B.C.’s health minister acknowledged Thursday that efforts to design a new payment model for employees of long-term care facilities has stalled — and operators warn they may have to close if cuts are made to pandemic-era funding programs.

In December 2023, the province contracted consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers to look into a compensation model for publicly funded long-term care facilities during a shortage of nurses and staff.

Currently, public long-term care facilities are funded through provincial support and fees from residents, which can be up to 80 per cent of their after-tax income. Private facilities are funded to a larger extent through fees but also sometimes receive government subsidies.

According to providers, staffing shortages make them reliant on employees working

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