Banning is illegal for residents in care facilities but the health authorities disagree with the law.

I remember saying that Randy had the right to have visitors and yet VCHA said that he could not have visitors.  Although the law says that residents can have visitors VCHA disagrees with the law.  And to make it more upsetting in my case I was advocating for my husband to live as he was being subjected to unlawful DNRs. The very first day of me seeing the head nurse at George Pearson Center she said that she could make sure that I never see Randy again even on his death bed which came to pass.  

I was banned most of the years that Randy was imprisoned at George Pearson Centre.  I remember asking a RN how often are visitors banned and she said it was noticeable.  Visitors just go away because they do not what to do. All VCHA has to say is that the hospital is on private property and visitors and patients believe it. And no records and no records are available to know how many people are subject to this cruelity.  No one is ever charged in BC but the police might attend and firmly ask you to leave.

How cruel it is for everyone concerned.  The anger never goes away.  Even though my husband has been death since 2014 the forever banning is still in effect.  The details of my banning are nothing more than double hearsay and employees agreeing to say things to protect their jobs.  So much for professionalism in the medical profession.  Just agree to snowflake allegations and remain part of our network to protect each other. Most nurses and LPNs with overtime make $100,000 a year not counting their benefits.

What keeps me going is what a nurse said to me at George Pearson Centre, of all the residents and family members, Randy and I were the easiest and the most co-operative to get along with.  So I ask what was the problem.

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There were over 900 comments to a report on the CBC news on November 23 2019 about Mary Sardelis.

Hon. Raymond Cho
Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility
Frost Building South
6^th Floor
7 Queen’s Park Cres.
Toronto, ON M7A 1Y7
November 28, 2019

Dear Minister Cho,

I’m writing to request a full investigation into the use of trespass orders against family members in retirement homes, and for the results to be made public.

It was disconcerting to learn that some retirement homes are using sections of Ontario’s trespass law to ban family members from visiting their relatives when they  have raised concerns about their loved ones’ living conditions.

The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), an organization specializing in legal services for seniors, has been very clear: the use of trespass orders to bar family members from retirement homes is illegal.

I was deeply moved by the situation of Mary Sardelis, who was banned from seeing her 97-year-old mother Voula for 316 days. The two were separated at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even for Voula’s birthday.

Mary’s situation, however, is far from an isolated incident - it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Jane Meadus, a lawyer with ACE, estimates that she has received more than one call a week with complaints of retirement homes or long-term care facilities using trespass orders to bar family members from visiting.

It is vital for both individual cases and the overall practice to be investigated.


Joel Harden
Official Opposition Critic for Seniors
MPP for Ottawa Centre