Officials at Fiddick’s Nursing Home and Retirement Home are reassuring family of residents after Administrator Michael Fiddick was charged with nine criminal offenses.

Fiddick appeared in Sarnia court last week answering to charges of assault, sexual assault, mischief and illegally transferring restricted weapons.

In Fiddick’s June newsletter, the owner of the home said he would be working remotely after surgery which required a lengthy recovery.

Under the Long Term Care Act, no one convicted of an offense can work at a long term care home.

Mark Nesbitt, spokesperson for the Ministry of Long Term Care, says administrators must report when someone is facing criminal charges, although the regulations don’t give an exact time frame for when that should happen.

The LTC Act is also silent, Nesbitt says, about whether someone facing charges unrelated to the operation can be at the long term care home before the case is heard.

The news of the criminal charges reverberated around the community and led Fiddick’s Acting Administrator, Jennifer Arsenault, to write to the staff, residents and their families.

In the letter, obtained by The Independent, Arsenault said “The Independent newspaper recently released two articles about charges laid against Michael Fiddick, our administrator.

“It is important to be factual and transparent during times like this. We only know the information that has been identified in these articles,” wrote Arsenault.

“The allegations are personal in nature and do not reflect our homes nor the quality resident care that we provide.

“Fiddick’s has a long standing history of providing quality resident care in our community. This will not change.”

Arsenault added anyone with concerns could reach out to her personally.

The Independent also obtained a memo to staff which instructed them not to speak with members of the media.

Fiddick returns to court Sept. 19.