RESOURCES & ANALYSIS: COVID-19 Resources & Analysis of the Ford Government’s Response

Posted: April 16, 2021

This page contains the following information:

1. Tracking report on COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings
2. Tracking report on COVID-19 outbreaks in non-health care settings
3. List of COVID-19 assessment centres
4. COVID-19 roundups
5. Additional resources
6. Media releases, statements, & campaigns
7. Analysis & backgrounder of Ontario’s March 25 economic statement

 

Tracking Report on COVID-19 Outbreaks in Health Care Settings Including: Hospitals, Long-Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, Congregate Care and Other Settings

We have tracked all staff, patients and residents infected with COVID-19 in various health care settings. Each of these updates can be found below.

March 3 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on March 12)

February 9 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on February 17)

January 19 – long-term care home COVID-19 infection rate report (Published on January 22)

January 19 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on January 22)

January 8, 2021 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on January 11)

December 1, 2020 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on December 3)

November 17 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on November 19)

November 10 – current large health care outbreaks report (Published on November 10)

October 28 – updated tracking report (Published on November 3)

September 18 – updated tracking report (Published on September 23)

August 25 – updated tracking report (Published on September 9)

July 13 – updated tracking report (Published on July 23)

June 17 – updated tracking report (Published on June 23)

June 2 – updated tracking report (Published on June 5)

May 19 – updated tracking report (Published on June 2)

May 5 – updated tracking report (Published on May 12)

April 21 – updated tracking report (Published on April 23)

April 7 – updated tracking report (Published on April 7)

April 2 – updated tracking report (Published on April 2)

March 30 –updated tracking report (Published on March 31)

March 24 – updated tracking report (Published on March 24)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click the graphic above for the most updated list of COVID-19 health care outbreaks

Tracking Report on COVID-19 Outbreaks in Non-Health Care Settings Including: Agriculture, Childcare Centres, Homeless Shelters, Social Services and Other Settings

We have also tracked COVID-19 outbreaks in various non-health care settings including: agriculture, childcare centres, homeless shelters, social services and other settings . Each of these updates can be found below.

March 13– updated tracking report (Published on March 29)

January 30, 2021 – updated tracking report (Published on February 22)

December 2, 2020 – updated tracking report (Published on December 15)

November 18 – updated tracking report (Published on November 30)

October 28 – updated tracking report (Published on November 3)

October 13 – updated tracking report (Published on October 26)

September 22 – updated tracking report (Published on September 25)

August 29 – updated tracking report (Published on September 9)

July 14 – updated tracking report (Published on July 23)

June 29 – updated tracking report (Published on July 3)

List of COVID-19 Assessment Centres

We have created a list of coronavirus assessment centres that have opened across Ontario. PDFs containing updates to the list can be found below. A map of assessment centres can be found by clicking the graphic below.

November 1, 2020 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

October 1 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

September 11 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

August 26 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

June 29 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

June 2 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

April 23 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

April 7 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

March 30 – updated list of coronavirus assessment centres

March 23 – list of coronavirus assessment centres

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click the graphic above for a map of Ontario COVID-19 assessment centres

COVID-19 Roundup & List of Federal and Provincial Supports

April 29, 2020: List of Federal and Provincial Supports – We have created a comprehensive list of Federal and Provincial Supports available for individuals who are experiencing income loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be found here.

April 2: COVID-19 Roundup – We have gathered the following information (sources are included) for your information. The COVID-19 updated roundup can be found here.

March 24: COVID-19 Roundup – The COVID-19 roundup, which includes information on health workers/long-term care residents infected, government supports & relief measures can be found here.

The April 2 & March 24 roundups include:

• List of COVID-19 Assessment Centres in Ontario
• Number of cases/status in Ontario
• List of hospital and long-term care health care workers & long-term care residents infected
• List of federal and provincial Public Health officers’ directives/recommendations
• Ontario health care funding & capacity announcements
• Ontario other supports & relief measures
• Federal government health care funding & capacity measures
• Federal government other supports & relief measures

Additional Resources

• Please use the assessment tool if you suspect you may have contracted the Coronavirus.
• If you are experiencing the symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19), please contact your local practitioner or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your local public health unit.
• You can find the most updated information from the Ministry of Health here.
• For COVID-19 resources in other languages click here.

Media Releases, Statements & Campaigns

May 27: Release & briefing on FAO report on long-term care – The new report on long-term care from Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office “FAO” supports what the Ontario Health Coalition has been warning about and more. In the neutral language of accounting, it highlights that there is no actual plan to fund needed health care services in the Ford government’s budget. It echoes what the Coalition has been warning for months, indeed for years. The full release and briefing can be found here.

May 20: New report on Investing in Care, Not Profit: Recommendations to Transform Long-Term Care in Ontario – A group of nine eminent policy experts are weighing in today on one of the most urgent policy debates in our province and our country. They are calling for urgent intervention to tip the balance and end awards of new 30-year licenses to for-profit long-term care corporations. 45,000 LTC beds hang in the balance. The group of nine have co-authored a report, Investing in Care, Not Profit: Recommendations to transform long-term care in Ontario released today, calling for immediate intervention to tip the balance in long-term care “LTC” back over to public and non-profit ownership. A media release and link to the full report can be found here.

May 18: Release on virtual Pack the Public Galleries event – More than 570 families, residents, staff and supporters registered to virtually fill the galleries of the Ontario Legislature for Question Period today. Thousands more watched on the Ontario Health Coalition’s Facebook livestream. They came to hear the Ford government answer their questions and demands for vital improvements to long-term care. However, Premier Ford and LTC Minister Merrilee Fullerton did not show up. The full release can be found here.

May 5: Analysis of the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission final report – The work of the Commission, and the openness of their process, has much to be commended. They accomplished a Herculean task in a very short time, while dealing with obstruction from the Ministries and politicians who failed to provide several hundred thousand pages of documents in a timely manner, and did not provide some key documents at all. The summary, analysis and media release can be found here.

April 29: Health Coalition reaction to the Ford government’s response to Auditor General report– The Minister of Long-Term Care’s response to yesterday’s Auditor General’s long-term care report has left LTC families and advocates livid, reported the Ontario Health Coalition. The full release and response can be found here.

April 28: Release on the Ontario Auditor General report on COVID-19 in long-term care – Ontario’s Auditor General released a 107-page report today assessing the province’s response to COVID-19 in long-term care homes, listing a litany of problems that contributed to the lack of preparedness and inadequate management of the pandemic in the homes. The Ontario Health Coalition, which was one of the stakeholders cited in the report, supports many of the key recommendations and findings of the Auditor General. The full release can be found here.

April 28: Release on Ford government’s new emergency order transferring hospital ALC patients without consent into LTC and retirement homes – The Ontario Health Coalition, which has for decades advocated for an end to hospital cuts and an expansion of capacity in our public hospitals and long-term care homes, reacted with shock and opposition to today’s new emergency order made by the Ford government that will enable forced transfers of patients to long-term care and retirement homes without their consent. The full release can be found here.

April 12: Release on COVID-19 3rd wave & record case numbers – Yesterday was the worst day for the spread of the pandemic so far. In one 24-hour period, 4,456 Ontarians were diagnosed with COVID-19. In that single day, 21 lives were lost to COVID-19. The 3^rd wave is devastating, deadly, and it is overwhelming our health care system. Our full release, which includes news from the frontlines, can be found here.

April 7: Report on RN staffing levels in long-term care – While acuity levels in Ontario’s LTC homes have risen for decades, daily hands-on care levels have been generally static and even have declined over the last 14 years. Shortages of daily hands-on care staff, including RNs and PSWs were significant and problematic before the pandemic, but have worsened through the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing this, the Ontario Health Coalition decided in November 2020 to begin collecting data and writing an investigative report on real RN staffing levels in Ontario LTC homes. The question we asked was simple: is there at least a single RN on staff 24/7 in the LTC home? The full report with our findings can be found here.

March 22: Long-term care national standards release – Today, advocates representing more than a million Canadians came together to demand that the federal government and provinces work together to establish national standards for long-term residential care. The groups released a legal opinion setting out a proposal for a commitment from the federal government to ongoing funding for long-term care with clear criteria requiring the provinces to improve quality, accountability and take profit out of seniors’ care. The full release, legal opinion and a briefing note can be found here.

March 16: Call for human rights inquiry into systemic discrimination against the elderly in Ontario hospitals and long-term care – The Ontario Health Coalition, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly & CUPE/OCHU are calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner to conduct a formal Inquiry into the human rights discrimination against the elderly in access to and levels of care in hospitals and long-term care. The full letter & more information on action you can take can be found here.

March 12: Recent health care outbreaks roundup release – As the devastation of the second wave of COVID-19 abates, we are left with certainty that Ontario failed to adequately prepare its health care setting despite months of warning. The Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings since mid-March, and released a new report today on large outbreaks in health care settings, including long-term care, hospitals and retirement homes. The full release & report can be found here.

February 22: Non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition released its new report today tracking the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, schools and childcare prior to the stricter lockdown and since, as well as the spread of the virus in the general population, The Spread of COVID-19 Pre-and Post-Winter Lockdown in Ontario Workplaces & Schools. It finds that COVID-19 cases among the general population increased more in January than in December, a very disturbing finding, but it includes cases in early January that likely developed from transmission of the virus prior to the stricter lockdown on December 26. On the other hand, it appears that public health measures have been somewhat effective in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in workplace settings with closures. The full release can be found here.

February 22: LTC PSW training announcement response & media release – Today the Ford government announced funding to train 373 new long-term care PSWs in Lanark and Renfrew, North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener, London and Burlington. This number of PSWs would not be enough to improve care in one middle-sized town, let alone across nine regions encompassing half the population of the province, reported the Ontario Health Coalition.  The full release can be found here.

February 17: Recent health care outbreaks roundup release – The results of the Ford government’s inaction prior to the winter holidays are in, and the second wave of COVID-19 now has 50% more long-term care cases than the first wave. The Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings since mid-March, and released a new report today on large outbreaks in health care settings, including long-term care, hospitals and retirement homes. The full release can be found here.

February 10: Release on U.K. variant tracking & call for stronger enforcement – The Ontario Health Coalition has tracked all the cases of the U.K. variant (B. 1.1.7) for which we can find public information. The Coalition released the data today with a call for the Ford government to take fast action to protect Ontarians. The spread of the variant in Ontario is happening quite quickly and there are now an initial set of large outbreaks in long-term care (Barrie), food production (North York) and an apartment building (North Bay). The full release and list of cases by region can be found here.

February 8: Release on for-profit long-term care chain companies banning essential caregivers – The Ontario Health Coalition has been hearing from family members of loved ones in long-term care homes who are being stopped from getting into the homes to provide support and care for their loved ones. This is happening in a range of long-term care homes across Ontario, and the Coalition is hearing it much more frequently from families with loved ones in for-profit homes.  In one particularly egregious example, Jarlette, a for-profit chain with 14 long-term care homes across the province, has suspended all access for essential caregivers except compassionate and end-of-life care. The full release can be found here.

January 29: Mass live-stream protest to Save Our Seniors in long-term care – On January 29, the Ontario health Coalition held a mass live-stream protest with online speeches from families of long-term care residents, workers, health care advocates and politicians along with a call to action asking viewers to post their comments & reactions and send an email to their MPP and the Premier. More information and a recording of the protest can be found here.

January 25: Joint provincial health coalition release on need for stronger federal action on health care –  Seven health coalitions, representing concerned Canadians from PEI to British Columbia, are calling for stronger federal action on health care ahead of Monday’s opening of Parliament. The full release, with a list of steps needed, can be found here.

January 22: 100 organizations send message about long-term care crisis in press conference – 100 organizations representing more than one million families of loved ones in long-term care, residents, care workers, health professionals, advocacy groups, seniors’ groups and community groups held a press conference today to deliver a powerful message to Premier Ford that the situation is not “hunky dory” as he said on Tuesday, and calling for immediate action to address critical staffing and care shortages, unsafe conditions, the devastating spread of COVID-19 and escalating death rates in Ontario’s long-term care homes. A release and video of the press conference can be found here.

January 14: Briefing for long-term care families: Access for visitors and essential caregivers –  A briefing for long-term care families about access to homes for visitors and essential caregivers took place on January 13, 2021. Resources and a recording of the briefing can be found here.

January 11: Recent health care outbreaks roundup release – The second wave of COVID-19 in long-term care has sharply escalated, today surpassing the peak of the first wave, and is spreading further across the province than the first wave. The Ontario Health Coalition released its latest tracking report covering the large outbreaks in health care settings, including long-term care, hospitals and retirement homes. The full release can be found here.

January 7: Release on the COVID-19 crisis and the deadliest day of the pandemic so far – Today is the deadliest day of the pandemic so far, 89 people died in the last 24-hour period. By every measure the situation is critical, warns the Ontario Health Coalition, and there can be no question remaining that stronger measures are needed to control the devastation the virus is wreaking. At the same time, stronger supports for people who are the most impacted need to be an integral part of the strategy. The full media release can be found here.

December 18, 2020: New report on COVID-19 second wave survey of staff in long-term care homes with large outbreaks – The Ontario Health Coalition had been conducting surveys of front-line staff in homes with large outbreaks (more than 10 staff and/or residents infected) across Ontario from mid-November to December of 2020. The full report and results can be found here.

December 17: Release on new Ford government staffing survey report – As more and more long-term care homes fall into dire staffing crises, the Ontario Health Coalition expressed its anger and disappointment with the government’s staffing report released today. The full media release can be found here.

December 17: New report on the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care in wave 2 reveals huge gaps in Ford government’s response – In the last 24 hours alone 18 residents have died and there have been 115 new reported COVID-19 infections in Ontario’s long-term care homes. A new report released today by the Ontario Health Coalition does a deep dive into the policies and plans by the Ford government and reveals what has gone wrong. The media release, full report, and a slideshow with a quick sample of some exploding outbreaks can be found here.

December 15: Non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – It is evident that the “lockdowns” in hotspots and measures in most Public Health Unit regions have been inadequate to stem the spread of COVID-19 and the numbers are alarming, according to a new tracking report released today by the Ontario Health Coalition. The full media release and report can be found here.

December 10: Release by health coalitions to call for increased federal health care funding and accountability – Canada’s premiers are meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to request an increase to federal funding for health care. Health coalitions from across the country support the call for a long-term increase to the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). This funding must be accompanied by a robust accountability framework to ensure that provinces and territories invest this money in public health care and uphold the Canada Health Act. The full release can be found here.

December 4: Release on second set of recommendations from Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission – The second set of recommendations from Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission were released today (here: http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/). The Commission continues to do excellent work and the Ontario Health Coalition said it is fully in support of the recommendations which focus on restoring comprehensive inspections in all LTC homes, improving compliance and enforcement of care standards and care plans, ensuring that staffing levels are inspected, and improving infection control measures in long-term care homes. In its first set of recommendations the Commission focused on improving staffing levels, which is vital and still has not been done, among other measures. The full release can be found here.

November 30: Non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – As Ontario introduces new measures to try to minimize the spread of COVID-19 with Peel and Toronto entering lockdown and Hamilton, Waterloo, Durham, Halton and York enforcing stricter regulations, it is important to evaluate the spread of the disease among our community and non-health care workplaces in the weeks leading up to the lockdown on November 23. The full media release and report can be found here.

November 16: Complaint to Integrity Commissioner about links between Ford government and long-term care lobby industry – Today, the Ontario Health Coalition submitted a complaint to the Integrity Commissioner to investigate political donations and high-level personnel links between the for-profit long-term care industry and key ministers & MPPs in the Ford Government prior to the passage of Bill 218, which indemnifies for-profit long-term care homes from liability for negligence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full complaint can be found here.

November 11: Bill 218 press conference – In a last ditch effort to get retirement and long-term care homes carved out of Bill 218, which indemnifies long-term care homes against lawsuits for negligence resulting in harm and death from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Health Coalition held an online press conference today where executive director Natalie Mehra, legal experts from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly and Will Davidson LLP, and family members of deceased long-term care residents with COVID-19 spoke. For more information and the full video, click here.

November 10: Recent health care outbreaks roundup – COVID-19 is spreading and the Ontario Health Coalition is warning that there is exponential growth in positive cases in long-term care homes in particular. There are also large outbreaks in a number of hospitals and retirement homes, and a new outbreak among Niagara paramedics. The Health Coalition has released tracking of the latest numbers here for all “large” outbreaks, which the Coalition is defining as any outbreak with more than 10 people infected. The release and report can be found here.

November 4: Submission to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy on Bill 218 – The Ontario Health Coalition’s Bill 218 submission, which tells the heartbreaking tale of how the families of loved ones in long-term care have been affected during the pandemic, can be found here.

November 4: Release on the limited Bill 218 public hearings – Increasingly frustrated with the lack of accountability for the response to COVID-19 in Ontario’s long-term care homes, Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra called today’s revelation that dozens of people who applied for standing in today’s legislative hearings on Bill 218 which limits legal liability for the home operators, “Injustice heaped upon injustice,” for the families of those who have died. The full release can be found here.

November 4: Health care outbreak tracking report & media release – The spread of COVID-19 in long-term care, retirement homes and hospitals is growing at an alarming rate. By every measure– case numbers, number and size of outbreaks and death numbers which follow the former a few weeks later — COVID-19 is spreading much more rapidly. Tracking from the period of September 18 to October 28, the Ontario Health Coalition released its most recent outbreaks report for health and congregate care settings. The media release and report can be found here.

November 3: Non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – As COVID-19 cases in Ontario’s general population hit an all-time, increasing 24% in two weeks from October 13, 2020 to October 28, 2020, the Ontario Health Coalition released its most recent outbreaks report for non-health care settings. The full media release and report can be found here.

November 2: Release on long-term care minimum care standard announcement – While the Ontario Health Coalition is happy that the Ford government has finally adopted the 4-hour minimum care standard as policy, the timeline that they have given is so long that it is meaningless for the people who are suffering and dying in long-term care now. The full release can be found here.

October 23: Release on Long-Term Care Commission’s interim recommendations – The Ford government’s Long-Term Care Commission’s interim recommendations support the need for immediate action on improving care levels by increasing the supply of PSWs and an appropriate staff mix including nurses to meet the complex care needs of residents. They also validate the Coalition’s long-standing call for a minimum average care standard of 4-hours, access to full-time work, and immediate implementation of these measures. In addition, they reinforce the calls for family and caregiver access to residents. These are important, said the Ontario Health Coalition in reaction to the release of the recommendations today. The full release can be found here.

October 21: Release on Bill 218, new liability legislation – The Ford government has introduced legislation that would make it significantly harder for residents and families to hold long-term care homes liable for harm resulting from exposure to and infection with COVID-19. The legislation covers any individual, corporation or entity and includes the crown (which means the government and its agencies). The full media release can be found here.

October 8: Release & roundup of cross-province Day of Action on long-term care – Across the province, there were well-attended car motorcades and tons of media coverage for the Ontario Health Coalition’s Day of Action held on October 8. A media release for the Day of Action, a Facebook album of the various events across the province, and a recording of the Toronto press conference can all be found here.

October 2: Analysis & release on health care funding & staffing announcements – Over the last week, the Ford government has rolled out a series of media announcements about health care funding and staffing. The Ontario Health Coalition issued a statement to break down what has been announced, what it means, and whether it is enough. The statement can be found here.

September 29: Health Coalitions’ joint media release on Prime Minister’s Throne Speech –  Health Coalitions across Canada were pleased with Throne Speech promises to expand public health care to create a universal comprehensive public pharmacare program and to set national standards for long-term care. However, concrete commitments are conspicuously absent. The Coalitions are disturbed by the political opportunism shown by some provincial premiers in response. A number of the provinces that are calling for more federal funding — with no strings attached – are at the same time privatizing health care under cover of the pandemic and not providing adequate funding and care standards for their residents. Concrete commitments are needed from both federal and provincial governments to make the needed improvements and Health Coalitions vowed to call out any governments that engage in finger-pointing for partisan benefit against the public interest of Canadians. The full release can be found here.

September 25: Non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – Since June, the Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in non-health care industries, adding to its regular updates on the spread of the virus in health care settings.  The full media release and report can be found here.

September 24: Media release demanding that Ford government stop privatizing health care under cover of COVID-19 & privatization backgrounder – The Health Coalition expressed deep concern about the Ford government’s privatization of health care services, the lack of a coherent plan for a second-wave of COVID-19, and cuts and layoffs at public hospitals while the government shifts funding to private companies for COVID-19 related services. The media release and backgrounder can be found here.

September 23: Health care outbreak tracking report & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition released its most recent report detailing the COVID-19 outbreaks it has tracked from reliable sources in health care settings since the beginning of the pandemic. The OHC has tracked 90 currently active outbreaks, 33 of which started from the end of August. The media release and report can be found here.

September 22: Media release on Ford government’s failure to release a COVID-19 plan & a call for province-wide protests – In Ottawa, the alarming spread of COVID-19 in long-term care homes underscores the lack of a clear plan and action on the part of Ontario’s Ford government to address the issues that have been raised repeatedly. The Ontario government said it would release its fall plan today. Instead of releasing a fall plan, it said that the plan was too complicated to release to the public and announced flu shots. Protests will be held across the province to put pressure on the Ford government to actually put the resources and policies into effect to improve staffing, institute minimum care standards and stop for-profit long-term care. These calls are in addition to infection control measures including testing, PPE, isolation and staffing that the Coalition has repeatedly called for throughout the first wave of the pandemic. The full media release can be found here.

September 22: Day of Action on long-term care – Almost 2,000 residents and staff have died as a result of COVID-19 in Ontario’s long-term care homes in the last 5 1/2 months. Many died isolated, without enough care, without staff time for emotional support. Long-term care staff have had to fight for access to appropriate PPE and have worked in crisis-level staffing shortages that have only become worse during the pandemic. In Canada, we have seen the highest levels of death in long-term care homes in the developed world. We cannot allow this to continue. The Ontario Health Coalition is holding a Day of Action to create political pressure to expose the lack of action to improve care in long-term care and to push for an end to for-profit privatization of long-term care. More information and a list of locations can be found here.

September 16: Briefing note on COVID-19 in long-term care litigation & legal actions – There have been at least two dozen legal actions as a result of the conditions in long-term care and the responses to the spread of the virus, exposed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, including filing of class action suits, an injunction, a request for criminal investigation, and the filing of several statements of claim. A summary of the cases the Ontario Health Coalition has been able to find can be found here.

September 16: Revera fact sheet –  The Ontario Health Coalition has released a fact sheet on Revera, which includes information on who is Revera, its political connections, COVID-19 infection & death rates in Revera homes, legal action against Revera, and the call to make Revera public. The Revera fact sheet can be found here.

September 9: Health & non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition, which has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic, released two new reports today tracking the trends in outbreaks to the end of August in health care settings and in non-health care industries. The Coalition has highlighted in each report the information that is either no longer reported by Public Health and the Ontario government, or has not been reported at all, but should be. The reports, Tracking of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Health Care Settings and COVID-19 Outbreaks in Non-Healthcare Settings, as well as the media release, can be found here.

July 23: Health & non-health care outbreak tracking report & media release – Since mid-March as COVID-19 began to spread in Ontario’s health care system, the Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking the numbers of residents/patients and staff that have contracted the virus in health and congregate care settings. As Phase 2 reopening began, the Coalition began tracking outbreaks in other industries. Two new tracking reports, one tracking the spread of COVID-19 in health & congregate care and the other tracking the spread in non-health care industries have been released today. The full media release can be found here.

July 22: Long-term care staffing shortages survey report & media release – Staff describe it as “heartbreaking”, “wrong” and “a far cry from what they deserve”. The Ontario Health Coalition released the results of a survey today of more than 150 long-term care staff about staffing and care levels in Ontario’s long-term care homes. The survey asked whether staffing is worse, better or the same since prior to COVID-19. The media release and full report can be found here.

July 16: New long-term care bed funding announcement media release, analysis & backgrounder  – The long-term care funding announcement to open new beds is concerning because unless the Ford government takes measures to improve working conditions and recruit and train staff, new beds can’t be opened because there is no staff to provide care in them. A media release, which includes an analysis and some background information on long-term care funding, can be found here.

June 30: Bill 175 & Bill 161 cross-province media event release – Media events are being held across the province this week and will include updates on the Ford government’s failure to respond to the crisis in long-term care, on their attempt to push through Bill 175, the new law that privatizes and removes oversight for home and community care, and Bill 161, the new law to make it harder to launch class action lawsuits against private companies, including for-profit long-term care homes where so many have died. The media release with a list of event locations can be found here.

June 30: Grading Ford government on long-term care report card & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition issued a report card today, grading the Ford government on its response to the key recommendations made in its open letter, sent a month ago, which has now been signed onto by more than 200 groups representing almost two million Ontarians. Premier Ford has not responded to the Coalition’s letter despite the huge body of Ontarians represented by the groups that have jointly signed. The report card and media release can be found here.

June 23: Health care outbreak report & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition released its most recent two-week report tracking the spread of COVID-19 among patients, residents and staff in health care settings today. The Coalition has been tracking every case it has been able to find from reliable sources (all sources footnoted) since March 12 and has regularly released a report analysing the trends and charting the changes every few weeks through the pandemic. The reports contain comparisons to Public Health Ontario’s data and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s data. The full report and media release can be found here.

June 22: Long-term care cross-province Day of Protest media release – Having already done online virtual protests, having sent an open letter to the Premier, having participated in public hearings that were short & with almost no public notice, having watched the Premier making populist sounding statements and at the same time ramping up its efforts to deregulate, remove public governance and oversight, privatize vital health care services while we are in a pandemic and at the same time not making policy and spending the money necessary to deal with the staffing crisis in long-term care:– the Coalition says it is now taking the extraordinary step of organizing cross-Ontario protests. For more information about the Day of Protest taking place on Wednesday June 24, including a printable poster, click here. The media release for the Day of Protest can be found here.

June 17: Complaint regarding behaviour of MPPs at Bill 175 public hearing (media release) – The Ontario Health Coalition is making a formal complaint today regarding the behaviour of three government MPPs in the public hearing into Bill 175 the Ford government’s new home and community care legislation. The media release can be found here.

June 15: Bill 175 submission & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition released its submission on Bill 175, the Ford government’s new home care law which guts existing home and community care legislation, dismantles public oversight and parcels out currently public home care functions to an array of providers including for-profit companies, according to the Coalition’s analysis. The submission and media release can be found here.

June 5: Anti-black racism statement – The Ontario Health Coalition has released a statement in support of the protests against anti-Black racism & police brutality. The statement on how anti-Black racism is a Public Health crisis, and much more, can be found here.

June 5: Health care outbreak report & media release – A media release and report that details the large number of COVID-19 outbreaks in health and congregate care settings, including hospitals, long term care, retirement homes, public health units and clinics, with data tracking 10,837 staff, patients and residents infected, can be found here.

May 29: Long-term care inspections fact checker & media release – The Ontario Health Coalition, which has advocated for more than two decades for annual unannounced full resident quality inspections of all long-term care homes, issued a fact checker to clarify what has happened with the homes’ inspection and enforcement regimen. The media release and fact checker can be found here.

May 28: Long-term care open letter – The Ontario Health Coalition sent an open letter to Premier Doug Ford signed by family councils, health professionals, social organizations, cultural organizations, seniors’ and retirees’ groups, health coalitions, legal clinics, and many others who collectively represent more than 1.5 million Ontarians. The open letter with a list of signatories can be found here.

May 26: Long-term care military report response (media release) – The Ontario Health Coalition expressed its frustration upon reading the description of infection control practices at the facilities to which military personnel were dispatched. The media release can be found here.

May 25: Long-term care open letter – The Ontario Health Coalition has written an open letter seeking some assurances regarding both the long-term care commission and the immediate measures needed that cannot wait for a commission. Organizations are invited to sign on to the letter and individuals are encouraged to use this letter to write your own correspondence to Premier Doug Ford. The open letter can be found here.

May 19: Long-term care inquiry announcement response (media release) – The Ontario Health Coalition’s response to the Ford government’s announcement today supporting an independent commission or inquiry into long-term care, with some caveats, can be found here.

May 12: Health care outbreak report & media release – A media release and report that details the dramatically increasing number of COVID-19 outbreaks in health and congregate care settings, including hospitals, long term care, retirement homes, public health units and clinics, with data tracking 7,894 staff, patients and residents infected, can be found here.

May 6: Long-term care death rate report & media release – A new analysis released by the Ontario Health Coalition shows a significantly higher death rate as a result of COVID-19 in long-term care homes that are owned by for-profit corporations as compared to non-profit and public (municipal) homes. The media release and analysis can be found here.

April 30: Online Day of Action media release – A media release detailing the issues in long-term care that have led to the Ontario Health Coalition calling for an online Day of Action tomorrow to press the provincial government for more concrete measures can be found here.

April 29: Online Day of Action – On May 1, join us for an online Day of Action to Fix Long-Term Care! Event details can be found on the Ontario Health Coalition Facebook event here. Additional information can also be found on our website here.

April 23: Health care outbreak report & media release – A media release on the 70-page report released on April 23 tracking people who have been infected with COVID-19 in health care facilities can be found here.

April 16: Long-term care measures needed (media release) – A media release calling on the Ontario government to provide stronger, concrete measures that are needed to protect residents and staff in long-term care homes can be found here.

April 14: Email campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care homes – Please send a message to tell the Ontario government to protect long-term care homes from deadly outbreaks of COVID-19. Click here to send a message.

April 9: Long-term care COVID-19 directive analysis & response – An analysis of and response to the inadequate Ontario government directives for long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

April 2: Health care outbreak report & media release – A media release calling on the Ford government to take more concrete action to deal with the growing list of health care COVID-19 outbreaks can be found here.

March 31: COVID-19 testing and tracking media release – Why are so few Ontarians being tested and tracked? The Ontario Health Coalition raises questions about the COVID-19 numbers in Ontario and why Ontario lags behind all other provinces and many other jurisdictions in ramping up testing. The release that raises these questions can be found here.

March 24: Health Coalitions’ joint statement on COVID-19 and public health care – Joint statement by health coalitions from across Canada encouraging the government to build capacity in public non-profit health care and to not privatize can be found here.

Ontario Economic Statement Analysis & Backgrounder

March 24, 2021: Pre-budget analysis – The Health Coalition said today that the funding numbers for health care in the budget are going to look huge of course, due to the pandemic, but the Coalition will be watching to make sure that funding is indeed enough. Equally important to the amount of funding, are strings attached to require improvements in long-term care, and a stop to the Ford government’s attempts to use new public funding to privatize health care services. The full release with an analysis can be found here.

March 25, 2020: Economic statement analysis – Ontario’s government released its economic statement today. Overall, they are providing $3.3 billion for health care, another $3.7 billion in supports for people and businesses, and $10 billion for other deferrals and tax “relief”.