HOMICIDE VICTIM ‘THE SWEETEST’
Police were appealing for help on friday As the investigation Continued into the death of A christian librarian who had Been beaten And sexually assaulted in Ottawa’s 13th homicide of 2018. A friend said Elisabeth salm, 59, was ‘Always so loving.’
Situated along a dirt road about 10 minutes outside Spencerville, the Green Acres Retirement Home appeared a pretty quiet place Friday afternoon — notwithstanding passing media vehicles.
Surrounded by farmers’ fields, with a senior parked on a lawn chair out front, the residence blends in with country homes nearby.
Neighbours said Green Acres is a fixture in the tight-knit community, and expressed shock at the news that Ontario Provincial Police have charged the 72-year-old owner-operator of the home with sexual exploitation and sexual assault against two alleged victims, including a resident of the home.
The Prescott detachment of the OPP, along with the Grenville County crime unit, said the alleged assaults occurred on the retirement home property, located on McCrea Road, about 90 kilometres south of Ottawa.
Robert Lunnie of Augusta Township has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation.
Police said the charges relate to an ongoing sexual assault investigation at the retirement home, reported to police on March 27.
General manager Carrie Delorme told this newspaper Green Acres was not ready to comment on the situation.
“We need time, we need to figure out what’s going on and what we do from here.”
Lunnie is being held for bail court. He was scheduled to appear in Brockville court on Tuesday.
The OPP are encouraging anyone with more information to contact Const.-Det. Theresa Baker at 613925-4221 or toll-free at 1-888-3101122.
According to a seniors services listing, Green Acres offers adult residential accommodation and has a 14-bed capacity. However, three beds are designated for short-term respite, transition and convalescent care. Seniors must be mobile, independent and able to cope with activities of daily living in an independent living setting. The cost is listed at between $1,000 and $2,000 monthly, depending on accommodation needs.
Helen Simeon, a spokeswoman for the Retirement Home Regulatory Authority, which licenses and regulates retirement homes on behalf of the government of Ontario through the Retirement Home Act, said the authority oversees about 750 licensed retirement homes, but Green Acres is not a licensed home.
“The term ‘retirement home’ is not a protected title,” said Simeon. “Anyone can operate a home and call it a ‘retirement home.’ The recommendation is that people should check the public register and make sure they are looking for a retirement home that is licensed under the Retirement Homes Act.”
In order for a retirement home to be registered, the owners must apply for a licence, said Simeon. The register, on the Retirement Home Regulatory Authority’s website, offers a history of a retirement home’s track record of compliance with the Retirement Homes Act, including inspection reports.
According to the definition, a licensed retirement home is a house, building or group of buildings occupied primarily by persons 65 and older, with at least six people living there who are not related to the operator, who makes at least two services available to the residents. This may range from food to administering medication to housekeeping.
“In 2017, a bill was passed which strengthened the RHRA’s ability to deal with non-compliant and unlicensed homes,” the Ontario Ministry of Seniors Affairs said in a statement. “The RHRA’s increased powers allow them to inspect and investigate all retirement homes and use the courts to enforce the RHA.
“If a residence meets the definition of retirement home as set out in the Act and is operating without a licence it would be in violation of the Act. Retirement homes that operate without a licence may be
If a residence meets the definition of retirement home as set out in the Act and is operating without a licence it would be in violation of the Act.
subject to enforcement measures, from financial penalties and up to and including imprisonment.”
Green Acres is also not a member of the Ontario Retirement Community Association, a voluntary non-profit association that represents operators of licensed retirement residences.
Amber Gooding, communications co-ordinator at the South East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), said the LHIN was aware of the ongoing investigation into the owner of Green Acres.
The LHIN offers services for seniors, such as the assistance of a personal support worker, to those who need help, and it offers that help anywhere the patient lives, whether it is at home, or in a regulated or unregulated home, she said.