible for more alleged violations including:
- providing no evidence LeBlanc was reviewing complaints quarterly as required
- failing to test emergency plans to deal with loss of essential service, missing residents, violent outbursts, medical emergencies or pandemic/epidemic situations on an annual basis as required
- failing to update arrangements with community partners to assist in the event of an emergency on an annual basis as required
- providing no evidence of evacuation testing within the past two years
- providing no evidence of the required annual staff training
