#cisss

Dubé health care reform not acceptable to nurses

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / August 11, 2025 / #cisss, #health, #nelson sergerie, #reform, #sante quebec

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINT-SIMÉON – The Dubé health care reform is simply not acceptable to the nursing staff at the CISSS de la Gaspésie.

This is the finding of a survey conducted by Léger on behalf of the Fédération de la santé du Québec de la Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), to which the Syndicat des infirmières, infirmières auxiliaires et inhalothérapeutes de l’Est du Québec (SIIIEQ) is affiliated.

According to the union, 55% of SIIIEQ members hold a negative opinion of the reform, while only 15% view it positively. An additional 30% either had no opinion or declined to answer.

“The first effects of this reform, given that Santé Québec came into effect on December 1, 2024, have been budget restrictions, staff cuts, and staff not being replaced. This has a direct impact on the workload,” says SIIIEQ president Pier-Luc Bujold.

He adds that the administrative burden has also increased significantly.

“It’s like building a ship in the middle of a storm. There are many inconsistencies and a lack of information. People are running around much more to get answers to their questions. Workers do not have much confidence in this reform,” adds Mr. Bujold.

“What we’re hearing on the ground is not cheerful or desirable. Greater centralization means that decisions are more disconnected from the reality on the ground. It achieves the government’s objectives, but does it serve Quebecers?” asks the president.

He also points to promises made by the CAQ government when it was elected in 2018, including a family doctor for every Quebecer and reduced emergency room wait times.

“We are waiting for the positive effects, but they are not materializing on the ground,” he notes.
When asked to rate the CAQ government’s management of health care since 2018, the president is clear.

“It’s difficult to give a rating. There are many inconsistencies. It would not pass,” the president assesses.

Dubé health care reform not acceptable to nurses Read More »

Agreement reached for financing of Demeure Toi in Gaspé

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / August 11, 2025 / #cisss, #demeure toi, #Gaspe, #housing, #nelson sergerie

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The president of the Demeure Toi organization in Gaspé is satisfied with the agreement reached with the CISSS de la Gaspésie.

On July 15, the organization announced that, following two weeks of discussions with the regional health authority, it had secured $275,000 per year in funding for the next three years.

“We discussed each other’s understanding and perception of the client profile. We realized that we had a common understanding of the needs of this clientele,” says president Claudine Dupuis.
The agreement will be re-evaluated in three years.

“We have no guarantees, but I remain very confident that with the collaboration we have with the CISSS, everything will go smoothly,” Ms Dupuis adds.

The $8.9 million building is scheduled to be delivered at the end of July, with interior work to follow in preparation for welcoming the first tenants, people living with autism, by mid-September. Of the 11 spots available, a few remain open.

Hiring of staff will begin shortly, although the organization has not yet finalized its operating budget. Calculations are still underway.

An open house is planned, possibly in August, to allow the public to visit the facility.

Earlier this year, a dispute over funding had led Demeure Toi to consider delaying the opening of the building. At the time, the organization cited a promised $318,000 in funding from the Quebec government, while the CISSS was offering only $50,000.

Agreement reached for financing of Demeure Toi in Gaspé Read More »

Maria Hospital: another delay for preliminary studies

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / August 11, 2025 / #cisss, #health, #maria hospital, #nelson sergerie, #PQI

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

MARIA – The preliminary studies on the mechanical infrastructure of the Maria hospital centre, an essential first step towards building a new emergency room and intensive care unit, have been delayed again. The report, originally expected by the end of June, is now projected for September.

According to the CISSS de la Gaspésie, additional surveys and drilling are required before the study can be submitted. The delay follows budgetary concerns that had already caused the contract to be suspended last fall, although it was eventually relaunched during the winter.

The authorized studies are technical in nature, focusing on the facility’s electromechanical, structural, and civil components. Among other things, the study, conducted by the firm CIMA+, aims to determine whether: the electrical system is powerful enough to accommodate the expansion, and whether the water and sewer systems need to be adjusted to accommodate the expansion.

In September 2023, the CISSS board of directors increased pressure on the Quebec government to include the project in the 2024 Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI).

The resolution adopted by the board of directors and its chair to take steps to ensure that the Maria emergency project was included in the PQI and to take steps to obtain strategic support for the project to be recognized as a regional priority.

The absence of the project from the PQI when the 2024 budget was tabled in March prompted strong reactions from regional elected officials and the nurses’ union.

However, in the March 2025 budget, one line mentioned the Maria hospital in the PQI.
The document stated that “the Ministry of Health and Social Services will submit requests for approval by the government over the next year for new major projects, namely the Drummondville and Maria hospitals and phase 3 of the program to add places in MDAAs (seniors’ homes and alternatives).”

The project, which had been on the table since 2018, was granted “clinical relevance” status in the fall of 2022, meaning that the Ministry of Health recognized the need.

The Clinical and Real Estate Master Plan already showed in the spring of 2022 that the hospital, built in 1952, was no longer suited to modern practices, especially the emergency room, where the last renovations date back to 1972.

In June 2018, the CISSS de la Gaspésie adopted a resolution to move forward with a new construction to replace the current facility, a scenario that dates back even before the creation of the CISSS.

In the meantime, the modernization of the emergency room was prioritized.

For comparison, the new emergency room and intensive care unit at Gaspé Hospital—opened in 2021 in a newly connected building, cost $31.7 million.

No financial results before September

The CISSS de la Gaspésie’s financial results for the last fiscal year, which ended March 31, will not be available before September.

The network has submitted its final financial data to Santé Québec and is still awaiting official confirmation. The documents must first be tabled in the National Assembly, which resumes on September 16.

In an email, the CISSS stated that efforts are underway to meet the $30 million savings target for the 2025–2026 fiscal year, based on a total operating budget of $560 million.

However, CEO Martin Pelletier recently acknowledged that independent labour alone accounts for $20 million of the projected $30 million deficit.

Maria Hospital: another delay for preliminary studies Read More »