Ontario Health Coalition calls for end to subsidizing private long-term care homes
In a passionate, virtual news conference Friday morning over Zoom, volunteers with the Ontario Health Coalition took a stand against for-profit long-term care.
The group said the Ford government plans to award public dollars to private operators for long-term care beds.
"Many of the for-profit beds are being awarded to providers that had some of the most egregious records during the COVID-19 pandemic and they are nonetheless being awarded new licenses and will continue to make profits if they are successful getting these licenses at the expense of seniors and other vulnerable people," said the coalition's Al Dupuis.
Dupuis said the province's plans defy logic. The Ontario Health Coalition has compiled a report that outlines which providers are getting which beds from the provincial government.
The Coalition also found non-profit homes and municipally owned homes are getting the minority of new beds being allocated by the province.
"The report … wasn't new to me because I have been part of the healthcare scene in Sudbury for more than 50 years," said the coalition's Dot Klein.
"We have to start putting our efforts into supporting our municipally owned long-term care facilities and not-for-profits and stop thinking that we can get off easy by calling in a company that has shown us (poor numbers) throughout the pandemic."
Jason Maclennan said he lost his grandmother from an infection in a for-profit long-term care home.
"I certainly don't want to go to long-term care -- I'd rather be pushed in front of a bus than with some of the experiences that I've had," he said.
"Where is all the media on this? Why are they not asking the provincial government the tough questions? We're doing the talking, just fix the issue."
CTV Northern Ontario, the Sudbury Star as well as several outlets from North Bay were all on the Zoom news conference.
Klein said the coalition has reached out to the province to present them its findings and outline its concerns, but for the most part it's fallen on deaf ears.
CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Long Term Care to give it an opportunity to respond but hadn't received a response as of Friday evening.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.