Saskatchewan’s Continuing Care Assistants, or CCAs, are sounding the alarm over poor working conditions, short staffing, and a wage that hasn’t increased in years.

Laura Guilbault is a CCA in Saskatchewan. She is one of 1,290 that were recently surveyed about their unideal situation. She says, of respondents, 68 per cent of CCAs feel as though they aren’t allotted enough travel time.

“In home care, we can work in the west end of the city and have to travel to the east end of the city. Sometimes they give you zero time to get there. Sometimes they give you ten minutes, but we need adequate time.”

On top of that, 73 per cent of CCA’s wouldn’t recommend that family and friends become CCAs, 76 per cent believe safe staffing levels are not being met, and Guilbault says members’ wages haven’t risen in 4.5 years.

She adds that with stagnant wages, inflation, and no contract in sight, many staff members are being forced to pick up second jobs.

“Some of the staff that were surveyed said that they had to resort to the food bank. A lot of times, if you’re a single parent, you pick and choose which bills get paid. You do your best to make little payments to try to just get through.”

CUPE 5430’s CCA committee is now calling on the Saskatchewan Health Authority to allow adequate travel time, return CCAs to acute health settings, and standardize the job description across the province.

Guilbault hopes the public understands that CCAs are doing the best they can with what they have.