The tug-of-war over who controls Rainycrest is heating up again fast as the year-long takeover by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is set to expire in just over two weeks.
That’s precisely why a cool-down period is needed, which is what the ministry basically asked for on Friday when it requested consent from the Rainycrest board of management for a six-month extension of its control order in order to conduct an independent operational review “on the governance, financial, and care systems at Rainycrest.”
The Rainycrest board, as voiced by its chair, Fort Frances Mayor Dan Onichuk, is reluctant to grant the request, arguing the ministry previously had promised this review would be done by January.
Fair enough—at least on the surface. It’s equally clear the board wants the ministry out of the picture as quickly as possible, and preferably with the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board named as the permanent administrator of Rainycrest at the end of the day over Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc., which has been running the home on an interim basis since the ministry assumed control last March.
The crux of the Rainycrest board’s reasoning is that a board given the power to tax should be made up of officials elected by the general public (as the DSSAB is) versus those who are not (as Riverside is).
Two points muddy the waters, though. First, Riverside, by all accounts, has done a tremendous job getting Rainycrest back on solid ground over the past year. And second, district municipalities don’t exactly have a glowing track record when it comes to managing the home.
About the only thing clear is that the ministry is not convinced the proper decision can be made before March 18—and its request for an extension is a reasonable one which the Rainycrest board should accept.
After all, what’s another six months to make sure we get it right?
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
