General manager of Ontario retirement home charged after door handles removed from rooms during pandemic
The general manager of an Ontario retirement home is facing confinement charges after police say the door handles were removed from some residents’ rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) announced the charges on Wednesday.
On February 12, DRPS investigators said they began an investigation in response to a complaint that came forward against staff members at White Cliffe Terrace Retirement Home in Courtice, which is located just east of Oshawa.
It was alleged that staff members had removed door handles to some units in the residence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Durham police have arrested and charged 40-year-old Tawab Karimi, the former general manager of White Cliffe Terrace, with two counts of unlawful confinement.
He has been released on an undertaking.
In March, the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), who said they became aware of the situation by means of a whistleblower, published the findings of a Feb. 4 inspection of the residence.
The RHRA said the inspection found the home "failed to comply with certain sections of the Retirement Homes Act related to protection against abuse and neglect of residents, as well as confinement."
In April, CP24 and CTV News Toronto obtained a copy of a letter from Verve Senior Living, the company that runs the home, informing families that "a small" number of door handles were removed.
"It was a violation of our protocols and practices. As soon as we became aware of the incident, all resident's door handles were immediately reinstalled," David Bird, president and CEO of Verve Senior Living, wrote in the letter dated Feb. 10.
DRPS are asking anyone with new information to the East Division Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1657.
Correction
A previous version of this article identified White Cliffe as a long-term-care home, rather than a retirement home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.