A coroner’s investigation into a Montreal suburban long-term care home where 47 people died during the first wave of the pandemic was heard from a handful of witnesses this week before it was concluded.
The investigation into the Herron Residence was expected to end in late September after hearing from the families of some of the deceased.
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Quebec Medical Examiner Extends Hearings on COVID-19 Deaths at Residence Herron
But coroner Géhane Kamel chose to call additional witnesses this week because she said weeks of testimony had left her with too many unanswered questions.
The investigation has heard that when health officials were called in to help at the Dorval, Que. Nursing home in late March 2020, they found patients in deplorable condition.
But other witnesses have said that health authorities did not move quickly enough to bring resources and aid to the no-longer-staffed private nursing home, which has since closed.
Among the witnesses heard Monday were a former pre-pandemic complaints commissioner and a nursing coordinator who worked at the home until March 2020, both mentioned in earlier testimonies.
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Coroner Géhane Kamel chose to call additional witnesses this week because she said weeks of testimony had left her with too many unanswered questions.
Three senior officials from the regional health authority are expected to assume that position, including CEO Lynne McVey, testifying for a second time on Tuesday.
The coroner’s mandate is to investigate 53 deaths in six long-term care homes and one nursing home during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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