Cherish at Central Park

I did have a friend that lived at Cherish, who is now passed. But when I was there I witnessed the staff interacting with the residents in a caring and warm fashion. I have talked with many residents when I visited and they had glowing reviews of Cherish and the staff there. I believe that everyone would want to move into a suite that was free of stains on the carpet or flooring, that what the damage deposit is for, to maintain the high level of living that the residents of Cherish expect. And I know that what my friend wanted in retirement living. It is sad that some people are out to ruin the reputation of Cherish because of their experience while living there, it is odd that the other ninety-six percent of the residents living there have the opposite opinion of Cherish. Not only did I have a friend that lived there, I have done a lot of work for Cherish in the past. I never had an experience with a resident that had a negative opinion of their living lifestyle at Cherish. And one would think that they would tell you that in the privacy of their own home, but that never happened to me and I have done a lot of work there in the past and met some beautiful people there. I would recommend Cherish to any senior that was looking for a warm community to live in with staff that care and support you in your retirement. John Bobb

Moving my Dad into Cherish seemed like a dream back in Dec of 2020. I was told that if a resident didn't show up for a meal, they would be checked up on to make sure they were ok. I replied to Micky what a relief that would be because I never wanted to find my Dad deceased. Guess what, in Oct of 2023 after not showing up for 2 meals, my daughter and myself found my father deceased after more than 24 hours. The dream became a nightmare. Everything Greg and Sue said is true. The nightmare became worse when I did the final walk through of his unit that was in excellent condition after 3 years of living there and was told we owed over $4400 in damages. I would strongly recommend staying clear of this place, they will not care for your loved one and then they will take you to the cleaners upon moving out.

I have held off on writing this review for well over a year now. Mostly because there is so much to say and I felt the need to articulate it perfectly and touch on all of the ways I feel Cherish is taking advantage of vulnerable seniors and their families. My list of complaints is too long to mention everything. Top of the list is Micky thinking the Residential Tenancy Act does not apply to Cherish (it in fact does!) and wrongfully withholding my father-in-law’s security deposit. I have a Court Order to enforce a Monetary Order, issued by the RTB, that Micky has ignored and not paid by the due date. False claims were made that Cherish is a ‘Healthcare Facility’; it has been proven that Cherish is not licensed as a Healthcare Facility and is subject to the RTA. I was also told I would have to hire professional movers to remove my father-in-law’s belongings; this was not in my original contract and was an added unnecessary expense to him. I wish I had done more research before we chose Cherish. My initial observation was a nice looking newer building that appeared to have a lot to offer. Had I looked through the reviews, I would have paid attention to all of the negative ones. My first red flag should have been on our first visit to Cherish. Micky brought up that they had some bad reviews online and gave us an explanation that it was other people in the business trying to tarnish Cherish’s reputation…I found it odd that she would mention it during our first meeting, especially since I never mentioned it and hadn’t seen the reviews. Cherish has an extremely low rating by past employees on Indeed; this speaks volumes to me. I couldn’t believe the staff turnover during our 3.5 years at Cherish. Happy employees don’t leave. Seeing two employees in the past, who have been in the media for criminal charges, working with this extremely vulnerable population was very unnerving. I am sure Micky will respond to this review with claims that my dad caused damage to his suite. I am happy to share photos of what she considers damage…such as charging us to replace a complete kitchen cabinet for a chip smaller than the size of the tip of a pencil eraser. After 3.5 years, I consider this normal wear and tear. During my RTB hearing, I was accused of intimidating the staff member who did the walk thru with me. I found this odd considering this staff member confided in me that she had only been working there one week and didn’t think she could stay as she found it a very difficult place to work, she also apologized to me for an email I had received from her, she stated “Nicole wrote it and made me send it”. I was not impressed that when Cherish served me their evidence for our RTB hearing, they did so after the deadline it was supposed to be served by, and their employee, who has been in the news after being convicted for embezzlement from a charity, showed up at my house at 7:55am and continuously knocked on my door for 20 minutes…I have this recorded on my security cameras. I would also like to know why, during the heat dome, we were not allowed to get a portable air conditioner for the suite? The apartment was stifling hot and, in my opinion, a serious safety issue. Out of all of the families who have successfully won a Monetary Order to have their security deposit returned plus a penalty, we are owed the least amount. The money owed doesn’t make up for the stress and time taken off of work for arbitration hearings being stalled by false claims of being a health care facility, filing in court to enforce the monetary order that was ignored, attending the court date, filing again in court when that court order was ignored. But we will continue to follow the court process and will do so until Cherish pays what is owed and they are held accountable for their actions; hopefully this will help protect other seniors and their families in the future. If you or your family member has had a similar experience, please speak up, and please follow through on the RTB and court process. I know it is exhausting, but is essential.

I would like to add my voice to the chorus of victims who have been cheated by Micky at Cherish at Central Park. Prior to the prearranged walk through to conduct the move out inspection I encountered Micky 's personal assistant and her assistant in the apartment. This was unauthorized. They called it a pre pre inspection. I have no idea why they thought they should be in there. Her personal assistant is currently in a Calgary prison for defrauding a children's charity. I asked myself what kind of mischief they were up to. The apartment was left in great condition. Minor issues which fall into the category of minor wear and tear. Micky's minions determined the unit was in need of $5,000.00 worth of renovations. Their line being it had to be perfect for the new tenants. If that is the case why were the carpets not new for my in laws? We disputed the damage claim with the residential tenancy branch. Cherish failed to respond to the RTB in a timely fashion. We were awarded a monetary order for twice the damage deposit. She owes my Mother in law in excess of $11,000.00. This is because she charged for a full month's rent as a damage deposit. RTB rules clearly state a damage deposit is a half of one month's rent. RTB rulings are clear that landlords and tenants can not contract out of the Residential tenancy act. Now the plot thickens. She refused to pay. We took her to small claims court. The magistrate gave her until June 30th to pay. We now have a default hearing for July 29th. At this time she must pay or ideally leave in cuffs. This sorry situation can be avoided by not ever putting your loved ones in this toxic situation.

My mother was not happy here! The food was awful , big turn over in staff, and promises were not kept of what was suppose to happen on a daily basis. Please look into all these things before choosing an independent living residence for your loved ones!