The Quebec Court of Appeal orders that the emergency room in Rivière-Rouge, in the Laurentians, remains open 24 hours a day, despite the labor shortage plaguing the region.
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“It’s unprecedented […] and it sends a very strong signal for the future,” rejoices lawyer Carl-Éric Therrien.
In a unanimous judgment, the highest court in the province reverses the decision of the Superior Court and issues a provisional injunction order to maintain night services. The three judges write that “the harm that would be suffered [les résidents] is potentially much more important and irremediable than the institutional harm linked to the organization of emergency personnel,” adding that a breakdown in service does not appear to be “imminent” in the evidence submitted.
Citing a glaring lack of employees, the CISSS des Laurentides wanted to close the Rivière-Rouge emergency room from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Photo Hugo Duchaine
Rather than giving up, the small municipality decided to take legal action.
“We must not be defeatist [face aux enjeux de main-d’œuvre]», pleads Me Carl-Éric Therrien, adding that health care is not the only one to be hit by this reality.
For his part, the mayor of Rivière-Rouge, Denis Lacasse, said he was relieved for residents who maintain their nighttime emergency. According to him, the parties involved should take advantage of this judgment to talk to each other and find long-term solutions. “My door is open,” he said.
Since obtaining a first temporary injunction, the CISSS des Laurentides had called on volunteers, overtime and the compulsory movement of employees to maintain emergency services.
- Listen to the interview with Me Carl-Éric Therrien, lawyer representing the municipality of Rivière-Rouge with Alexandre Moranville on QUB:
At the beginning of the month, residents of Rivière-Rouge met by The newspaper particularly felt abandoned by the decision to close at night. They spoke of the distances to travel to receive treatment and the high occupancy rates in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts or Mont-Laurier.
Employees too
The president of the FIQ in the Laurentians, Julie Daignault, maintains that Rivière-Rouge employees want the emergency room to remain open 24 hours a day. She emphasizes that a night team is on duty, but that it remains incomplete , while the CISSS was slow to post the positions to be filled.
“Yes, it’s demanding, but they are ready to make the necessary efforts,” she admits about the injunction. But it is important that the employer does everything in its duty to maintain services.”
The member for Québec solidaire, Vincent Marissal, is delighted that the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the small community and he calls on the Minister of Health to show leadership. “We will not be able to go back to court every time a health service in Quebec is cut,” he argues.