Advocates, families of long-term care residents sounding the alarm over plans to award beds to private operators
Doris Wai feels that a blind eye was turned after her 98-year-old grandmother, Wai Lo Lin, was among more than 80 residents who died from Covid-19 during an outbreak at the Tendercare Living Centre in Scarborough in Dec. 2020.
Wai says her grandmother died just eight days after testing positive for the virus. Her family is still waiting for transparency and for the long-term care home’s private operator to be held accountable.
"We want to know what happened, what did they try to do to create a safe space for the residents who were not infected, but more so they didn't let us know what was happening,” Wai said.
The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) released a report on Monday detailing its research into the province's bed allocation plan.
The province plans to allocate 30,000 beds over the next decade and the OHC's report found a majority — more than 16,000 beds — are set aside for private operators.
"There is no reason that private equity firms and private investors should be operating Ontario's long-term care homes and taking care of the elderly and the vulnerable," executive director of OHC, Natalie Mehra, said during a virtual press conference.
The Coalition is calling on the Ford government to transition away from for-profit homes, arguing that many of the private operators have seen the highest infection and death rates in their homes, as well many having been found neglecting residents and not complying with protocols including infection prevention and control.
"We were promised significant change and instead, we're getting another 30 years, unless we stop it, of licenses paid for by public money to the same for-profit companies that have been responsible for so much of the trauma suffered by residents and their families," Mehra said.
More than 4,000 long-term care residents have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. For-profit homes had nearly twice as many residents infected with the virus and 78 per cent more deaths compared with non-profit homes, according to scientists advising the government on the pandemic.
Last month, Ford government tabled its plan to overhaul the system that included measures it believes would address the issues brought to the forefront during the pandemic.
"Long-term care home operators have a duty to provide a safe and healthy environment for residents. To fix long-term care, we have introduced legislation that will overhaul inspections and hold long-term care home licensees to account, to ensure residents are safe and well cared for," Ministry Spokesperson Mark Nesbitt said.
According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, more than 18,000 beds are being allocated to for-profit operators, more than 13,000 to non-profit and more than 3,200 beds to homes operated by municipalities.
The ministry says more than 1,200 beds still have to be decided on.
Advocates and families believe there is still time for the province to reverse course and reallocate beds to not-for-profit homes.
"Nobody profits from these for-profit-care homes except for shareholders — they're not good at taking care of their residents and families," Wai said.
"The government should do the right thing and not support these homes."
With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.