Health authority officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are under fire for renting homes to travel nurses under their management. Now the nurses union wants to know if they were disciplined.

Health Minister John Hogan told Parliament on Wednesday that managers were gaining unfair advantage from these leases. But he said there is a difference between violating ethics rules and violating criminal law.

That explanation was less than satisfactory to Yvette Coffey, president of the Registered Nurses Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“I’m surprised. I’m beyond disappointed with what the NLHS has done,” Coffey told CBC News on Thursday.

The PC opposition shared Coffey’s disappointment and echoed his questions.

On Thursday in the House, health critic Barry Petten asked Hogan how many contracts between travel nurses and health authority officials have been terminated and what the consequences are for profits.

WATCH | ‘This is public money,’ says MHA Barry Petten:

PC health critic slams ‘disgraceful’ John Hogan and health executives renting property for private gain

PC MHA Barry Petten slammed NL Health Minister John Hogan’s “indifferent attitude” in Parliament on Thursday. Hogan faced questions about whether there were any consequences for executives taking unfair advantage of renting homes to travel nurses they supervise.

It remained unanswered.

When asked by reporters whether NLHS had done anything beyond terminating the leases, Hogan said he didn’t know.

“That’s outrageous,” Petten said when asked about Hogan’s response. “He must know the answer. He knows which leases need to be cancelled. We received a report in August, so you know which staff members own these houses.”

Petten says someone knows the answer and the public deserves to hear it.

Questions and conclusions

Coffey says if a nurse acts unethically, the consequences will be swift and known to the union.

“If I violate my code of ethics, I will be brought before the university, which is a regulatory body. I will also be subject to disciplinary action by the health authority,” Coffey said. “I am at risk of losing my license and being unable to work as a registered nurse.

“What are the consequences for the people who signed these leases? Where is the transparency and who were they and where were they?”

The Court of Auditors, who have been informed about the termination of the lease agreements, are expected to announce their findings on the matter in the coming months.

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