Air conditioning at care home in West St. Paul broken for days amid heat wave

Residents of a personal care home in West St. Paul have been stuck in “extreme heat,” with the air conditioning broken for several days, one resident’s daughter says.

“The temperature this morning in the building was 32 degrees in the unit,” Sherry Shindruk said Monday. “I don’t believe that’s acceptable.” 

Her father, Orest, lives at Middlechurch Home of Winnipeg, which is just north of the intersection of the Perimeter Highway and Main Street.

Shindruk says the care home’s air conditioning has been out since Thursday. She says it was supposed to be fixed Saturday but was not as of Monday.

“I don’t know what the solution is, but to me, this has been unacceptable,” Shindruk said. 

“To think we’re going on five-plus days in the most extreme heat we’ve had. I still don’t see a solution in play.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a warning Wednesday about a heat wave expected to last throughout this past weekend and into this week.

Several heat records were set for many parts of Manitoba this weekend, and the weather agency issued orange-level heat warnings for Winnipeg and other parts of the province. Temperatures in Winnipeg hovered in the mid-30s, with humidex values in the mid-40s. 

Shindruk says a few portable air conditioners had been installed as of Monday evening but it’s not making much of a difference, as the thermostat still shows 32 C.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said in an email that a “mechanical issue” is affecting the air conditioning in a “limited area” of the building. The email didn’t say how long the air conditioning had been out.

The health authority said the problem is “being fixed as soon as possible.” In the meantime, residents are being supported with interim cooling measures that include access to air-conditioned common areas and portable cooling equipment, the email said.

“They finally brought in some fans. So, all they’re doing now is blowing hot air around the units,” Shindruk said.

“There are some portable options that should have been provided, and maybe not Day 1, maybe not even Day 2, but we’re on Day 5.”

Shindruk says the heat in the building is so intense that staff members have been calling in sick. 

“And I don’t blame them. They’re not proper working conditions,” she said.

“Staff are hovering around fans trying to keep them cool…. I’ve seen staff with cooling towels around their necks. And I walk into my dad’s room, and he’s got warm water left in his water jug.”

There isn’t a maximum temperature where work must stop under provincial legislation. However, employers must implement safe work measures responsive to the risks posed by thermal stress. 

The health authority confirmed there are two other care homes dealing with air conditioning issues.

Temporary air conditioning units have been installed in residents’ rooms at Donwood Manor, located in northeast Winnipeg. The facility was damaged by heavy rainfall last month.

At Pembina Place, just south of Confusion Corner, large air conditioners have been installed on each floor. 

Shindruk says she’s expressed her concerns with the provincial government. 

“Everybody is saying the same thing. ‘We’re doing the best we can, you know, we’ve done everything we can.’ And I said, ‘No, they haven’t.'”