labour shortage

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS – A disagreement between the Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSS) and two independent labour nurses has led to service disruptions and shortages in the obstetrics department of the Sainte-Anne-des-Monts hospital since December 22. 

Two experienced nurses, who requested anonymity for fear of backlash, had been working at the Sainte-Anne-des-Monts hospital for two years through their respective agencies. 

The CISSS provided $120 per night to cover the costs of their accommodation. The presence of the two nurses kept the obstetrics service running. However, one nurse renting an AirBnB-type home revealed that her accommodation fees had not been paid since September 5, without having been notified of the situation. 

The nurses had been staying at the same residence since December 2022. Their accommodations were cancelled and the CISSS wanted to relocate them to an apartment, one where they wouldn’t be permitted pets or their spouses to stay with them, and they’d be sharing an apartment, similar to mining sector workers. 

One nurse expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangement, stating that she did not want to live in a community “…like when I was in CEGEP.” 

Moreover, the CISSS adopted such a policy last fall in order to reduce costs, which reach nearly half a million dollars per month to house independent workers. 

“There is something other than the situation mentioned,” says Yannick Sauvé, the director of procurement and logistics for the Gaspé Peninsula CISSS, who remains cautious given the confidentiality of workers’ files. 

“We do not take any decisions lightly. In this case, following an administrative investigation, we decided not to go ahead with what they were asking. We will take legal action to recover the overpaid amounts,” says Mr. Sauvé. 

The internal investigation had shown irregularities, without revealing specific details since the dispute could ultimately end up in court. 

“Yes, accommodation is changing. These are specific cases. To act as we are, we had judged that there was a major problem. It is not related to the accommodation policy. It is really a specific case related to these people,” he says, adding that exceptional measures could have been applied given the situation in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. Mr. Sauvé points out that full-time positions are open to join the team. 

“They chose to remain independent workers where the advantage is that we pay the entire rent. We have people who come to work here to cover all the costs. It’s a question of fairness,” says the manager. 

The Quebec government has granted a deadline until October 2026 to free the Gaspé network from independent workers. 

In addition to this particular situation in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, the Gaspé Peninsula CISSS indicated that it was using 400,000 hours of work by independent workers to ensure continuity of care. 

A situation similar to that experienced in Haute-Gaspésie could arise in other establishments in the Gaspé Peninsula. 

“We are not here to put spokes in the wheels, but we have to think that it is $500,000 per month that we will save if we have our people full-time. $500,000 per month is care for the population. We do not do this lightly. We do it on a case-by-case basis because we do not want to cut off access to care,” says Mr. Sauvé. 

When questioned, Gaspé Member of the National Assembly Stéphane Sainte-Croix preferred not to comment on this specific case. 

However, he remains concerned about the eight service disruptions or interruptions in 2024. “I am very concerned. We are never reassured in front of our citizens during a service disruption. There is a particular situation for the repetition of service disruptions. We must question ourselves. We will try to understand the situation and address it to find a way out,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix. The obstetrics department in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts relies entirely on independent labour to remain operational, requiring six nurses to ensure optimal service.