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[1-10]  [11-20]   [21-23]   This is the man who will neither confirm, nor deny, that he's harassed Ehatare with a series of baseless complaints to the Government. Prox id olid valja saadetud juba kallutatud nimedega, puudusid teised nimed-seega on valimised ebademokraatlikud suunatud nendele nimedele ,milledele vana juhatus kirjutas prox i peale we recommend these..... . Aga kuhu jaid teised,, voi ei oleks tohtinud nimedeta proxi valja anda et proxi holder ise valiks koosolekul otse. Kas tuhistada valimised ? I believe that EAK is an important organization and there is no room for "baseless" claims. Before asking questions or taking issue with a claim, everyone should perform their own due diligence. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care reported an issue of non-compliance last September. The presentation given to EAK members on May 22nd indicated that the Ministry was "cognoscente" of the fact that Ehatare was operating with a member of the Board in a non-compliant position. But on July 10th (2012) the Performance Improvement and Compliance Branch verified that: "A review of our database indicated that the Medical Director was listed as a member of the Board since 2001. However, according to our compliance records, Long-Term Care Home Inspectors were not aware of this information until an anaymous informant contacted the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) in 2011." That would seem to indicate that the Ministry was not fully "cognoscente" of the dual responsibility nor did they give the situation a tacit acceptance. More than a few people are concerned by these types of issues, as they are about documents that fail to report that directors of the Board were compensated for services rendered to the corporation. If directors were compensated, so be it...but please report it to the membership and the required agencies. The challenges of operating in a highly regulated environment can be overwhelming and sometimes circumstances require bold decisions. These decisions, however, shouldn't include limiting access to information when members ask questions directly on specific points. That action only sparks more questions and concern. Limiting discussion on issues, refusing to provide copies of presentations made to members and not providing minutes to previous EAK meetings begs the question... "why?" Characterizing the process of asking questions and pointing out facts as harassment, especially if the facts are supported, is unfortunate.
I congratulate the candidates who won their positions on the Board. I believe it's very healthy that we discuss matters, debate ideas and encourage other candidates to demonstrate their desire to be active in the organization. I'm sure all EAK members want a healthy, forward thinking and open discussion about the future of Ehatare. I watched the videos of the AGM and of Dr Leesment and the one with Allan Meiusi.

First off... Allan it was great to finally put a face to a name. Great interview…

The board meeting seemed chaotic and again reinforces my view that the board is acting in preserving their jobs (which would be fine if there was some transparency and openness) and by "pre-approving" the agenda (or was it minutes? I am not sure Dr. Leesment knew which one he was talking about) because they had enough votes via proxy is ridiculous.. How did they know how many people would arrive at the meeting to know that they would have had enough votes?
This shows that the board does not want people to know via the minutes what is happening. WHY? What is so secret? What are you hiding?

The person who spoke of their "hands being tied" shows how out of touch the board is. We all know you can't talk details of a lawsuit- but the board never acknowledged that they mishandled the Public Relations aspect relating to the lawsuit. Many of us wanted the board to get a mediator. I for one wanted the board to send Ruth for training on how to INSPIRE employees... not scare then into silence from fear of losing their jobs.

My mother is looking forward to living at Ehatare. So I wonder how employees feel when they can just be terminated for no cause. Ok now that there is a union that might not happen any longer. But, I believe that it is an unhealthy work environment when one lives in fear of their job security. I believe that scared employees won’t tell their superiors of issues. Silent employees might mean that some issues that might need to raised for the protection of the residents night not be brought forward. When you need your job – you don’t want rock the boat because of job security fears. THAT my dear board are the type of things you can speak about.

Finally, Dr Leesment, Spoke of how the government wanted even snacks recorded onto the records of the residence … he went on to talk about using the computer and how he uses one finger – Sharing his lack of computer skills. I started to wonder about medical charts? Are they not computerized? Who entered his notes for him? How did he read the charts if many items are on the computer such as their food intakes if he is just starting to learn?

The President of the EAK does not sound like someone getting email alerts and notices of government mandated changes or updates into improved systems and procedures. It scares me that in our age of complex technology making information readily available on the computer and how a computer via the internet is a gateway onto the information highway that Dr. Leesment is on a learners permit.

I wish the new board well… and I truly hope that all of you are able to commit the time and energy needed to full-fill your tasks and responsibilities… making us all proud and ensuring a safe environment at Ehatare. Mr. Meiusi repeats the claim that Ehatare filed "... documents that fail to report that directors of the Board were compensated ..." even though he knows that the Board is composed of volunteers.

Dr. Leesment received compensation for providing medical services and, when this threw Meiusi & Co. into consternation, Leesment resigned as Medical Director. Ehatare's residents are now deprived of medical service in the Estonian language. That's a victory, of sorts, if you don't have a loved-one in Ehatare.

Will this twaddle about transparency ever end? We all know that Meiusi & Co. tried to overthrow the Board to "get Ruth".

Then what? How about some transparency from you, Mr. Meiusi? Ehatare is home to our community's seniors. Their representative, Mr. Vaikla, spoke very eloquently at the end of the meeting. He spoke of the turmoil this has all caused. Also, of the considerable unease caused by the legal proceedings. It is and has been a well-run facility. I am afraid of a "takeover" by an inexperienced group. Too much is at risk. The need for an Estonian speaking doctor was never an issue as Leesment was never there when residents were awake or family was present . This only applies to the nursing home floor on the 4th floor.
4th floor residents understand enough English for their new doctor and the nursing staff speak sufficient Estonian to translate if needed.
Mr. Vaikla is not on the4th floor and doesn't really get the issues at hand . Video highlights convey impressions which are by their nature limited. For those who did not attend the ERC Annual General Meeting, it would have been useful to have heard Ruth Macfarlane's full report on Ehatare's performance over the past year. They would also have heard one the residents, Hr. Vaikla, declare that residents are happy with their lives and to stop the bickering. Both of these are significant. They are indicative of both Management and the Board having moved on. They are doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to act in the best interests of the residents. Hr. Vaikla's appeal is indicative of the residents having moved on as well. Ruth's presentation was not challenged. Neither was Hr. Vaikla's. Ehatare continues to function as a well managed facility. Those who have been led to believe otherwise should at least take notice.

The former employee at the root of the ongoing dissension has also moved on, having found employment and new opportunities. I sincerely hope that the time and circumstances are now right to resolve the outstanding differences between employee and employer. The processes and precedents for resolving such disputes are relatively straightforward and I sincerely hope the parties use them to resolve this dispute sooner as opposed to later.

Some parts of the Annual General Meeting could have been managed more effectively. On the other hand, most organizations in our community are not subjected to unabated harassment, anonymous or otherwise. Calls for greater transparency, may even sound appropriate and reasonable, but to date it is unclear how the existing leadership has not been transparent or how their transgressions may have placed the organization at risk. I have sat through a special membership meeting as well as the Annual General Meeting, and to date, nothing significantly at variance has been presented to the membership. The appointment of a new medical director has resolved any real or perceived conflict of interest issues which the Board chair may have had during his tenure as Acting Medical Director. The history and rationale for these circumstances was disclosed by the Board at the special meeting. It went unchallenged.

Calls for more openness and democracy are also inconsistent with a proxy slate of alternative directors sent to members, with these individuals already pre-chosen with an x marked beside their names. Usually it is the voter who chooses and not the candidates. The need for an Estonian speaking doctor was never an issue as Leesment was never there when residents were awake or family was present . This only applies to the nursing home floor on the 4th floor.
4th floor residents understand enough English for their new doctor and the nursing staff speak sufficient Estonian to translate if needed.
Mr. Vaikla is not on the4th floor and doesn't really get the issues at hand . I'm perplexed since it seems that having an Estonian speaking doctor at Ehatare has been deemed more important than following the law of the country that we reside in. It's fantastic that we have an Estonian speaking doctor willing to service our greatest generation...but do we have to break Ontario statutes to do it? Canada is a fantastic country. I love this country for accepting my parents and their siblings in time of international turmoil and giving them the opportunity to live and prosper. The laws of Canada and Ontario should mean something shouldn't they?? If we respect this country, as we should, then we should respect its laws even when those laws do not necessarily serve our community at a time of need.
Secondly, if members aren't transparent about their concern, then why would a full slate of candidates run? I'm flattered that some people have tried to call this "Meiusi and Company" because I'm geniunely proud to be in the company of such enlightened individuals. But that is where people seem to miss the point. It has nothing to do with individuals, this is about changing a troubling direction that affects a generation of people.
Alternate candidates only had 10 days, including a long weekend, to be nominated and endorsed by other members because the by-laws were not clear on the procedure. Yet we were able to do so because a significant number of people in the community had concern about the direction of the Board. EKN had elections some months ago and ran an advertisement in the Eesti Elu weeks before the election. Seems like that is a more pragmatic way to engage the membership as well as benefit from greater community participation. Instead EAK members received notice about the AGM in the minimum10-11 day notice period. Since the by-laws are less then percise about the election process the AGM notice was really the only solid information about how to nominate candidates. Why can't EAK be as open as EKN for example? Hr. Einola writes about having a "pre-chosen" slate full of alternative candidates on proxies. A sign of good organization in the heat of the moment I would think. Are checkmarks really as bad as issuing proxies without ALL the names of EVERY candidate on the proxy ballot? Maybe we should have had ballots with the names of alternate candidates and forgotten the names of the candidates running for re-election, would that have been fair?
Instead of trying to get to solutions and admitting mistakes were made, the direction seems to be to save individual positions. Sir John Dalberg-Acton is famous for his remark: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unfortunately far too many of our relatives lived under those conditions of absolute power for decades. So maybe some members of the community here would like to put in a word once and a while so that absolute power remains a thing of a tragic past.
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