Sunnycrest Nursing Home Class Action
Will Davidson has issued a class action against Sunnycrest Nursing Home, claiming $30,000,000 on behalf of all residents of Sunnycrest Nursing Home in Whitby, Ontario. The team responsible for the class action is led by Gary Will, Managing Partner with the assistance of Gordon Marsden, Partner and Michael Reid, Senior Law Clerk.
View our Sunnycrest Nursing Home Statement of Claim here.
Sunnycrest had a significant outbreak reported on November 23, 2020 in the second wave of Covid-19 resulting in 34 resident deaths, 117 resident infections and 78 staff infections.
Representative Plaintiff Information
Julia Ratnayake is the representative plaintiff in the action. Julia lost her mother, Edelvena Smelova on January 7, 2021 due to complications with Covid-19 and severe dehydration.
Julia had the following statements about his mother:
“My mother was born in Moscow, Russia (then USSR) on October 23rd, 1934. She survived world war II with her mother, helping soldiers and protecting buildings from the fires caused by German bombing raids.”
“After the war she completed her studies and became a Music and figure skating instructor. Later she became a well known and respected music educator. Her work, methodology, and instruments continue to be used today. Not only in Russia, but also in other countries including Canada. The ministry of education in Russia dedicated a music laboratory in her name.”
“After immigrating to Canada 25 years ago, she continued her volunteer work as a music educator for the Toronto, York, and Durham Region School Boards and community centres.”
“She was a loving and dedicated mother, adored grandmother of 4, and great-grandmother of 5. She was patient, never complained, and did not want to bother anybody.”
“We are heart broken knowing that our mother and grandmother spent her last two months alone, without seeing us or feeling our love.”
The gross negligence of Sunnycrest Nursing Home is reflected in the fact that they allowed a significant outbreak of Covid-19 on November 23, 2020. It is simply inexcusable that Sunnycrest was not better prepared to protect vulnerable residents more than 9 months into the pandemic.
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, according to Gary Will. We at Will Davidson LLP salute those dedicated individuals and companies who are working so hard to keep these vulnerable residents safe and healthy in these difficult times. 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, Sunnycrest Nursing Home did not properly care for its vulnerable residents and this has resulted in dozens of grieving families.
Will Davidson has significant experience in long-term care and retirement home gross negligence class actions. We have initiated class actions against 72 long-term care and retirement homes, and we are jointly involved in a class action against an additional 72 long-term care homes for their gross negligence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Will Davidson is standing up for vulnerable, elderly residents of long-term care and retirement homes who have paid a heavy price during the COVID-19 pandemic and are entitled to seek accountability, responsibility, and justice.
Contact Will Davidson LLP to Learn More About our Sunnycrest Nursing Home Class Action Lawsuit
Anyone that has information about this case or if you are a resident or a family member of a resident you can contact Gary Will at gwill@willdavidson.ca ( 905-815-5802) or Michael Reid at mreid@willdavidson.ca (905-337-9748) for a free consultation.
Learn More About the Sunnycrest Nursing Home Outbreak
McClean’s – The Untold Story of the Pandemic in Canada – Chapter 3 – Canada’s Shame
Class-action lawsuit filed against Whitby nursing home
Whitby council wants Ontario commission to probe second wave failures at long-term care homes
Nursing home struggling with COVID-19 outbreak failed to ensure facility was safe, report shows
My dad is a resident at Sunnycrest band survived covid and covid pneumonia.
His care givers there are so kind to him and others and like family to us!
The owner is to blame and some administrative staff for not supplying extra PPE equipment and supplies ! Many of my dads care givers became ill also!
This law suit is only going to hurt LTC homes instead of helping fix them!
I worked at Sunnycrest for 14 years. This does not surprise me. I would never let any family member to have resided there. This is horrific what has happened to our beautiful seniors. God bless all of them and their families. I quit there four years ago. I tried to advocate for the residents and was more or less told I was a trouble maker. Glad I left.
I have info about sunnycrest nursing home. My mom was there around 2012. i did put that home under investigation at the time and they were issued a non compliance order. If that something you will like to have more info about it let me know..
Thank you,
We are happy to hear that you are pursuing this case. We live near SunnyCrest and thought it may be closed as it has been so quite all summer. Many of those deaths could have been avoided if they had embraced the use of Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, Vitamins C, D and Zinc. Both the Federal and Provincial governments banned the use of the above medications for Covid 19, so they could push the untested and experimental vaccine. Perhaps you could also include Justin Trudeau, and the Ministry of Health in your law suits. As they have played a huge part in the deaths of many, not just the LTC’s. We wish you much luck going forward and applaud you for taking on this huge task.