COLD LAKE - On Sept. 10, City of Cold Lake council revisited the elevator maintenance issue at Points West Living, which had reportedly left residents without elevator access for two weeks.
First raised during the Aug. 28 regular council meeting, council discussed the response received from Points West Living, which confirmed that despite the inconvenience, the facility was operating in compliance with all regulatory requirements.
The discussion came about after concerns were raised by residents and families about the safety and convenience of the facility, particularly with the elevator maintenance issues.
Council wrote to Points West Living and Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr, expressing concerns and seeking solutions.
“The City of Cold Lake has received a response from the Point West Living Connecting Care representative. The letter that we sent was actually both to Connecting Care and to the MLA. We haven't received a response back from the MLA. The position of Connecting Care was that the facility is operating in compliance to the legislation and to the acts that are relevant to their business,” said the city’s CAO Kevin Nagoya.
Despite complying with regulations, Points West Living expressed a willingness to improve accessibility by considering the installation of a stair lift. However, this project would require additional funding, potentially through community fundraising or government grants, Nagoya added.
Council members then debated whether to get involved or wait for the MLA’s response.
Coun. Chris Vining expressed his satisfaction with the information provided, stating, “I’d just be happy to accept it as information from Connecting Care. I don’t know if there’s much more, but we’ve clarified where they’re at... I’m not sure if we need to continue now on this one or not.”
Coun. Vicky Lefebvre echoed Vining's statement, saying, “Ditto to what Coun. Vining said. I think we’ve done what they requested us to do in the letter, to do the advocating on their behalf, to let them know and bring awareness to the subject. So, I think we can just accept this as information.”
Mayor Craig Copeland proposed further exploring the option of installing a stairlift to help residents access the lower floor, acknowledging it could alleviate some of the difficulties experienced by those on the upper level.
Council made a motion to postpone further action, deciding to wait for a response from MLA Cyr. They agreed to continue monitoring the situation but left open the possibility of supporting a stairlift project if it became a viable option.
According to a previous interview with Lakeland This Week, Points West Living confirmed that the elevator was operational, as of Aug. 22.
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