Chris Leedham, Sienna Senior Living and Wrongful Dismissal

LTC executive Chris Leedham alleges resident abuse

Chris Leedham, a former VP with Sienna Senior Living, the long-term care community and retirement residence company, is claiming wrongful dismissal after recently being fired. Leedham is seeking $575,000 in damages, claiming the situation took a serious toll on his mental health.

Mr. Leedham also alleges that physical and sexual abuse of residents takes place at the long-term care chain, and that some managers have been drunk on the job.

In an interview, Mr. Leedham said that “Resident abuse is entrenched in the culture; it’s a low-cost culture.” He said that during the second wave of COVID-19, despite a staff shortage, that management demanded cutting back it’s already decimated staff to meet financial objectives.

Fired after submitting doctor’s note

Leedham claims that was fired hours after submitting a doctor’s note recommending he take a medical leave. He had worked for Sienna since August 2019, and was responsible for the recruitment and retention of staff.

The former executive says he received extremely positive feedback from management, but that his situation deteriorated rapidly since the start of the pandemic.

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Leedham claims that Sienna failed to provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to staff during the pandemic, and that employees who tested positive for COVID-19 were encouraged to continue working despite having contracted the extremely dangerous and contagious disease.

Sienna Senior Living are denying Mr. Leedham’s allegations. A motion to strike Leedham’s allegations will be heard in court in August.

The toll of COVID-19 on Sienna Senior Living

Sienna Senior Living has one of the highest death rates of residences since the start of COVID-19. They currently operate 37 homes in Ontario, as well as several homes in British Colombia. So far during the pandemic 300 residents have died from COVID-19. The province took control of one of Sienna Senior Living’s homes in Mississauga, Ont. last spring after the death toll at the facility topped 61 residents.

Fired? Contact our team

Let go or fired from your job? Talk to a wrongful dismissal lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP today. Discover what your rights are, find out how much severance pay you may be owed, and how to get it. We believe that our employment law team is the very best in Ontario, BC and Alberta in what we do, and our results prove this.