Lions Housing Centres and the Lions Club of Winnipeg have been accused of inflicting “organizational elder abuse” on seniors because of the way they sold Lions Place to a for-profit real estate company in 2023.
The accusation is listed in a new report that states the two groups failed to investigate alternatives to selling the 610 Portage Ave. property and kept its tenants, many of whom had lived there for decades, in the dark about the transaction.
In “A Betrayal of Trust: Exploring the Financialization of Lions Place in Winnipeg as a Case of Organizational Elder Abuse,” the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives calls on the provincial government “to launch an immediate public inquiry, investigation and/or audit” into the management and spending of both Lions Housing Centres and the Winnipeg branch of the Lions Club.
“The sale of Lions Place represents both a major net loss of affordable housing and an example of the targeted dismantling of community for older adults in Winnipeg,” says the 46-page report, which is being released Wednesday. (John Woods / Free Press files)
“The sale of Lions Place represents both a major net loss of affordable housing and an example of the targeted dismantling of community for older adults in Winnipeg,” says the 46-page report, which is being released Wednesday.
“We conclude that it can also be conceptualized as organizational elder neglect and abuse in a community setting, reflective of a broader problem of mistreatment of older adults more generally, manifested here in mistreatment by a non-profit charitable organization.”
One of its authors, Laura Funk, a sociology professor at the University of Manitoba, said the province needs to take action because Lions Housing Centres still looks after seniors at both Lions Manor, at 320 Sherbrook St., and Lions View, at 311 Furby St.
“The seniors at Lions Place thought their needs would be looked after, but it was like the rug was pulled out from under them,” Funk said about the sale to the for-profit Mainstreet Equity Corp. in Feb. 2023, for a reported $24 million.
Funk said there had been a long-standing relationship of trust between the tenants and the Lions and it was shattered by the sale.
“This is organizational elder abuse or institutional… they lost their sense of security for their final years. They knew if their care needs advanced they could go down to Lions Manor and now it’s less clear. This was the Lions (service club) — that’s why it is so shocking.”
Tenants only learned about a possible sale of the 287-suite building in July 2022. The 55-plus complex was built in 1983 with federal government funding and an operating agreement that later transferred to the provincial government.
Even though the residents rallied against the sale, it went through early in 2023. The families minister at the time, Rochelle Squires, said the province would cushion the change by paying the seniors $1.2 million in rent subsidies for two years.
The building was renamed “Residences of Portage Commons.”
A spokesperson for the Lions Club of Winnipeg could not be reached for comment. A Lions Housing Centres spokesman said he could not comment until after he reviews the report.
Norm Pohl, the president of the resident council in the building, moved into Lions Place with his wife, Edna, about five years ago.
“The seniors at Lions Place thought their needs would be looked after, but it was like the rug was pulled out from under them.”–Laura Funk
Pohl said they were both Lions Club members at the time, but they both quit the organization after the sale of the building.
“The Lions Club has a vision statement and they really, really forgot their vision,” he said. “The vision is noble, it is caring for people. They have lost their vision.”
Pohl said the province should hold an inquiry into what the Lions did in the years leading up to the sale.
“I hope that comes out,” he said.
“If there is a villain in this whole thing it was the Lions Club. It wasn’t Mainstreet. They just bought the building.”
The report recommends the government subsidize rent paid by tenants for as long as they live in the building — something Pohl said he appreciates.
The report also suggests the building be sold to another non-profit or the government.
Tom Simms, whose 94-year-old mother lives in the building, and who was interviewed for the report, said he is pleased the provincial government has agreed to meet to discuss its findings.
“A year has passed since the sale and there is a lot of anxiety there,” Simms said, adding he believes the number of seniors has dropped to about 35 per cent of the building.
“There is anxiety about what the future holds. There was an emotional impact of the whole sale of the building. There is only one year left of the rent agreement. The people in the building should be protected.
“If there is a villain in this whole thing it was the Lions Club. It wasn’t Mainstreet. They just bought the building.”–Norm Pohl
“It needs to be extended by the new government so people aren’t pushed out of their residences.”
Other recommendations include having the provincial government enact legislation that would ban the sale of non-profit buildings to the private sector, especially ones which have received taxpayer funding; ensure tenants are included on building housing boards; and revisit provincial legislation on elder abuse to add indirect and more organizational harms.
Housing Minister Bernadette Smith did not answer questions about whether the province would investigate the situation or continue to pay the rent subsidy.
“We are engaged with the company and will continue to pay close attention to this situation in order to support the seniors who have built a community and call the building home,” Smith said in an emailed statement.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.