We are IH: “Mr. Wonderful” a champion for care staff & residents

May 15, 2025

Robert Gignac, a screener at Parkview Place in Enderby, checks out a winery in the Summerland Area.

Name: Robert Gignac
Job Title: Care Aide
Years of Service: 35
Worksite: Parkview Place
Community: Enderby
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It’s better to give than to receive.”

Since joining Parkview Place in 2012, Robert Gignac has left his mark on the long-term care home. He has greeted people with a smile as a screener, helped things run smoothly behind the scenes, and most recently, has been serving residents as a care aide.

Most importantly, Robert always tries to leave residents smiling after an interaction.

“When I work with some of my residents, they ask, ‘What is your name?’ When I say, ‘Mr. Wonderful,’ they burst out laughing,” Robert says.

In this Story…

Learn more about Robert’s journey with IH

Explore long-term care Careers@IH

Learn more about Robert’s journey with IH

A person plays guitar outside on a sunny day while sitting on a bench near a building. — Robert owns many guitars.

Robert tries to “make a difference in somebody’s life” in each shift, whether it’s a resident or staff member.

He started off as a screener with Parkview Place, but also picked up many other important roles while serving as a screener, such as:

Handling all the laundry ordering for the site
Coordinating the delivery of meals, coffee and tea
Making residents’ beds and moving beds
Delivering samples to the lab and picking up mail and parcels
Organizing events for staff like Christmas and retirement parties
Snow removal on weekends

“My screener position evolved into many other aspects of working in long-term care,” Robert says. “My goal has been to keep finding ways to make Parkview Place the best site in all of Interior Health—a flagship for other IH sites, and something the town of Enderby can be super proud of.”

A person stands on a rock, fishing in the rushing water below. — Robert river fishes in Canal Flats, a village municipality in the East Kootenay region.

He has also supported both the physical and mental well-being of staff. Robert, who has mental health first aid training, serves as the co-chair of the site’s joint occupational health and safety committee. He's also the site’s chief shop steward for the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU).

“I’m inspired to make Parkview Place function to the best of my abilities, and to look and find what Parkview Place needs to succeed for our staff and our clients,” Robert says.

Now, as a care aide, Robert helps residents with their daily living activities such as personal care and meals.

“I spent the past couple of years just working days. Seeing residents and staff in the evenings has been really nice,” shares Robert.

Robert recently received his pin for 35 years of service. Before Parkview Place, he spent 25 years working as a care aide for Noric House long-term care in Vernon.

He says he's given a lot to Parkview Place, but has also gotten a lot back from his roles.

Working at Parkview Place is a dream come true. The staff are family inside and outside of work, which is something I've never experienced that until I came to Parkview. When staff or residents come here, they are amazed at what this tiny site can do.

-- Robert Gignac

Robert could have retired years ago, but hopes to remain at Parkview Place for another 10 years. “I enjoy looking after the staff that work here and I love what I do.”

Outside of work, Robert is into weightlifting. Before suffering a shoulder injury, Robert was bench pressing an impressive 315 pounds. Robert also stays active with jiu-jitsu, free style wrestling, cross-country skiing and dirt biking. He enjoys cooking, gardening and playing one of his many guitars.