“At the level of the sprinklers, financially, it was going to strangle them”, affirms the president and director general of the Quebec Regrouping of residences for seniors (RQRA), Marc Fortin. “By 2024 between 12 and 18% would probably have closed their doors,” he adds.
In total, Quebec adds just over $100 million to the amounts already announced.
“It’s a great announcement, but we are still quite worried regarding the amounts that have been announced. The figure of 100 million seems quite low to us,” says the director general of the Federation of Housing NPOs of Bas-St-Laurent, Gaspésie and the Islands (FOHGBI), David Barbaza-Escaich.
“For the installation (of sprinklers), it can represent $200, 300, 400,000,” he argues.
Quebec also announced that it will continue to pay the COVID bonus for an additional year offered to employees. The extension of this measure is considered essential to allow several RPAs to offer competitive salaries.
“It has to stay, because small residences like us are not able to compete with large buildings,” laments the owner of Manoir Alexandre.
“Managers don’t have the ability to increase salaries, because revenues can’t increase. Our income is really fixed in relation to the administrative housing tribunal, therefore in the leases: food, care, rents, everything is in the leases,” explains Marc Fortin.
If the new aid measures are generally well received and will allow certain RPAs to keep their heads above water, at least for the next year; unfortunately, for some others, it is too little too late.
