Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
Nearly a month after an 85-year old resident was found dead at the Au Château Home for the Aged, OPP are still investigating the matter and keeping details under wraps.
The Nipissing West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police reported that the resident, whom they did not identify, was found deceased by staff members. Police were alerted at approximately 10:00 pm on September 23 and launched an investigation. Provincial Constable Rob Lewis stated on October 15 that the investigation is still ongoing and being conducted by the Nipissing West OPP Crime Unit in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service to determine the cause of death.
Lewis would not indicate who alerted police and whether a criminal act was suspected. However, provincial legislation stipulates that “every licensee of a long-term care home shall ensure that the appropriate police service is immediately notified of any alleged, suspected or witnessed incident of abuse or neglect […that] may constitute a criminal offence.”
The Tribune contacted Au Château director Jacques Dupuis, who was instructed by the home’s legal advisors not to comment while the investigation is ongoing. He did however confirm that Au Château follows the guidelines on police notification. “In fact, this home has adopted the practice to report all alleged incidents to the police and leave it to them to determine if it constitutes a criminal offence,” he stated.
When asked if OPP has any concern regarding resident safety at the Au Château, Constable Lewis indicated only that “there is no safety concerns to the public.”
Lewis did commit to releasing further information “as it becomes available.”
Are seniors safe in long-term care?
As news of the investigation began circulating in the community, some expressed concern about the safety of residents at the local seniors’ home. The Tribune looked into official records published by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on the home’s compliance with the Fixing Long Term Care Act and other provincial norms. Ministry inspectors investigate complaints or alleged violations by long term care facilities in Ontario, and make their findings public.
Au Château, which has roughly 162 residents, is shown to have undergone four such inspections in 2025. A quick comparison to similar sized homes shows that number fairly consistent with the average. Sudbury’s St. Gabriel Villa and St. Joseph Villa have 128 residents each and have had 4 and 3 inspections respectively in 2025. Water’s Edge Community in North Bay, with 148 beds, has had 3 inspections this year. Parry Sound’s Belvedere Heights, with 101 beds, has had 6 inspections while Lakeland LTC Services, with 90 beds, has had 5 inspections in 2025. In Collingwood, Sunset Manor Home has 150 beds and underwent 7 inspections. Mill Creek Care Centre in Barrie, with 160 beds, also had 7 while Barrie’s Grove Park Home had 5 inspections for 143 beds.
The inspections are automatic when a complaint is made, and some reports conclude there were no violations. Such was the case for the single inspection at the West Nipissing General Hospital’s LTC unit in August of this year. The WNGH has 48 long-term care beds and had only one complaint in 2025, for alleged neglect of a resident. An inspection was conducted from August 11 to 13 and the August 15 report indicates that “the inspector(s) made relevant observations, reviewed records and conducted interviews, as applicable. There were no findings of non-compliance.”
At Au Château, an inspection in January 2025 revealed that a staff member did not follow the process for assessing resident requirements prior to a transfer, as the resident’s care plan did not specify requirements for repositioning, contrary to regulations. “Inspector observed some transfer equipment outside of a resident room [and] had a difficult time finding the identification numbers on the equipment. Two staff members viewed the equipment and were unable to locate the numbers to identify the equipment. This could lead to improper transfers and represents a safety issue,” reads the January 15 report.
In the same report, Au Château was issued a monetary penalty of $1100 for not “conducting a review of nutrition/hydration policies and procedures (…) to ensure nutrition assessments were being completed and residents were receiving proper texture and fluid consistencies.” This resulted from a previous order in October 2024, when the home did not have a registered dietitian in service for the required amount of hours.