The BC Care Providers Association is calling for the B.C.’s Seniors Advocate to resign and for her office to be audited and its mandate reviewed.

CEO Daniel Fontaine says they did not make the decision lightly but after they received information back from a Freedom of Information request they had no choice.

“We were quite astounded,” he said. “My jaw dropped when I read and saw that there were all these back channel discussions and text messages from the senior’s advocate through to the Hospital Employees Union.”

“All these back and forth discussions around things like logistics of timing of the news release, getting feedback on the content of the report. I mean the list goes on and on.”

The report in question was released last year and focused on residential care.

Fontaine says the FOI material puts into question every report the Seniors Advocate has published.

“We have been fairly critical, and I think when the public reviews this and goes onto the website and reads this, if they were to see this time of interaction happening with the Ombudsperson or the Auditor General or any other independent body of the legislature, there would be calls for a resignation today,” Fontaine added.

“I have no doubt about that.”

He says the office needs to be truly independent instead of being within government as it is now.

Seniors Advocate Responds

However, B.C.’s Seniors Advocate is firing back at the BC Care Providers Association basically saying ‘thanks but no thanks’ to their demand that she resign.

Isobel Mackenzie says the association does not have its facts straight and is selectively presenting emails to make the allegations.

“I think British Columbians and particularly B.C. seniors are not looking for an advocate who’s going to back down simply when an industry association is upset that a report does not portray their members in a particularly good light,” she said.

“Especially when the report is based on facts and evidence as the transfer to hospital report was.”

Mackenzie replied “absolutely not” when asked directly if the Hospital Employees Union had any hand in the report in question.

She says her office is no different in its statutory independence than say the BC Coroners Office.

Health Minister Responds

On Twitter Health Minister Adrian Dix weighed in giving the Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie his vote of confidence.

The tweets in full are below.