Alberta health minister says 'proper procedures' were followed for patient taken to hotel instead of care home

Alberta's minister of health is defending the province's health authority after a senior with high care needs who had been expecting to be moved to a care home was instead taken to a hotel.

Minister Adriana LaGrange said she was "very concerned" when asked about an exclusive CBC News story that detailed how Blair Canniff, 62, was taken to a hotel south of Edmonton after spending months in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, as he recovered from a stroke.

Canniff uses a wheelchair and is paralyzed on his left side.

In early March, he said he was told that he would be moving to a long-term care facility and was not given any other options. Then, he said, on March 4, he was put in a taxi that took him to a Travelodge in Leduc, roughly 35 kilometres south of Edmonton.

"My understanding is that AHS [Alberta Health Services] followed their proper procedures. They did discharge to a non-profit provider and you would have to ask the non-profit provider why they chose that site," LaGrange said on Monday.

When pressed by CBC News on whether those guidelines were appropriate and the right thing to do, LaGrange reiterated that AHS followed its discharge guidelines, where a team of health-care workers work with an individual to determine where is an appropriate place to send the patient.

Concern for patient

Canniff's family told CBC News last week that they had been worried about his mobility issues and his ability to care for himself, and said he had been given fast food to eat. 

After a week at the hotel, Canniff said he was sent back to the hospital on March 11 with no explanation; he has since been re-admitted.

Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon said that his office is "most definitely" looking into the situation.

"We want to make sure everybody ends up in a safe space," he said on Monday.

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Canniff said the organization in charge of the program at the hotel was Contentment Social Services, which can be found in the province's non-profit listings. 

Before the story aired Friday and was published online Saturday, CBC News went to an address listed on Contentment Social Services's website but found it was a mailing address.

CBC News called two numbers associated with the non-profit multiple times, texted one of those numbers three times and sent several emails requesting an interview and comment for this story. As of Monday, CBC News has not heard back.

"My department doesn't provide any funding to that organization and I have instructed my department to make sure that's the case," Nixon said.

'Highway health care'

NDP Leader Rachel Notley called the situation a sad state of affairs.

"It's highway health care ending up at motel medicine," she said on Monday.

"It's a sign that the management of our health care is in great crisis and that we need more beds, publicly-run beds in Edmonton."

When told about the health minister's comments that AHS followed the guidelines, Notley said LaGrange should apologize.

"The guidelines are clearly ridiculous and need to be redone," Notley said.

Have any tips on this story? Contact reporter Julia Wong at julia.wong@cbc.ca.