Our pensions must be divested from for-profit long-term care

We are deeply concerned that the Public Service Pension (PSP) is the sole owner of Revera Inc. and its long-term care and nursing homes.

81% of all deaths in Canada caused by COVID-19 have been in long-term care homes.

More than 9,650 staff members in long-term care homes have been infected by COVID-19 – over 10% of all COVID-19 cases in the country. Nine people who worked in long-term care facilities have died.

Rates of COVID infection and deaths are higher in privately owned long-term care homes.

Long-term care homes have larger COVID-19 outbreaks and more resident deaths from COVID-19 than non-profit and municipal homes. We believe that privately owned long-term care homes in Canada should be moved into the public sector.

PSP Investments should not be making profits for our pensions from long-term care homes.

PSP Investments should divest itself from Revera Inc. and negotiate to transfer administration and ownership to provincial governments in each province. This policy is supported by 2/3 of Canadians according to a recent Angus Reid poll.

We made our position clear to PSP Investments in a recent letter.

Read our letter

We are disappointed with the inadequate response from PSP Investments.

PSP Investments President and CEO, Neil Cunningham, has no plan to divest from Revera. He has no plan to move Revera to the public sector to protect seniors.

He believes for-profit, long-term care facilities are an appropriate investment for public servants’ pensions and has offered no explanation for the high COVID-19 related death rates in these homes.

Read the PSP Investments letter

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, has also replied to our concerns stating that PSP Investments are at arms length to the federal government and its “investment decisions are its own.”

Read the Treasury Board letter

We are committed to protecting our pensions, and investment in for-profit healthcare works against these aims. We believe that we can create a better health and safety environment for everyone in Canada. This means dramatically improving the situation in our long-term care homes for residents and for employees.

We are waiting for responses to our letters sent to the provincial health ministers in all provinces with Revera homes.

Published on 14 October 2020

5 March 2019

PIPSC continues to fight for pension protection at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Protecting our members’ pensions remains a top priority for PIPSC. On February 26, 2019 CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick was joined by Canadian Alliance of Nuclear Workers (CANW) representatives Steven Schumann and Matt Wayland in a meeting with three members of the Opposition on Parliament Hill. The issue: the return of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories workers into a public service pension plan.

28 February 2019

Do Better than Phoenix: pay now, not later

The news this week that it will take a further three to five years to clean up the Phoenix backlog, and 10 or more years to stabilize the system, makes it obvious that on the third anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system we should be laser-focused on implementing its replacement as soon as possible.

21 February 2019

Bringing PIPSC’s Priorities to the Hill – PIPSC Lobby Day 2019 a Huge Success!

On Tuesday February 5th PIPSC members were on Parliament Hill to discuss the importance of the critical public services we deliver to Canadians. A delegation of close to 30 members, representing a range of Groups and Regions, met with over 30 Parliamentarians. It was a unique opportunity to bring key priorities directly to the decision makers.

20 February 2019

PIPSC submits comments on draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments

PIPSC recently submitted comments to Finance Canada’s public consultation into draft legislative proposals related to salary overpayments.

11 February 2019

PIPSC testifies before the Senate Human Rights Committee on working conditions in Canada’s penitentiaries

On February 6, 2019, PIPSC President Debi Daviau and Steward Éric Massey, Nurse at the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to discuss the issues faced by our members at correctional institutions across Canada, in particular those of our health care services members (SH Group).

16 January 2019

Salary overpayments caused by Phoenix: the government finally takes a step in the right direction

The federal government has just announced that it is proposing new measures to help correct the wide-ranging issue of employees having to repay the gross instead of the net amount of a salary overpayment caused by system, administrative or clerical errors. This is particularly significant for PIPSC members: tens of thousands of you have experienced this problem first-hand thanks to the calamitous Phoenix system.