Local News
Chief Executive Officer of Simkin Centre Laurie Cerqueti assesses how things have changed more than six months into the pandemic
By BERNIE BELLAN As part of our continued commitment to reporting on how various agencies within the Jewish community are functioning during these exceptionally difficult times, from time to time we’ve been speaking with the heads of agencies that are directly involved with the senior population of our community.
We recently spoke with Laurie Cerqueti (pronounced Cherqueti, by the way), who’s now been in her role as CEO of the Simkin Centre for 19 months. Naturally, given all that’s happened, we wondered whether she had ever experienced anything nearly as difficult as what she – and the rest of the 250 staff at the Simkin Centre have been experiencing these past six months.
“I graduated from nursing in 1994,” Laurie said, “but nothing that I’ve ever done before comes close to what we’ve been going through these past six months.” (Prior to becoming CEO of the Simkin Centre, Laurie had been CEO of Meadowood Manor in Winnipeg.)
When I spoke with Laurie early in May – a month and a half after the lockdown of all Personal Care Homes in Manitoba had been put into effect, she described all the extra requirements that had been placed on PCH’s, including having to severely restrict access to the building; extra sanitation procedures; training of almost all staff in feeding and swallowing assistance; and so much more.
Despite the increased burdens that were placed on all PCH’s in the province, the only additional funding from the Provincial Government came in the form of “money to ensure facilities are in line with revised Manitoba Fire Code requirements, including provision of fire suppression systems and increased fire separation enhancements.”
In my May report on the Simkin Centre I noted the concern that Laurie had back then that, while PCH’s were going to have to shoulder extra financial burdens, there would be no additional assistance forthcoming from the Province:
“What about the financial situation for the Simkin Centre?” I wondered. “How different is it as a result of the pandemic?”
“There are a number of large costs for equipment and supplies – right when it started happening,” Laurie answered, “and there are ongoing costs.”
“And you mean Simkin will have to assume responsibility for those costs – and not the province?” I asked.
“I’m not confident that the province will fund partially or fully any of this,” Laurie said.
“Really – wow!” I said. “You mean it’s all going to fall on to the Personal Care Homes themselves to fund?”
“It could,” Laurie said. “I’m not confident”(that the province will provide the funding).
She added that, in addition to the extra costs imposed on PCH’s for equipment and supplies, “there are all these new rules – if you’ve traveled, you can’t come to work for 14 days; if you have any symptoms you have to go get swabbed, and then you have to have the A-OK, you can come back to work; or people that have pre-existing conditions aren’t able to work. So there are increased staffing costs that we are incurring.”
As it turned out, there wasn’t any more money made available to hire extra staff – even though workers at PCH’s were advised not to report for work if they had the slightest suspicion they might be sick. Further, the practice of workers moving between different PCH’s to fill vacant shifts was no longer allowed (quite understandably – in order to minimize the chances of community transmission of the virus).
In July, Julie Turenne-Maynard, executive director of MARCHE — The Manitoba Association of Residential and Community Care Homes for the Elderly — reported that the COVID-19 pandemic was “shining a spotlight on long-term care across the country and highlighting the consequences of a 10-year funding freeze in Manitoba.”
She said that “while Manitoba’s personal care homes have been largely fortunate in the fight against COVID-19 (and, as we’ve all seen since then, that assessment sadly proved quite wrong as PCH’s have been hit with outbreaks of the virus.) they have been chronically underfunded, despite increasing costs and needs from residents.”
Over the past 10 years, Turenne-Maynard noted, “dietary expenses at homes operated by MARCHE’s members have increased by 36 per cent and the cost of incontinence supplies increased by 50 per cent.”
Further, in the case of the Simkin Centre, the spiraling cost of kosher food – as we have noted many times before in this newspaper, has only added to the financial burden of the Jewish Personal Care Home.
Yet, despite all the pressures that the Simkin Centre has been facing, when I asked Laurie how she would describe morale among staff at the home, she said “staff morale has been very good to excellent”.
Laurie described the many ways in which members of the boards of the Simkin Centre Home Board and Foundation Board and residents’ relatives have gone above and beyond in attempting to express their appreciation to the staff. For instance, there have been weekly treats provided to staff – paid for by individual board members, residents and family members (with occasional donations from organizations such as the Gwen Secter Centre); t-shirts emblazoned with the Simkin Centre logo and the words “Simkin Strong” or #simkincares on the back; and various activities intended to boost morale.
You can read more about what the Simkin Centre has been doing to keep spirits up among both staff and residents in the Simkin Centre newsletter that is in this issue. You can also follow Simkin Centre activities on their very colourful Facebook page, or sign up to receive their weekly e-newsletter “The Simkin Star” http://eepurl.com/gVT8Q1
Despite the upbeat tone in Laurie’s voice though, I had to ask some tough questions about the toll that the pandemic has taken on residents – both physically and emotionally.
I wondered, for instance, whether there has been any noticeable increase in the number of deaths at the Centre of late?
“There have been more deaths recently than what we usually experience,” Laurie said. “Whether it’s a result of loneliness, it’s hard to say, but over the past few months there is no doubt there have been more deaths here than there would have been normally’ (but she adds that none of the deaths are either COVID related or have anything to do with the care residents receive.)
I wondered whether the loosening the rules governing visits by family members has had any noticeable effect on residents’ moods? (Until July, no family members were allowed into the actual building. You probably recall the heart-rending stories – and pictures – of residents trying to communicate with family members on Facetime or by looking through windows.)
Laurie answered that staff continue to find creative ways to keep residents busy, having fun, and remaining connected to family and faith. Whether this is through FaceTime visits (which has actually connected residents with family members that they otherwise would not have ever connected with), drive-by parades, virtual Passover and High Holiday services or other socially distanced programming.
While it’s certainly an improvement now that each resident is allowed to have visits from two family members, the fact that it always has to be the same two family members who are allowed inside has made it difficult for many families to decide who the two indoor visitors will be.
And, although outdoor visitation has been made available at the Simkin Centre – under strict conditions, now that the weather has gotten colder, those visits will be coming to an end. Plans are underway to determine and renovate a suitable space for visiting during the winter months, Laurie noted.
Given what Laurie told me about the higher than average number of deaths of late in the Simkin Centre, I asked whether there are some vacant beds?
Laurie did say that, while there are some vacancies, “a lot more people in general who are paneled (the process whereby someone is allowed to move into a PCH) are not coming” to the Simkin Centre – or to any other PCH for that matter. The honest to god truth is that so many seniors are terrified at the prospect of having to go into a PCH and subsequently be removed from their families while the pandemic rages. Of course, that places enormous extra burdens on the families of seniors who would otherwise be candidates for admission into a PCH – it goes without saying.
It’s also important to note that, as average life expectancy has increased, the individuals who do reside in PCH’s are much older than what was the typical case not too long ago.
“From 15 years ago to what we see now there are so many more residents who require a much higher level of care,” Laurie observed, while noting once again that there has been no concomitant increase in government funding for PCH’s.
I suggested that I could ask readers to bear in mind the increased financial obligations of the Simkin Centre – and perhaps consider making a donation.
Despite the inevitable stress that anyone who’s involved in health care these days must be feeling, Laurie Cerqueti still ended our conversation by saying that “I really like being associated with the Jewish community and Jewish personal care home.”
I suggested that maybe it’s because Jews and Italians are so alike in so many ways. (My wife and I are often mistaken for Italians when we travel.)
“I’m not Italian myself,” Laurie laughed, “but when you’ve been married to an Italian for 25 years you might as well be.”
Local News
Further to the Simkin Centre’s financial situation
By BERNIE BELLAN A while back I published an article about the deficit situation at the Simkin Centre. (You can read it at “Simkin Centre deficit situation.“) I was prompted to write that particular article after reading a piece written by Free Press Faith writer John Longhurst in the August 5 issue of the Free Press about the dire situation personal care homes in Winnipeg are in when it comes to trying to provide their residents with decent food.
Yet, Longhurst made one very serious mistake in his article when he wrote that the “provincial government, through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, has not increased the amount of funding it provides for care-home residents in Manitoba since 2009.”
In fact, the WRHA has given annual increases to personal care homes, but its allocations are not broken down by categories, such as food or salaries. As a spokesperson for the WRHA explained to me in an email: “PCHs receive per diem global operating funding based on the number of licensed beds they operate. This funding model is designed to support the full range of operating costs associated with resident care, including staffing, food services, utilities, building operations, and other day-to-day expenses.”
Now, one can make a perfectly valid argument that the level of funding from the WRHA has not kept up with inflation, especially inflation in food costs, but the Simkin Centre is in an even more precarious position because of the skyrocketing cost of kosher food.
“In recent years,” according to an article on the internet, “the cost of kosher food has increased significantly, often outpacing general food inflation due to unique supply chain pressures and specialized production requirements.”
Yet, when I asked Laurie Cerqueti how much maintaining a kosher facility has cost the Simkin Centre, as I noted in my previous article about the deficit situation at Simkin, she responded: “approximately $300,000 of our deficit was due to food services. I do not have a specific number as far as how much of the deficit is a result of kosher food…So really this is not a kosher food issue as much is it is an inflation and funding issue.”
One reader, however, after having read my article about the deficit situation at Simkin, had this to say: “In John Longhurst’s article on Aug 5, 2025 in the Free Press, Laurie (Cerqueti) was quoted as saying that the annual kosher meal costs at Simkin were $6070 per resident. At Bethania nursing home in 2023, the non-kosher meal costs in 2023 were quoted as $4056 per resident per year. Even allowing for a 15% increase for inflation over 2 years, the non-kosher food costs there would be $4664.40 or 24% lower than Simkin’s annual current kosher food costs. If Simkin served non-kosher food to 150 of its 200 residents and kosher food to half of its Jewish residents who wish to keep kosher, by my calculation it would save approximately $200,000/year. If all of Simkin’s Jewish residents wished to keep kosher, the annual savings would be slightly less at $141,000.”
But – let’s be honest: Even though many Jewish nursing homes in the US have adopted exactly that model of food service – where kosher food is available to those residents who would want it, otherwise the food served would be nonkosher, it appears that keeping Simkin kosher – even though 45% of its residents aren’t even Jewish – is a “sacred cow” (pun intended.)
So, if Simkin must remain kosher – even though maintaining it as a kosher facility is only adding to its accumulated deficit situation – which currently stands at $779,426 as of March 31, 2025,I wondered whether there were some other ways Simkin could address its deficit while still remaining kosher.
In response to my asking her how Simkin proposes to deal with its deficit situation, Laurie Cerqueti wrote: “There are other homes in worse financial position than us. There are 2 homes I am aware of that are in the process of handing over the keys to the WRHA as they are no longer financially sustainable.”
I wondered though, whether the Simkin Centre Foundation, which is managed by the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba might not be able to help the Simkin Centre reduce its deficit. According to the Jewish Foundation’s 2024 annual report, The Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre Foundation, which is managed by the Jewish Foundation, had a total value of $11,017,635.
The Jewish Foundation did distribute $565,078 to the Simkin Centre in 2024, but even so, I wondered whether it might be able to distribute more.
According to John Diamond, CEO of the Jewish Foundation, however, the bylaws of the Foundation dictate that no more than 5% of the value of a particular fund be distributed in any one year. There is one distinguishing characteristic about the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre Foundation, in that a portion of their fund is “encroachable.” The encroachable capital is not owned by JFM. It is held in trust by JFM but is beneficially owned by Simkin, similar to a “bank deposit”. While held by the JFM, these funds are included in the calculation of Simkin’s annual distribution.
I asked John Diamond whether any consideration had been given to increasing the distribution that the Jewish Foundation could make to the Simkin Centre above the 5% limit that would normally apply to a particular fund under the Foundation’s management.
Here is what John wrote in response: “The Simkin does have an encroachable fund. That means that at their request, they can encroach on the capital of that fund only (with restrictions). This encroachment is not an increased distribution; rather, it represents a return of capital that also negatively affects the endowment’s future distributions.
”It is strongly recommended that encroachable funds not be used for operating expenses. If you encroach and spend the capital, the organization will receive fewer distribution dollars in the next year and every year as the capital base erodes. Therefore, the intent of encroachable funds is for capital projects, not recurring expenses.”
I asked Laurie Cerqueti whether there might be some consideration given to asking for an “encroachment” into the capital within the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre Foundation?
She responded: “We are not in a position where we are needing to dip into the encroachable part of our endowment fund. Both of our Boards (the Simkin Centre board and the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre Foundation board) are aware of our financial situation and we are all working together to move forward in a sustainable way.”
At the same time though, I wondered where donations to the Simkin Centre end up? Do they all end up in the Simkin Centre Foundation, for instance, I asked Laurie Cerqueti on December 15.
Her response back then was: “All donations go through our Foundation.”
I was somewhat surprised to read that answer, so I asked a follow-up question for clarification: “Do all donations made to the Simkin Centre end up in the Simkin Centre Foundation at the Jewish Foundation?”
The response this time was: “No they do not.”
So, I asked: “So, how do you decide which donations end up at the Foundation? Is there a formula?”
Laurie’s response was: “We have a mechanism in place for this and it is an internal matter.”
Finally, I asked how then, the Simkin Centre was financing its accumulated deficit? Was it through a “line of credit with a bank?” I wondered.
To date, I have yet to receive a response to that question. I admit that I am puzzled that a personal care home which has a sizeable foundation supporting it would not want to dip into the capital of that foundation when it is facing a financial predicament. Yes, I can see wanting the value of the foundation to grow – but that’s for the future. I don’t know whether I’d call a $779,425 deficit a crisis; that’s for others to determine, but it seems pretty serious to me.
One area that I didn’t even touch upon in this article, though – and it’s something I’ve written about time and time again, is the quality of the food at the Simkin Centre.
To end this, I’ll refer to a quote Laurie Cerqueti gave to John Longhurst when he wrote his article about the problems personal care homes in Winnipeg are facing: “When it comes to her food budget, ‘we can’t keep making the same number of bricks with less straw.’ “
Local News
Exclusive: Security Enhancement Fund to be announced by Province in coming days
By NOAH STRAUSS The province is set to announce a new program called the Security Enhancement Fund, which
will provide funding to religious and faith groups to improve security at institutions such as
synagogues and mosques. In an exclusive interview, Minister of Justice Matt Wiebe outlined the
plan and detailed what the province has already done to help protect Jewish Manitobans.
“What we want to do is to be able to provide the community with the kind of tools that they need
to stay safe and to ensure that everyone in the community feels safe,” said Wiebe.
The fund will provide a missing link between government and religious communities, and
communities will now be able to make their own choices without money being a big restraint.
Essentially, the power will be in the hands of community leaders and not government officials.
The minister noted that the new partnerships will provide the province a better understanding of
the needs of every community. Rather than the province making the choices, they are
essentially giving a voice to each community. The grants, totalling $1 million, will provide funds to enhance security at facilities like synagogues.
The Jewish Post reached out to Dr. Rena Secter Elbaze, executive director of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek. “It’s important that the government show us that they’re taking security seriously and stepping up to the plate to make this offer. We will absolutely be applying for grant money,” she said. Elbaze also wants to know whether or not the government will cover the costs of things the synagogue has already spent money on. She noted that the province has, in the past, made grants available to have security guards present.
When speaking about what the Justice Ministry has already done to protect Jewish Manitobans,
Wiebe brought up the new special prosecutor that is focusing on hate crimes. Wiebe said the
special prosecutor works closely with the Winnipeg Police Service “to support investigations and
prosecute hate crimes. Wiebe also went on to say how the Department of Education has been helping to fight antisemitism. “The creation of the Holocaust education curriculum is an important step in the right direction,” he said. When asked about Oliver Didtger Ederhof, the individual charged with 14 counts of mischief including vandalism of Shaarey Zedek, Wiebe said decisions like bail and police undertakings are decisions that are in part made by the federal government through the criminal code and policies. “We’re going to continue to advocate for stricter bail reform at the federal level…. I’ve been very clear, we issued clarified directives around bail to our Crown prosecutors.”
The full announcement from the province is expected in the coming days.
Local News
March of the Living 2023 participants form Taste of Hope project to help honour the memory of Holocaust survivor Alex Buckman
By BERNIE BELLAN The March of the Living is an annual two-week international educational program that brings thousands of students and adults to Poland and Israel to study the Holocaust, Jewish history, and the rise of the State of Israel. Founded in 1988, it features a 3-kilometer silent walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).
Attendees on the march are accompanied by adults, some of whom themselves have been Holocaust survivors.
Following the week in Poland, participants travel to Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), marking a journey from darkness to life.
For many years the coordinator of the march in Winnipeg was Roberta Malam, working on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. More recently Abby Flackman filled that role, and now the person in charge is Lindsey Kerr.
Since its inception 37 years ago the March of the Living has become a rite of passage for many young Winnipeg Jews who have been able to participate as an organized group from Winnipeg and combine visits to the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland with the subsequent trip to Israel.
Then – the Covid pandemic hit – in 2020, and the March of the Living was put on hold for two years – in 2020 and 2021.
In 2022, the March of the Living resumed, but there was no organized contingent from Winnipeg participating. (There may have been some Winnipeggers who did go on the march that year, but if there were any they would have been part of a general Canadian group since there was no Winnipeg coordinator that year.)
In 2023, however, once again a very large contingent of young Canadian Jews – 51 altogether, of whom approximately two-thirds were from Winnipeg, went on that year’s March of the Living. That particular march was memorable for many reasons, including the fact it was the last full march since 2019 and was to remain the last march to have an organized Winnipeg contingent in the past six years as the years 2024 and 2025 were interrupted by the war in Gaza. (There were smaller marches held in 2024 and 2025, but again there was no organized contingent from Winnipeg.)
Recently, we were contacted by one of the participants of that 2023 march, Ethan Levene, who asked us whether we’d be interested in running what turned out be a very poignant story about one particular aspect of that 2023 March of the Living.
Here is what Ethan wrote:
“In April 2023, the Coast to Coast Canadian delegation of March of the Living was privileged to travel with Holocaust survivor Alex Buckman (z”l). March of the Living is a Holocaust education trip that allows participants to visit and bear witness to the sites of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, while sharing his story in Poland, Alex passed away. However, the impact he left on us students was immeasurable.
“While speaking to us in Warsaw, Alex told us the story of his Aunt Becky’s gâteau à l’orange (orange cake). While in Ravensbruck concentration camp, his aunt managed to write down this recipe. After his parents’ murder, his Aunt Becky went on to raise Alex after surviving. In addition to sharing his story, Alex tasked us with baking the cake with family and friends.
“Out of this, a group of alumni from our trip have created this project: ‘A Taste of Hope.’ On February 1st, university students from over 5 universities across Canada will come together to bake the gâteau à l’orange and hear Alex’s story. Proceeds from the event and this fundraising page will support the World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants. Alex was heavily involved with this organization, whose mission is to both create community for Holocaust survivors and their descendants and educate about the Holocaust to help fight against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and hate.
“Here is information from our fundraising page for the event – ‘A Taste of Hope’: Fundraising for A Taste of Hope.
Ethan added that “it’s completely student led, all by alumni from our 2023 trip attending university at these various locations across Canada; Winnipeg, London, Kingston, Montreal.”
He also added: “Follow us on instagram@tastehope.“
Here is a link to a CBC story about Alex Buckman: Alex Buckman story
In a subsequent email Ethan gave the names of Winnipeggers who are involved in A Taste of Hope: Ethan Levene (studies at McGill), Zahra Slutchuk, Alex Stoller (studies at Queens), Coby Samphir, Izzy Silver (studies at Waterloo).
He also added names of others who are involved in the project: Jessie Ages, Anneke Goodwin, Lilah Silver, Ella Pertman, Ellie Vogel, and Talia Cherun.
To find out more about March of the Living in Winnipeg go to: March of the Living