Layoffs at Vancouver Coastal will hurt most vulnerable: CUPE

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – More cuts are coming to our health care system, and critics warn the impacts will be on some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has issued 17 layoff notices this week. The positions include professional nutritionists and therapists who serve East Vancouver and the Downtown Eastside in particular.

Union members say the fact that they are protected by a collective agreement isn’t much comfort.

“That doesn’t address the fact that these programs are going to be cut,” CUPE local 15 President Leanne Toderian tells Breakfast Television on City.

“The jobs are still going to be empty, they’re still going to get rid of them, and really what that means is that the citizens of Vancouver are not going to be able to access the kind of health care that they’ve been enjoying up until now.”

Toderian worries this will affect all walks of life. “It’s also a very serious concern to our members that the people who are at the end of their life are not going to get the kind of care that they need… in their homes or in the community.”

She believes the cuts will result in greater social inequality in the neighborhood.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today