Ontario charity relocated residents with autism without consent, their families say

Family members of adults with autism in the care of a Greater Toronto Area charity are calling on the province to intervene after their loved ones were relocated without consent due to a labour dispute. 

Since 2012, Christine Burnett’s nephew, Jay Gualitieri, 35, has been a resident at a Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS) group home in Oakville.

But at the end of September, he and other CWSDS residents were moved from their group homes in Mississauga, Milton, Georgetown, and Burlington to the charity’s headquarters at 53 Bond St. in Oakville, according to the support workers’ union involved in the dispute.

Loved ones say they weren’t given a choice in the matter.

“Where was the consent?” Burnett asked while speaking to CBC Toronto. “They’ve removed all of the residents from the safety and security and predictable routines of their group homes.” 

Now, she and other concerned family members have published an open letter to Premier Doug Ford, asking him to help their loved ones return to their previous group homes, to familiar surroundings and daily routines “with staff who know how best to support them.” 

The premier’s office did not respond to CBC Toronto’s request for comment.

It’s unclear how many residents were relocated.

The family members say they have been told by CWSDS the relocation was to prepare for a possible lockout or strike in an ongoing dispute between CWSDS and support workers, who provide care to the residents in their group homes.

In a post on the union’s website Thursday, OPSEU Local 249 explained CWSDS management requested a “no board” report from the Ministry of Labour, which prompted a lockout countdown. The union says CWSDS has had the legal ability to lock workers out since Oct. 9, but workers have not taken a strike vote, meaning the union is not in a legal position to strike.

On Wednesday, union members rejected a “last offer” in a vote forced by the Ministry of Labour.

CBC Toronto made multiple attempts to contact CWSDS by email and phone, but did not hear back by deadline.

Meanwhile, the residents’ families say they feel they’re being used as a bargaining chip.

Rabia Khedr’s 50-year-old brother already lived at the Oakville location, before five other residents were relocated there.

CBC’s Marianne Dimain speaks with autism advocate, Tracy Humphreys.

“He is a social butterfly,” she told CBC Toronto. “He thrives on wanting to help people and, and be involved. But you know, this is too much even for him.”

Khedr feels the move violates the rights of her brother and the other residents. 

In a news release, the group of family members said it has taken its concerns to Robert Lattanzio, executive director of ARCH Disability Law Centre.

In the release, Lattanzio wrote: “It is unconscionable for people with disabilities, in violation of their rights and with the potential for devastating consequences, to be moved from their homes without their consent as a way to navigate an evolving labour dispute.”

Those consequences include negative impacts on residents’ health, as well as confusion and anxiety that can lead to aggressive reactions, Burnett said.

“[My nephew’s] six-foot-four and he’s probably 240 pounds. So if he gets upset … he can be hard to manage,” she said. “But with a stable environment, as he’s had at his current group home for quite a number of years, he’s really been doing very well.” 

Another concern for many family members is CWSDS’s promise to bring in temporary agency staff in the event of a lockout or strike.

That has the potential to alienate residents even more, Khedr said. 

“The people who support them are often their best friends and family. That’s how they feel toward them. Those relationships are built over years,” she said.

Burnett also questions how well trained those temporary workers will be. 

In response to the concerns raised in this story, the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services provided a statement to CBC Toronto saying, “Collective bargaining is a matter between the employer and the unions that represent employees.

“The ministry requires agencies to develop a contingency plan, which identifies potential alternative courses of action, while ensuring the safety, health and well-being of staff and those who receive services during a service disruption.”