The owner of Grandeur Estates has been fined $29,952 for violating a land-use bylaw at the assisted-living home she operated last year in Hammonds Plains, N.S.
“There weren’t any complaints about low-quality care for the residents,” said Josh Judah, a senior solicitor for the Halifax Regional Municipality.
“There were significant issues in terms of things like the fire code, things as simple as no smoke alarms or sprinkler system, things that any kind of institutional use, such as a care facility for 10 people, should have.”
According to a court document dated July 14, business owner Jillian Peterson pleaded guilty to “fail to comply with act, order, regulation or by-law” at the Thompson Run property.
John Havill, the owner of the property, also pleaded guilty to the same offence. According to the same document, he was fined $45,000, though Havill and Judah both told Global News that the fine is actually $4,500.
Havill and Peterson were not available to comment on the situation on Wednesday, though Havill said over the phone that the property is for sale.
READ MORE: Bylaw infraction means some seniors at assisted living facility have to go
Judah said both violated the land-use bylaw in the area by operating the home in an R-1 (Single Unit Dwelling) Zone.
Another charge of allowing a commercial use in the same zone was dropped for both.
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The municipality looked into the home after a resident raised a concern.
It was determined that the home, which is located in the Glen Arbour subdivision, didn’t have, among other things, enough staff members.
Residents’ family members were later asked to meet with municipal staff.
READ MORE: Investigation into Grandeur Estates’ assisted-living home ends with no charges
In April, a 76-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease fell down a hill and broke her pelvis while unsupervised at an assisted-living home operated by Grandeur Estates in Ferguson’s Cove, N.S.
The home, located on Fortress Drive, was already under investigation at the time by the municipal government for a separate issue.
By law, only three people are allowed to live there; the property had six people.
In June, the investigation concluded without any charges after the issue was rectified.
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