Wednesday, March 27, 2002 (Fredericton) – In yesterday’s budget, the Lord Government announced a total of $13 million in increased funding to the province’s nursing homes. This amounts to an increase of almost 8 per cent to the existing budget of $168 million.
“This increase in funding is a step in the right direction,” stated CUPE Nursing Homes Coordinator Gordon Black. “However, our members intend to keep up their pressure on the provincial government until every nursing home has enough staff and every worker is adequately compensated.”
Finance Minister Peter Mesheau, announced an increase in funding of $10 million to cover administrative costs and wages at senior’s homes across the province. In a meeting held immediately after the budget announcement, Joan MacAlpine, Minister of Family and Community Services, informed CUPE of an additional $3 million dollars to come from other sources.
“There is no question in my mind that this additional funding is a direct result of our members having gone to the wall on the issue of workload,” Black said, referring to the province-wide strike of nursing home workers last summer. “However, if seniors and nursing homes have indeed become a priority for this government, they still have a long way to go before our concerns are addressed.”
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For more information:
Gordon Black, 506-461-4829 (cell)Laurie Kingston, CUPE Communications, 613-266-1415 (cell)