Southbridge Class Action

Southbridge Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes Class Action

Will Davidson LLP has initiated a class action on behalf of all residents of long-term care homes and retirement homes owned and/or operated by Southbride Care Homes (“Southbridge”).

Southbridge owns and/or operates 27 long term care facilities and 9 retirement homes in Ontario, including Orchard Villa in Pickering, Craiglee Nursing Home in Scarborough and Southbridge Roseview in Thunder Bay.

View our Southbridge Statement of Claim here.

Information About Our Representative Plaintiffs

Orchard Villa Representative Plaintiff

Sylvia Lyon lost her mother, Ursula Drehlich due to Covid-19 on April 23, 2020 at Orchard Villa.

woman looking off into distance

Ursula Drehlich in 2011

Sylvia had the following statements about her mother:

“My mother Ursula was a good, decent individual who had overcome many obstacles in her life. We entrusted her care to the owners of Orchard Villa.”

“I consider it my duty to my mother to push for an investigation of this tragedy. Those that are responsible for this state of affairs must take responsibility and be held accountable. That is the reason I decided to go forward with this action on behalf of all the residents of Orchard Villa.”

“My mother was a sweet, happy, smiley, gentle lady who loved to sing and who never asked for anything or complained. She loved to laugh and to tell stories and reminisce about her work as a banquet waitress at the Holiday Inn. She was the life of the party and was loved by everyone who met her. She was kind and generous and her family was her whole world. She was smart and could remember names of people from years ago.

“My mother was my life and I will forever miss her. She certainly did not deserve to die the way she did. I will forever regret her being in this home.”

Craiglee Nursing Home Representative Plaintiff

Karen MacRae lost her mother, Donna Hatinen on August 21, 2020 due to Covid-19 at Craiglee Nursing Home.

woman in restaurant smiling at camera

Donna Hatinen

Karen had the following comments about her mother:

“She was an avid Bingo player and lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan. A woman with a great sense of humour and an unwavering need for adventure. Her last words she spoke of her family and how much she loved everyone.”

“She was full of life always had a smile on her face and loved to be around her family.”

Southbridge Roseview Representative Plaintiff

Cherie Kok and Jeff Robinson lost their father, Wayne Robinson on December 9, 2020 due to Covid-19 at Southbridge Roseview.

Man and dog sitting

Wayne Robinson

They had the following to say about their father:

“He was a loving and supportive father who coached soccer without even knowing anything about the sport, became a swimming official for swim meets, and learned to ski as an adult so the family could do an activity together. He took the time to be involved, even though his job kept him away from home at times.”

“He was honest, very loving and generous, and he loved hugs. He had a great sense of humour, loved having a good time and he was fun to be around.”

“He enjoyed the family camp at Amethyst Harbour mainly in May, June, September and October when the campers were not there. He enjoyed fishing in the summer and hunting in the fall.”

“He was ahead of his time, when it came to conservation and recycling, always looking for new ways to compost or recycle.”

“He had a dream life in which he achieved his simple and selfless dreams to improve himself and his life, further his education, have a career he loved, love and support his family, and share his passion of the environment.”

There are many well run long term care facilities in the province of Ontario. In fact over half of the long term care facilities in Ontario have no deaths. At the other end of the spectrum there are a small handful of homes which have accounted for the majority of deaths in long term care facilities in Ontario. Unfortunately, Southbridge did not properly care for its vulnerable residents which resulted in the worst death ratio per 100 beds of all nursing home chains.

Contact Will Davidson LLP to learn more about our Southbridge Chain Claim Class Action

If anyone has information about this case or is a resident or family member of a resident please contact Gary Will at gwill@willdavidson.ca (905-815-5802) or Michael Reid at mreid@willdavidson.ca (905-337-9748) for a free consultation.

Will Davidson LLP’s class action lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning you will not be charged hourly or upfront legal fees for our services. Instead, our lawyers will accept a percentage of the final settlement as payment. This payment structure allows us to offer access to justice to all Ontarians, regardless of their economic situation. Reach out today to learn more.