Rollout of the Alberta government's COVID-19 raise for health-care aides has stalled at a Cold Lake continuing care facility as management and the workers' union argue over whether the aides can receive the top-up without the union's formal permission.

In a May 22 memo obtained by CBC News, Points West Living Cold Lake general manager Peter Walsh gave staff more information about the provincial government's April announcement that health-care aides will receive a $2-per-hour raise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walsh told aides they would likely see the wage top-up, including retroactive pay, on their June 22 paycheque — provided one apparent hurdle was cleared first.

"Before implementing this supplement to wages, we require AUPE's agreement," Walsh said in the memo. "We anticipate receiving this agreement in the near future."

But in a follow-up memo Wednesday, he said the union had advised that "they will not agree to the $2-per-hour payment and therefore it cannot be paid to you."

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees did not make anyone available for an interview, despite repeated requests.

On Friday evening, union vice president Mike Dempsey responded with a statement but did not address what happened between the union and facility management.

"Points West Living knows we're not against our members getting a raise," he said in the statement. "We're insisting that health-care aides should get what they were promised and others working in this sector should get a pay boost too. We have been clear on this.

"There is a whole host of classifications in continuing care from licensed practical nurses to crucial general support staff that deserve to be recognized and are working alongside health care aides during the pandemic," Dempsey's statement continued. "If one is left behind, everyone is left behind."

Points West Living declined an interview request Friday. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson cited a section of Alberta's Labour Relations Code that details how collective agreements are binding.

"We are following the Labour Relations Code as required," Mark Dixon said.

The company operates 11 continuing care facilities across Alberta. Points West Living's statement did not address a CBC News reporter's question about how many of those facilities have implemented the temporary raise.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced on April 20 that his ministry would spend an estimated $7.3 million a month during the pandemic to increase health-care aide staffing levels in continuing care facilities and top up aides' wages. Only employees at private continuing care facilities, whose salaries are usually lower, qualify for the temporary raise.

On May 15, CBC News reported on confusion and frustration in the weeks following Shandro's announcement. Six health-care aides said they had not received any news about a wage top-up, and that their employers said they could not get information from Alberta Health about how, or when, the money would flow.

In response, Shandro's spokesperson, Steve Buick, said Alberta Health Services sent continuing care operators $12.4 million the previous week to cover the wage top-up retroactive to April 20, and to increase staffing levels. He said aides would see the wage increase in their next pay period.

In a statement Friday, Buick said the government expects that the money for the top-up, sent to operators May 8, "would be distributed as soon as possible."

"Any delay is unacceptable," he said. "We take extremely seriously the allegation that a provider might be delaying distribution of funds, and encourage affected parties to report issues directly to the ministry."

CBC News has also obtained an unsigned, form "letter of understanding" between Points West Living Cold Lake and AUPE about the temporary raise, which was circulated to facility staff.

It states that the wage top-up period began April 20 and aides will receive it "until such time as the funding intended for this purpose ceases to be provided to the employer."

"The parties agree this letter of understanding is made without prejudice or precedent to any other matter between them, now or in the future," the letter reads. There are spaces at the bottom for both an AUPE representative and the employer to sign.

Continuing-care facilities have emerged as epicentres for COVID-19 in Alberta and across the country. So far, three out of every four Albertans who have died from the virus were residents in those facilities.