OHC in the News

JAN. 26 2022-ONTARIO HOME CARE STAFFING SHORTAGE & INTEREST RATES IN CANADA

(January 26, 2022) By: Zoomer Radio ONTARIO HOME CARE SECTOR FACING A STAFFING SHORTAGE Libby Znaimer is joined by Jake Mitten, Owner and managing director of Home Instead Markham, Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, and Kerri Thompson, a caregiver to her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease. The home care sector in […]

Non-profit care homes deserve more beds: coalition

(January 20, 2022) Three resident home areas of Hogarth Riverview Manor, which is a not-for-profit long-term care facility in Thunder Bay, are currently dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. With Ontario about halfway through allocating more than 30,000 long-term care beds, health-care advocates are concerned the majority of those beds are going to for-profit homes. Thunder Bay […]

VIDEO: Ontario Health Coalition slams province over ‘for profit’ LTC homes

(January 19, 2022) By: Kurt Black, TBnewswatch.com Analysis Click here for original video

Absenteeism causing ‘critical’ staffing gaps in province’s hospitals

(January 11, 2022) Ambulances at the emergency entrance of East York’s Michael Garron Hospital on January 10, 2022. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun Health Minister Christine Elliott said about 600 hundred existing ICU beds and another potential 500 beds remain available. However, Health Ontario CEO and President Matt Anderson said the number of COVID-19 patients in […]

LETTER: Advocacy representative urges province to do better by seniors in long-term care

(Jan 5, 2021) By: SooToday Staff, SooToday.com Stock image SooToday has received the following letter to the editor from District 3 Algoma Retired Teachers of Ontario advocacy representative Marie DellaVedova who is concerned about senior care in long-term care homes in Ontario. A humanitarian crisis is unfolding here in Ontario, one that could have been prevented. If […]

Moving manor needs replacing

(January 5, 2022) By: Pam Wright, The Chatham Voice Donna Benoit wants her 95-year-old mother Loretta to stay put in Tilbury. That means attracting a new long-term care facility to the West Kent community as Tilbury Manor Nursing Home – where her mother lives – is closing with its 75 beds to be reallocated to […]

2021 Mayor’s honour list released

(December 31, 2021) By: Melanie Irwin, Blackburn News Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley gives a state-of-the-city address to members of Sarnia’s Seaway Kiwanis Club. January 7, 2020. Photo by Melanie Irwin Sarnia’s Mayor has released a 2021 honour list which highlights the work of 13 individuals and groups. The mayor’s honour list was established in 1981 […]

Executive Director Natalie Mehra on Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan

(December 30, 2021) By: CBC Ottawa Morning Starting today, residents in long-term care homes can only get visits from two designated caregivers and won’t be allowed to leave for social reasons. Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra talks about the effect this will have on residents and families in long-term care. Link to radio […]

Executive Director Natalie Mehra talks about the new long-term care restrictions on CP24

(December 30, 2021) By: CP24 To protect the most vulnerable, long-term care homes are now under strict restrictions. Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mehra, speaks on how this affects the people living in these homes, and how families are reacting. Link to video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etbkG74fW74

‘My wife and I have been doing the work of seven people’: Close contacts limit PSW availability for London, Ont. man

(December 28, 2021) By: Brent Lale, iHeartRadio Photo: Brent Lale It’s been a stressful and frustrating holiday season for Jeff Preston. The London, Ont. man with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy requires around the clock care to function as a human being. “Going to the washroom, eating, getting food, and help getting rolled over […]

Province will renew Scarborough nursing homes where COVID-19 took scores of lives

(December 17, 2021) By: Mike Adler, Toronto.com Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has approved upgrades and expansions for Scarborough nursing homes whose residents suffered devastating COVID-19 outbreaks. At Altamont Care Community, where 53 residents died of the disease in 2020, Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips on Dec. 10 announced a new nursing home on the property […]

Top 10 Winners and Losers of 2021

For the 14th year, Bob Hepburn reveals the winners and losers from across Canada, Ontario and the Toronto area. (December 15, 2021) By: Bob Hepburn, Toronto Star As another year of COVID-19 draws thankfully to a close, it’s time to look back on the people and events that made […]

Ontario PCs pass bill to reform long-term care in the province

(December 7, 2021) By: Charlie Pinkerton, iPolitics Bill 37, the Progressive Conservatives’ legislation that seeks to improve long-term care in Ontario, was tabled by Minister Rod Phillips, pictured in the Ontario Legislature on Nov. 5, 2020. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press) A Progressive Conservative bill to reform parts of Ontario’s long-term care system was passed by […]

Doug Ford’s government is betraying us on the long-term care of our most vulnerable citizens

(December 5, 2021) By: Ann Silversides, Toronto Star Crosses are seen in April 2021 outside an Ontario long-term-care home, placed as a reminder of those lost inside the facility as COVID-19 swept through care homes in 2020. RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Many of us hoped that the cascade of horrific deaths suffered by thousands of […]

Coalition reports long-term care increasingly a for-profit service

(December 4, 2021) By: Francis Racine, Kingston Whig-Standard (Print Edition) A report by the Ontario Health Coalition released Monday revealed the majority of provincial licences to operate long-term care beds may well be allocated to private, for-profit facilities. What’s more, the Ontario Health Coalition, through its 72-page report titled “Public Money, Private Profit: The Ford […]

«Ford doit arrêter d’offrir des contrats au privé»

(Décembre 4, 2021) By: Émilie Pelletier, Le Droit TORONTO — Cela fait déjà plus d’un an depuis que la mère de Laura Yue a pris son dernier souffle, dans un établissement pour aînés à but lucratif, à Ottawa. Aujourd’hui, Laura Yue ajoute sa voix à celles qui exhortent le gouvernement Ford de cesser d’accorder des […]

Ford Gov. Awarding Thousands of Long-Term Care Beds to For-Profit Chains with Ghastly Records of Death and Suffering

(December 4, 2021) By: Niagara At Large Toronto— The Ford government has been awarding tens of thousands of long-term care beds to for-profit operators and 30-year licenses paid by Ontario taxpayers. The Ontario Health Coalition warned the Ford government is on the cusp of privatizing an entire new generation of long-term care beds unless public […]

Ontario Health Coalition calls for end to subsidizing private long-term care homes

(December 4, 2021) By: Ian Campbell, CTV News Analysis SUDBURY – 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 […]

Province responds to scathing report, says it’s ‘fixing long-term care’ in Ontario

(December 3, 2021) By: Allan Benner, Welland Tribune Royal Rose Place in Welland, is one of the long-term care homes receiving government investment, cited in a report by the Ontario Health Coalition. JULIE JOCSAK / TORSTAR FILE PHOTO Facing criticism for investing in for-profit long-term care homes where residents lost their lives to COVID-19 outbreaks, Ontario’s Ministry of […]

Coalition to release report on LTC beds; Local briefs

(December 3, 2021) By: Sudbury Star (Print Edition) Ontario Health Coalition members will join health coalition representatives and families from Sudbury, North Bay and Blind River for a Zoom media conference on Dec. 3 to present a new report taking the provincial government to task over the privatization of long-term care. “Over the past year, […]

Long-term care increasingly for-profit service in Ontario, advocates say

(December 3, 2021) By: Francis Racine, Ottawa Citizen A stock photo of a long-term care facility residence. PHOTO BY HEIKO119 /Getty Images/iStockphoto CORNWALL — A report by the Ontario Health Coalition released Monday revealed the majority of provincial licences to operate long-term care beds may well be allocated to private for-profit facilities. What’s more, the Ontario Health […]

Families Who Lost Loved Ones In Long Term Care During The Pandemic Urge The Government To Stop For-Profit Privatization

(December 3, 2021) By: Pamela Vanmeer, Kawartha 411 June and her father George in happier times KAWARTHA LAKES-“Last I saw and hugged my Dad was on Friday, March 13, 2020. I arrived at Orchard Villa after the dinner hour for our usual Father-Daughter Friday date night. He loved music. I found him in bed singing […]

Coalition calls for more non-profit LTC beds in northeast (updated)

(December 3, 2021) By: Colleen Romaniuk, The Sudbury Star Photo illustration PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE Update: This story has been updated to reflect that Al Dupuis is the former co-chair of the Ottawa Health Coalition. The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is sounding the alarm on the Ford government’s plan to allocate tens of thousands of long-term care […]

North Bay resident shares tragic story of grandmother’s death

(December 3, 2021) By: Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles, North Bay Nugget Henri Giroux, a member of the North Bay Health Coalition talks to local media about private versus public long-term care homes Friday. The Ontario Health Coalition recently released a report titled “Public Money Private Profit:The Ford Government & Privatization of the Next Generation of Ontario’s Long-Term […]

Health Coalition fighting against more privatized long-term care beds

(December 3, 2021) By: Chris Dawson, BayToday.ca Stock image Members of the Ontario Health Coalition and northeast region partners in North Bay, Blind River, and Sudbury hosted an online media conference to warn the province and the region about their fears that claim the province is and will be awarding thousands of long term care beds […]

The new fiscal federalism will change your life. But how?

(December 2, 2021) By: Armine Yalnizyan, Toronto Star Last week’s speech from the throne, delivered in Ottawa by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, noted that long-term care needs attention. Given the pandemic’s revelation of the problems with elder care, that’s long overdue, Armine Yalnizyan writes. SEAN KILPATRICK / POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES How will the business world change in […]

CBC Toronto News December 02, 2021

(December 2, 2021) By: CBC News (timestamp: 29:50) Analysis Click here for original article

Advocacy Group Calls For an End to For-Profit LTC

(December 2, 2021) By: CKXS 99.1 Kathy Cottingham with the Tilbury Area Action Team speaking during an Ontario Health Coalition news conference, November 30, 2021. A group of health care advocates is calling on the Ford government to do away with for-profit long term care. According to a recent report from the Ontario Health Coalition, […]

Eastern Ontario LTC statistics from Ontario Health Coalition report

(December 2, 2021) By: Francis Racine, The Intelligencer Maxville Manor. Photo on Saturday, August 1, 2020, in Maxville, Ont. Todd Hambleton/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia Network PHOTO BY TODD HAMBLETON /Todd Hambleton/Standard-Freeholder Arch Long-Term Care DTOC II – Orleans (owned by Arch LTC) has proposed to build 164 new spaces and upgrade 60 existing spaces. The home is intended for francophone […]

Kitchener-Waterloo Health Coalition’s Jim Stewart on for-profit long-term care homes receiving bulk of new bed licenses

(December 2, 2021) By: CityNews Kitchener Show Opening… But first (0:33); City building for the human spirit “The Joy Experiments” (19:42); Due to Years of Government Foot-Dragging, Ontario Won’t Become Accessible to 2.6 Million People with Disabilities by 2025, Violating Disabilities Act (42:38); For-profit long-term care homes receiving bulk of new bed licenses, report finds […]

Province slammed for investing in for-profit LTC homes where pandemic claimed lives

(December 1, 2021) By: Allan Benner, The Standard Julia Blushak said she and her brother Paul cared for their parents for decades, while they resided in a long-term-care home in St. Catharines — until the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020 prevented them from visiting. The St. Catharines woman shared numerous horror stories about the care […]

Coalition Against Government’s For-Profit LongTerm Care Strategy

By: Bill Hornbostel Recently, the Ontario Health Coalition held a series of press conferences around Ontario to publicize their new report, “Public Money, Private Profit: The Ford Government & the Privatization of the Next Generation of Ontario’s Long-Term Care.” (Link: here). A recent conference featured speakers from Northumberland, Durham, and Kawartha Lakes, including Linda Mackenzie-Nicholas from the Northumberland Labour […]

For-profit long-term care homes receiving bulk of new bed licenses, report finds

(November 30, 2021) By: Leah Gerber, Toronto Star WATERLOO REGION — Jim Stewart is infuriated at the treatment of elders in Ontario and how the province plans to provide elder care for the next generation. “We are at a critical crossroads in long-term care, and I’m outraged actually at what is happening,” said Stewart, chair […]

Group wants province to shift long-term care focus away from for-profit companies

(November 30, 2021) By: Germain Ma, CityNews Long term care bed / Stock photo The Waterloo Region Health Coalition is calling on the Ford government to stop allocating the majority of new beds at long-term care facilities to for-profit companies. A new report by the Ontario Health Coalition finds that chains which were responsible for the worst […]

Protecting Seniors? Bill 37 and the Ontario Crisis in Long-Term Care

(November 30, 2021) By: SP The Bullet The ‘new’ Ontario Long-Term Care legislation, Bill 37 Providing More Care, Protecting Seniors, and Building More Beds Act, 2021, has been referred to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly for public hearings. Here is the Ontario Health Coalition’s analysis of the new LTC (long-term care) bill. It […]

CBC Toronto News November 29, 2021

(November 29, 2021) By: CBC News (timestamp: 12:50) Analysis Click here for original article

Public Money, Private Profit: Ontario Health Coalition to release report on privatization of LTC beds

(November 27, 2021) By: Sudbury Star Dot Klein, co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition, makes a point at a rally in Sudbury, Ont. on Monday October 4, 2021. John Lappa/Sudbury Star/Postmedia Network PHOTO BY JOHN LAPPA /John Lappa/Sudbury Star Ontario Health Coalition members will join health coalition representatives and families from Sudbury, North […]

Brampton residents may have to raise $125M for hospital expansion despite no timeline on 24/7 ER

(November 17, 2021) By: Ali Raza, CBC News The Ontario government announced in late 2020 that it would build a new hospital at the site of the Peel Memorial Centre, which would include 250 new inpatient beds. But when the redevelopment will get a 24/7 emergency department remains unclear. (Grant Linton/CBC) When his wife fell suddenly ill, Coun. Pat […]

One of the Ontario LTC homes hardest-hit by COVID-19 could soon be managed by non-profit

(November 11, 2021) By: Sara Jabakhanji, CBC News Camilla Care Community long-term care home in Mississauga, Ont., was among the hardest hit homes in the province during the COVID-19 pandemic with 68 resident deaths linked to COVID-19. (Paul Smith/CBC) A Mississauga long-term-care home that saw one of the most devastating COVID-19 outbreaks during the first wave of […]

All Hamilton long-term-care homes set to be fully air-conditioned

(November 10, 2021) By: Maria Iqbal, Spectator Reporter All Hamilton long-term-care homes are set to become fully air-conditioned as early as next year after a summer with multiple heat alerts. Seven local facilities are adding AC units to resident bedrooms, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Care. They are Extendicare Hamilton, Parkview Nursing Centre, Ridgeview, […]

Wait times remain long for long-term care in Oakville

(November 7, 2021) By: Mansoor Tanweer, Oakville Beaver Joyce Whitelaw’s husband Glen has been in long-term care in Mississauga since February 2019. He has Alzheimer’s, which has caused many complications for the local couple. When Glen was hospitalized for a seizure in October 2018, Joyce told hospital staff that “I could not bring him home.” […]

Consumer group takes issue with ‘new’ LTC rules

(November 2, 2021) By: Sara McCleary, Sault This Week Rod Phillips, minister of long-term care, promises more inspections and continued vaccinations at the province’s care homes. The Ontario government has announced new legislation for the long-term care sector, but critics say the legislation does not make any real changes to the existing Long-Term Care Homes […]

Ontario already had tools to penalize worst long-term care companies, including not-for profit with ongoing issues

(October 29, 2021) By: Miriam Katawazi, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer TORONTO — The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the five Ontario long-term care providers at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of conditions and neglect. Holland Christian […]

Ontario long-term care homes could face $1-million fines under proposed legislation to improve accountability

(October 28, 2021) By: Karen Howlett, Investigative Reporter Globe and Mail Laura Stone, Queen’s Park Reporter The proposed Ontario legislation includes pledges to spend billions of dollars on hiring more workers for the chronically understaffed sector, doubling the number of inspectors to keep closer watch on conditions in the homes, and building new facilities to […]

Ontario company could get millions to rebuild nursing home where resident wasn’t bathed for weeks before dyin

(October 28, 2021) By: Miriam Katawazi, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer TORONTO — The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the five Ontario long-term care chains at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of horrifying conditions and neglect. GEM […]

Ontario allocates beds to long-term care company accused of ignoring residents as they cried hours for help

(October 27, 2021) By: Miriam Katawazi, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer TORONTO — The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the five Ontario long-term care chains at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of horrifying conditions and neglect. Rykka […]

Ontario will double the number of long-term care home inspectors

(October 26, 2021) By: TBSNewsWatch.com Staff The Ontario government says it will double the number of long-term care home inspectors within the next year. Long-term Care Minister Rod Phillips announced Tuesday that $20 million has been allocated to hire 193 new inspections staff by the fall of 2023. Phillips said this will result in a […]

Millions in taxpayer dollars earmarked for Ontario LTC company that allegedly left residents malnourished

(October 26, 2021) By: Miriam Katawazi, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer TORONTO — The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the Ontario for-profit long-term care chains at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of horrifying conditions and neglect. Sienna […]

Ontario long-term care company accused of leaving residents ‘soiled in diapers’ will get millions for new beds

(October 25, 2021) By: Miriam Katawazi, CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer TORONTO — The Doug Ford government says it has allocated hundreds of beds to the Ontario for-profit long-term care chains at the centre of a military report that shocked the nation more than a year ago with details of horrifying conditions and neglect. Southbridge […]

Oxford Health Coalition calls on government for improvements to long-term care

(October 14, 2021) By: Barbara Geernaert Health-care advocates protested outside Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman’s Woodstock office last week, calling for better conditions in the province’s long-term care homes. The Oct. 4 protest, organized by the Oxford Health Coalition, was one of many similar rallies organized across the province by chapters of the Ontario Health Coalition. […]

Réforme des soins de longue durée : une association présente ses recommandations

(October 14, 2021) By: Stella Dupuy, Radio-Canada L’Association des soins de longue durée de l’Ontario (OLTCA) a présenté jeudi ses recommandations pour améliorer le système des soins de longue durée et le rendre plus transparent et redevable à l’égard des patients. Celles-ci surviennent alors que le ministre des Soins de longue durée, Rod Phillips, promet […]

Ontario government to build two long-term-care facilities in Oakville

(October 13, 2021) By: Mansoor Tanweer, Oakville Beaver Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care Rod Phillips, riding counterparts, Mayor Rob Burton and various health-care executives were on hand to announce the creation of two long-term-care (LTC) facilities in Oakville. The proposed facilities are expected to house 640 residents and will provide “culturally appropriate” services to the […]

‘Helpless and hopeless’: Front-line workers talk long-term care during COVID-19

(October 8, 2021) By: Julie Ireton, CBC News Crescencio Resendiz, a personal support worker for a Revera-run home, has not been back to work since contracting COVID-19 in January 2021. (Julie Ireton/CBC) As the Ontario government steps up efforts to recruit more long-term care workers, some current and former staff members say they’re still struggling […]

Field visits by phone, locked-up PPE flagged by nursing home staff in 1st wave, documents show

(October 7, 2021) By: Julie Ireton, CBC News Anaya Toelly, Stephanie Kocielski and Betty Yakimenko have family members at Madonna Care Community in Orleans, Ont., which experienced a COVID-19 outbreak early in the pandemic. They recently attended a rally in Ottawa to raise awareness about a number of issues with the long-term care system. (Jean […]

“Rise Up For Long-Term Care” Rallies Call for Government Action to Protect Seniors in Care

(October 5, 2021) By: Workers’ Forum Online Supplement of the Marxist-Leninist Queen’s Park, October 4, 2021 Rallies were held in 18 Ontario cities, including at Queen’s Park on October 4, the first day of the fall sitting of the Ontario Provincial Legislature. Organized by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the aim of the “Rise Up […]

Protesters rally to tell premier long-term care has to be not-for-profit

(October 5, 2021) By: Ian Campbell, CTV News Northern Ontario Analysis SUDBURY – A small crowd gathered at Sudbury’s Civic Cemetery on Monday calling on Premier Doug Ford to take the profit out of long-term care in the province. “We’re here to demand immediate action to fast track improving healthcare to four hours of care, […]

Understaffed long-term care homes nothing new: Retired PSWs

(October 5, 2021) By: Ellwood Shreve, Sentinel Review Woodstock Retired personal support workers Julie Dorner (left) and Kim Brown spoke about the shortage of workers in long-term care homes that has been going on long before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, during a protest by the Chatham-Kent chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition in front of […]

Health Coalition Urges Ontario Government To Act On Promised Improvements To Long Term Care

(October 5, 2021) By: Pamela Vanmeer, Kawartha 411 KAWARTHA LAKES-The Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition held a long-term care protest at Laurie Scott’s office on Monday in conjunction with Ontario Health Coalition’s province-wide protest. More than 4,000 residents living in Long Term Care died from Coronavirus, many more from related illnesses according to the coalition. They […]

Ontario Health Coalition holds province-wide protests, decries state of long-term care

(October 4, 2021) By: Darryn Davis, Global News Protestors calling on the provincial government to do more to improve Long Term Care in Ontario. Global Kingston On the same day as the Ontario government’s throne speech, about 50 protesters set up at the high-density traffic intersection of Princess and Concession streets. The protest, organized by the […]

‘We have not forgotten’: Ontario Health Coalition continuing call for long-term care home reforms

(October 4, 2021) By: Sawyer Bogdan, Global News Around 17 people gathered outside MPP, Jeff Yurek’s office in St. Thomas to advocate for changes to long-term care on Oct. 4, 2021. Andrew Graham / Global News The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is advocating for better standards in long-term care and an end to for-profit homes […]

‘This isn’t working’

(October 4, 2021) By: Colleen Romaniuk, Cochrane Times Post Alessandro Presenza, of Hands of Hope, makes a point at a rally organized by the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition on Monday. PHOTO BY JOHN LAPPA/SUDBURY STAR The Sudbury branch of the Ontario Health Coalition held a protest Monday to demand immediate action from the […]

Oakville residents take part in provincewide rally for long-term care

(October 4, 2021) By: Mansoor Tanweer, The Star Some 50 Oakville residents took to the streets to raise awareness about the ongoing long-term-care crisis in the province. “Our goal is to make the public aware that the situation … it’s still a very important issue and conditions have not improved in long-term care,” said Anne […]

Protesters call for improved long-term care

(October 4, 2021) By: CTV News Kitchener Analysis On October 4, the Waterloo Health Coalition joined forces with local health coalitions across Ontario to hold a protest on the opening day of the legislature to protest the Ford government’s total failure to get care levels up to anything safe or acceptable in long-term care. Click here […]

Two separate protests outside Queen’s Park as MPPs return for new legislative session

(October 4, 2021) By: Mike Walker, CTV News Toronto Analysis TORONTO — Calls for long-term care reform, as well as better wages for nurses, echoed outside the Queen’s Park on Monday during two separate protests as MPP’s returned to work for the start of a new legislative session. As the Ford government delivered it’s throne […]

OHC Increasing Calls For Better LTC

(October 4, 2021) By: CKXS 99.1 FM Even though he is no longer a member of the governing Tory caucus, Rick Nicholls will be the target of a protest today. The Ontario Health Coalition is looking to keep pressure on the Ford government’s handling of the long term health care industry. The group is calling […]

COVID-19: Ottawa reports 31 new cases; any new pandemic measures would be localized and targeted, says throne speech

(October 4, 2021) By: Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen The ultimate goal, according to the throne speech delivered in the legislative chamber Monday, is “avoiding future lockdowns.” File photo/ Proof of vaccination required to enter a restaurant. PHOTO BY MARIO TAMA /Getty Images Ontario MPPs are back at Queen’s Park, the province is heading into a winter when […]

Protesters fight for more Long Term Care Home support

(October 4, 2021) By: Chris Dawson, Bay Today A small group of about a dozen protesters gathered outside Vic Fedeli’s constituency office to express their concern over long-term care in Ontario. Henri Giroux, president of the North Bay & District Labour Council, led the North Bay event, which is one of a number of organized protests […]

Protest calls for greater accountability in long-term care

(October 4, 2021) By: Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles, Northern News Henri Giroux, a member of the North Bay Health Coalition, speaks to media and supporters during a small rally, Monday, outside Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli’s office. Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles/The Nugget COVID-19 opened the country’s eyes to the problems in long-term care homes, but those problems have been there […]

Ontario Health Coalition’s Cornwall chapter not happy with state of LTCs

(October 4, 2021) By: Francis Racine, Gananoque Reporter About 40 protesters came together on Monday in front of MPP Jim McDonell’s office in order to demand change in the long-term care sector Photo taken on Monday October 4, 2021 in Cornwall, Ont. Francis Racine/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia Network PHOTO BY FRANCIS RACINE /Francis Racine/Standard-Freeholder This article was edited in […]

Health watchdog uses throne speech to call for immediate improvements in long-term care

(October 4, 2021) By: Brian Bicknell, CTV News London ST. THOMAS, ONT. – A provincial health care watchdog used the occasion of Monday’s Ontario government throne speech to point out what it says are deficiencies in the long-term care system. The Ontario Health Coalition held demonstrations outside MPP offices across the province Monday, including PC […]

NATALIE MEHRA – ONTARIO HEALTH COALITION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INTERVIEW WITH MATT HOLMES NEWSTALK 610

(October 3, 2021) By: Matt Holmes, Newstalk 610 CKTB Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra speaks to Matt Holmes of Newstalk 610 CKTB about recent long-term care announcements, the current state of long-term care and the upcoming protests being held across the province. Click here for audio interview

Long-term care protest Monday in Sudbury

(October 3, 2021) By: The Sudbury Star Photo illustration. PHOTO BY TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIA NETWORK Saying the Ford government has failed to address concerns about long-term care, the Ontario Health Coalition is calling for cross-province protests on Monday when the Ontario Legislature is scheduled to open. In Sudbury, that protest is scheduled for the front gate of […]

PROVINCE MAKING VACCINES MANDATORY FOR LONG-TERM CARE STAFF

(October 1, 2021) By: Brett Glover, Barrie360 COVID-19 vaccines will soon be mandatory in all long-term care homes across Ontario. Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips announced on Friday that vaccines will be mandatory for all in-home staff, support workers, students, and volunteers within long-term care homes by November 15, unless there is a valid medical […]

CBC Radio’s All in a Day with Alan Neal and the Ottawa Health Coalition

(September 13, 2021) By: Alan Neal, CBC Radio CBC Radio’s All In A Day invited two active members of the Ottawa Health Coalition to identify what they want candidates to address about long term care in this election? With her mom currently in LTC, Betty Yakimenko (4:24 mark) identifies staffing shortages, poor wages and lack of […]

BRAUN: Families fight licence renewal for Orchard Villa LTC home

(September 6, 2021) By: Liz Braun, Toronto Sun Diane Colangelo visits her 86-year-old mother Patricia through a window at the Orchard Villa long-term care home in Pickering. PHOTO BY VERONICA HENRI /Toronto Sun/Postmedia Orchard Villa is the hellhole nursing home in Pickering where 70 residents died of COVID-19. Families of Orchard Villa were justifiably horrified to learn […]

Private or public? Advocate urges candidates to support public long-term care system

(September 3, 2021) By: Tyler Clarke, Sudbury.com Reporter Advocating for stronger public services, Dot Klein attended Tuesday’s all-candidates debate at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76 to see which federal candidates are on board. Klein has been working as a registered nurse for 57 years and is co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health […]

Fight against license extension for Orchard Villa in Pickering continues

(September 1, 2021) By: Durham Radio News The company that owns the Orchard Villa long-term care home in Pickering is applying for a license extension. The proposal is for a new 30-year license to rebuild and an 87-bed expansion to Southbridge, the for-profit long-term care home operator. News of the license renewal has been met […]

Election debate on seniors issues in Sudbury

(August 31, 2021) By: Alana Everson, CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca Videojournalist Sudbury – Issues facing seniors in the Sept. 20 federal election were the focus of a debate in Sudbury Tuesday. The groups CARP and Friendly to Seniors Sudbury hosted the event. “Both are advocacy groups for seniors and, as most of us know, there are more seniors […]

‘There is just so much wrong’: Penetanguishene residents upset with state of long-term-care homes in Ontario

(August 25, 2021) By: Andrew Mendler, Midland Mirror Reporter Don Copping and Fran Moreau are frustrated over the province’s handling of long-term-care homes and say the system needs to change. The two Penetanguishene residents will be heading down to Queen’s Park on Sept. 13 to join a protest of Ontario’s long-term-care homes organized by the […]

Letter to the editor: Healthcare funding with strings attached

(August 23, 2021) By: Ben Lefebvre, BayToday We must demand that the next federal government commit to implementing national standards for long-term care across Canada. This would require providing adequate funding levels to the provinces in order to leverage the cooperation required to protect our most vulnerable population, our seniors. The provinces, in turn, must […]

Revera could lay off PSWs and RPNs at Hallowell House despite pandemic

(August 23, 2021) By: Sue Capon, County Live By Sue Capon The sound of horns blaring in support of workers holding an information picket near Hallowell House nursing home Monday was almost deafening at times, as they stood in blazing heat and humidity protesting expected layoffs in the pipeline. Staff hailed as heroes during the […]

Doug Ford’s Government Wants to Privatize Parts of the Health Care System To Reduce COVID-19 Surgical Backlog

(August 19, 2021) By: PressProgress The Ford government’s plan to help Ontario’s hospitals clear their surgery backlog involves further privatizing parts of the province’s health care system. One of the Ford government’s consistent responses to COVID-19 has included measures aimed at saving space in Ontario’s long-underfunded hospitals by cancelling “non-essential” or elective surgical procedures. After […]

Head of Alberta Health Coalition says, “Prime Minister Trudeau has repeatedly made empty promises”

(August 19, 2021) By: NetNewsLedger Health Coalitions across Canada are putting all federal political parties on notice. The federal government could have already set real national standards for long-term care in legislation or an emergency federal-provincial-territorial funding accord with sufficient funding attached to leverage real change. Instead, nothing has happened. Canadians expect all political parties […]

Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra Interview with Dave Glover of Northumberland 89.7

(August 18, 2021) By: Drive Time with Dave Glover, Northumberland 89.7 FM radio Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra spoke with Northumberland 89.7 FM radio’s Dave Glover about health care and long-term care in Ontario, as well as the upcoming election. Click here for full interview

Harris addresses for-profit long-term care, tees off on federal oversight

(August 18, 2021) By: Stu Campaigne, BayToday News Reporter CALLANDER, Ont. — As is tradition, Mike Harris helped tee off the 23rd Annual Osprey Links Charity Golf Gala, Wednesday, and took a few minutes before heading out on the course to share his views on a few hot-button subjects, including the state of long-term care. Harris […]

Tilbury Manor worth saving

(August 4, 2021) By: The Chatham Voice Editor: The private, for-profit business that owns the Tilbury Manor LTC has received a new 30-year licence and permission to move the 75-bed home from Tilbury to Belle River, where another 80 new beds will be added. Permission was granted by the Ontario government. Ford’s government has been […]

Coverage of Southwest Ontario Health Coalitions Press Conference – CTV News London at 6

(July 29, 2021) By: CTV News London The Ontario government has been quietly awarding new 30-year licenses and thousands of new and rebuilt bed allotments to long-term care homes. The majority of licenses have gone to for-profit, private homes rather than public, non-profit homes despite the woeful record of the for-profit long-term care industry during […]

‘It’s changed how I live my life’: Grace Villa worker still recovering months after COVID landed her in ICU

(July 28, 2021) By: Maria Iqbal, The Hamilton Spectator Union calls for help In Ontario, more than 7,200 COVID-19 cases have appeared in health-care workers linked to long-term care from Jan. 15, 2020, to July 26, 2021. Ten have died. But that’s not the full story. “One of the untold stories of the pandemic is […]

Ontario Health Coalition calling for more consultation about proposed licence renewal at Orchard Villa

(July 27, 2021) By: DurhamRadioNews.com The Ontario Health Coalition has sent an open letter to Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips, calling for more public consultations on the proposed 30-year licence extension for Orchard Villa LTC home in Pickering. They say officials have neglected to consider the track record of the home’s operator, Southbridge Care Homes, […]

Families fight against licence renewal for LTC home that saw one of worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario

(July 27, 2021) By: CBC News, with files from Talia Ricci The Ontario government is considering renewing the licence for a for-profit long-term care home that saw one of the worst outbreaks in the province and was the subject of a scathing military report in 2020. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care held […]

Kingston Health Coalition calls on Ford to ‘correct critical condition’ in LTC

(July 23, 2021) By: Yona Harvey, Kingstonist About a dozen demonstrators gathered at the corner of Sir John A. Macdonald and Princess streets Thursday, Jul. 22, 2021 to raise awareness of the “critical condition” in long-term care (LTC) homes. “The Ford government has to take firm action to correct the critical condition [in long-term care […]

‘Super fishy’: Donations linked to developer topped $50,000 ahead of Ford fundraiser

(July 16, 2021) By: Jessica Smith Cross, QP Briefing Records of donations to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario last month show the party benefited from what appears to be more than $50,000 in contributions linked to a single developer, in tickets to a single fundraiser. It’s a revelation that an opposition critic is calling […]

‘Devastating to watch’: Private long-term-care homes have seen some of Ontario’s worst death rates – but Doug Ford’s new funding set them up for decades of profits

(July 15, 2021) By: Richard Warnica, Toronto Star “Every public policy decision that has been made during the pandemic aligns w/ the interests of the for-profit LTC industry.” – Exec dir Natalie Mehra Click here for original article (Note: accessible only to Toronto Star subscribers)

‘No senior deserves to be neglected like my mother’: Families rally against Orchard Villa license renewal, expansion

(July 15, 2021) By: Reka Szekely, DurhamRegion.com Under a hot sun, families impacted by a devastating COVID-19 outbreak at Pickering’s Orchard Villa Long Term Care home made an impassioned case that the nursing home should not be eligible for license extension or additional beds. Roughly 100 people attended a July 14 protest outside the facility […]

They were the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic: So how did Ontario’s for-profit long-term-care homes manage to secure so many of their business goals?

(July 15, 2021) By: Richard Warnica As part of a series on how businesses have swayed the decisions made by the Ford government during the COVID-19 crisis, the Star created a database of every active lobbying registration in Ontario in March 2021, a year into the pandemic. The results revealed a clear pattern. Among the […]

CBC Toronto News July 14, 2021

(July 14, 2021) By: Lorenda Reddekopp, CBC News Heartbreaking stories were told at the Ontario Health Coalition’s Orchard Villa protest. “She was dehydrated, scared, could barely get to the window. We brought her in here at 105 lbs and she passed away at 68 lbs.” – Diane Colangelo, whose mother was a resident. Cathy Parkes, […]

Protest over long-term care home licence renewal

(July 14, 2021) By: City News “The conditions were beyond what is morally acceptable on any level in our society & we just can’t believe that the Ford gov’t would consider giving a new license & expansion to this for-profit #LTC home.” – Exec dir Natalie Mehra at yesterday’s protest Click here for video coverage

Protestors cry “shame” outside Pickering’s Orchard Villa, call for denial of licence renewal

(July 14, 2021) By: Durham Radio News “She got COVID on April 19. She tested negative 2 or 3 weeks later, but with the effects of COVID, the dehydration & the neglect altogether she never sustained normal life again.” – Sherri Zielinski, who lost her mother in Orchard Villa. Click here for original article

Dozens protest expansion of Orchard Villa LTC

(July 14, 2021) By: CP24 “The province has to set the tone and support [non-profits] to build & re-build #LTC homes.” – Exec dir Natalie Mehra on what needs to be done in LTC moving forward. CP24 Evening: Continued coverage of the Orchard Villa protest and a discussion with Ontario Health Coalition board member Dr. […]

Protesters call on government to deny licence extension for notorious long-term care home

(July 14, 2021) By: Jessica Smith Cross, QP Briefing The daughter of 86 yr old Patricia Crump described how her mom wasted away at Orchard Villa before her death & was last heard screaming into the phone for help. “Just screaming in pain with nobody to help her,” said Diane Colangelo. “Nobody to help her.” […]

Protest against license renewal planned outside Pickering’s Orchard Villa

(July 13, 2021) By: DurhamRadioNews.com Activists and families are planning a protest near Orchard Villa, a Pickering long-term care home that was ravaged by COVID-19. On Wednesday at noon, protestors are expected outside the Valley Farm Road facility. The groups are opposed to the Ford government’s proposal to grant the home’s owners a 30-year license […]

Seniors in Ontario’s long-term care homes suffering from decades-old systemic failures

(July 12, 2021) By: Tamara Ugolini Since publishing my report on Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., the response has been overwhelming. I knew that long-term care needed help, but I didn’t realize how tragic and deep-seated the issues are. What’s happening in long-term care is appalling. My continuing investigation is confirming what advocacy groups, like […]

Fight Back with Libby Znaimer: Henry Dundas, Home Care, & Going Back to Work

(July 8, 2021) ONTARIO NDP COMMITS TO CAREGIVER BENEFIT PROGRAM Libby Znaimer is joined by NDP MPP France Gélinas (Nickel-Belt) who is the critic for health, and Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition. In the news: the Ontario NDP says they would commit to a Caregiver Benefit Program. Andrea Horwath, the NDP […]

Grace Villa worker struggles with PTSD months after Hamilton’s worst COVID outbreak

(July 6, 2021) By: Maria Iqbal, Hamilton Spectator Reporter Grace Villa’s operator said the home did what it could to support staff and residents during this time. “With any issue or episode that has a dramatic impact on our staff, we got staff in as quickly as we could,” said Mary Raithby, CEO of APANS Health […]

Premier Doug Ford says ‘it’s a guarantee’ to keeping pay increase for personal support workers

(July 5, 2021) By: Holly McKenzie-Sutter, Canadian Press Reporter Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised Monday to maintain a wage increase brought in for personal support workers during the pandemic but didn’t say how or when his government would back up the pledge. The workers who staff long-term care homes and similar facilities were given a temporary […]

Doug Ford commits to making top-up pay permanent for Ontario PSWs

(July 5, 2021) By: Matthew Bingley, Global News In a push to recruit more personal support care workers, Premier Doug Ford said on Monday he is committed to making the $3 pandemic top-up for pay permanent. But advocates and his opposition critics say that isn’t enough to recruit enough new employees, and should’ve been done […]

Health coalitions disappointed by lack of action by MPPs regarding long-term-care crisis

(June 28, 2021) By: Catherine Whitnall, Peterborough Examiner Reporter When it comes to conditions in area long-term-care facilities, it’s not just a case of being in the same boat, but rather the same storm as those across the province. The information comes as no surprise to three local health coalitions that recently presented results from […]

Health Coalitions Survey LTC workers

(June 24, 2021) By: John Draper, Cobourg News Blog Reporter Three groups have teamed up to survey Long Term Care workers to uncover deficiencies. Using the results, they are now lobbying the Provincial Government to make improvements. Their Press Conference on Tuesday, June 22 was on Zoom and recorded on Facebook with the video plus […]

Peterborough Health Coalition critical of Ontario government’s handling of long-term-care

(June 23, 2021) By: Freq 90.5/Oldies 96.7 News Staff Brady says there’s a lot of problems from before COVID that are still unresolved, as well as new problems that came from the pandemic. Click here for accompanying video

Province’s response to LTC questions ‘pretty pathetic’ says local advocate

(June 23, 2021) By: Mike Baker, Haliburton Echo More than 600 Ontarians filled the virtual galleries of the Ontario Legislature for Question Period on May 18 to share their stories and demand improvements to long-term care, but Premier Doug Ford and Merrilee Fullerton, minister of long-term care, were nowhere to be found. “It was pretty […]

Peterborough-area health coalitions calling on province to fix issues with long-term care

(June 22, 2021) By: Mark Giunta, Global News Health Coalitions in Peterborough, Northumberland County and the City of Kawartha Lakes say long-term care (LTC) living conditions and staffing levels remain top issues in Ontario. The three coalitions commissioned a survey of LTC front-line workers in all three of the communities and released the findings in a virtual media conference on Tuesday. It found 70 […]

Occ-COVID-Science, Solutions & Success Stories

(April 23, 2021) By: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra spoke to the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) to mark the losses during COVID-19 and to discuss the lessons from the pandemic. Speaking notes from the event can be found here Click here for speaking notes A […]

‘I left feeling incompetent’: Grace Villa nurse reveals why she resigned after Hamilton’s worst COVID-19 outbreak

(June 16, 2021) By: Maria Iqbal, Spectator Reporter The mental-health impact of COVID-19 on long-term-care staff is “one of the untold stories of the pandemic,” says the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “The staffing levels are worse than ever,” said Natalie Mehra. “We continue to hear of staff leaving in significant numbers … just because they can’t […]

Join A Virtual Rally Against Ford Government’s Move to Muzzle Opposition

(June 13, 2021) By: Doug Draper, Niagara At Large “So Doug Ford wants to break the constitution to up his chances of winning an election & stifle his opposition. The only other time I have been this disgusted was when Ford passed Bill 218 last fall to shield the for-profit long-term care companies from liability […]

Advocates push for more air conditioning in long-term care as heat hits Ontario

(June 5, 2021) CBC News Staff, CBC News With temperatures set to soar above 30 C in areas of the province this weekend, advocates are once again sounding the alarm about sweltering conditions inside some of Ontario’s beleaguered long-term care homes. During a heat wave last July, homes were still reeling from the first wave of the […]

Northumberland Health Coalition calling on province to reform long-term care system

(June 4, 2021) By: Linda Mackenzie-Nicholas, Bonnie Kennedy, & Roy Brady, Northumberland News Chronic underfunding and privatization of health care have had an increasingly negative impact, particularly in long-term care, as has been made painfully obvious during COVID-19. Decades of underfunding, understaffing, poor working conditions, high levels of violence and a focus on profits over […]

Peterborough letter: End for-profit long-term-care, bring in paid sick time

(June 2, 2021) Roy Brady, Bonnie Kennedy, & Linda Mackenzie-Nicholas, The Peterborough Examiner We are writing to bring your attention to an extremely important issue that has been exacerbated by a pandemic that has changed everything. This issue has been around for a long time and much has been promised but not delivered — time […]

Whether it’s public or private, we’re all paying for long-term care. It should be better

(May 31, 2021) By: Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star We’ve long known that long-term care is ailing because politicians prefer short-term shortcuts. In a post-pandemic world, how do we get it right? A persuasive new study on nursing homes suggests a two-step program for reform: First, the obvious part: governments must allocate more money to […]

Brampton’s abandoned healthcare system: ‘Why do we have to suffer?’

(May 31, 2021) By: Vanessa Balintec, Natasha O’Neill, & Nida Zafar, The Pointer Sangita Sharma was woken by her husband gasping for air in their Brampton home at 2:30 in the morning in early January 2013. She was confused; her husband, Harjinder Kumar Sharma, was not sick. He had come home the day before from […]

Virtual rally to demand changes to Ontario’s long-term care system

(May 28, 2021) By: Mike Baker, The Echo Haliburton County Bonnie Roe has had enough. As one of the founding members of the Haliburton-City of Kawartha Lakes Long-Term Care Coalition, Roe has spent the past 12 months advocating for local seniors and calling for much-needed improvements to both public and privately operated long-term care facilities […]

Le Manitoba continue de s’appuyer sur le système hospitalier nord-ontarien

(May 27, 2021) By: Zacharie Routhier, Miguel Lachance, ICI Radio-Canada.ca Six patients manitobains atteints de la COVID-19 ont été transférés à l’hôpital régional de Thunder Bay. PHOTO : RADIO-CANADA / CAROLINE BOURDUA Submergé par la COVID-19, le Manitoba continue de transférer des patients en Ontario. Les hôpitaux ontariens accueillent au total environ une vingtaine de patients manitobains […]

Reacting to the roadmap to end for-profit long-term care in Ontario

(May 26, 2021) By: Devon Peacock, Omny Studio Last week, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report that outlined a roadmap to ending for-profit long-term care in Ontario. The report was commissioned by the Ontario Health Coalition and published by the CCPA. Peter Bergmanis from the London Health Coalition joins Devon Peacock to […]

Ontario’s Assistant Infrastructure Minister Defended Doug Ford’s Handling of Long-Term Care Homes. He Also Held Shares in Long-Term Care Companies.

(May 26, 2021) By: PressProgress Doug Ford’s assistant infrastructure minister is an outspoken defender of Ontario’s response to COVID-19 in long-term care homes, but he’s been less vocal about his investments in two of the province’s most controversial LTC companies. According to his most recent filing with Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, Assistant Infrastructure Minister Stephen Crawford […]

Report urges Queen’s Park to build LTC beds as non-profits

(May 22, 2021) By: Joanne Laucius, Sudbury Star The province should make capital funding available to not-for-profit LTC operators so they can open LTC homes, says a report written by nine policy experts. Licenses for more than 30,000 LTC beds in Ontario are set to expire in 2025 and 15,000 new beds are in the […]

Fund non-profit care: report; Queen’s Park urged to shift support away from private long-term care residences

(May 21, 2021) By: Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen (Print Edition) The province should make capital funding available to not-for-profit operators so they can open LTC homes, says a report by nine policy experts. Licences for more than 30,000 LTC beds in Ontario are set to expire in 2025 and 15,000 new beds are in the […]

Government shows a lack of respect

(May 20, 2021) By: Shirley Roebuck, Chatham Daily News (Print Edition) Today, I participated in the Ontario Health Coalition‘s virtual rally for long-term care homes while question period at the Ontario legislature was broadcast via Zoom and Facebook. Opposition MPPs peppered Conservative MPPs with questions about long-term care that had been submitted by LTC families. […]

Ford and Fullerton absent from virtual question period packed with LTC residents, workers and families

(May 19, 2021) By: Megan Delaire, Toronto.com Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Dr. Merrilee Fullerton make an announcement together at the Darlington Energy Complex in 2016. Both were absent from question period on May 18, as long-term-care residents, staff and families packed the virtual gallery. – Metroland file photo In a physically distanced twist on […]

Ontario Health Coalition Asking Residents To Virutally “Pack The Gallery” Of The Legislature To Pressure The Government To “Fix” Long Term Care

(May 18, 2021) By: Pamela Vanmeer, Kawartha 411 KAWARTHA LAKES-The Ontario Health Coalition is asking residents to pack the gallery of the legislature virtually to pressure the government to fix Long Term Care. They are trying to organize thousands of Ontarians to pack the Public Galleries virtually for Question Period today at 10:30 am. Here […]

Pack the Public Galleries at the Ontario Legislature

(May 18, 2021) By: 104.7 Heart FM The Ontario Health Coalition hosted a virtual event today to “Pack the Public Galleries” with people outraged over the Provinces LTC Response. ONTARIO – The Ontario Health Coalition invited everyone this morning to join a Zoom call entitled Pack the Public Galleries of the Ontario Legislature. The goal […]

Column: Every Sudburian should read long-term care report

(May 12, 2021) By: Dorothy (Dot) Klein, Timmins Daily Press A family in a long-term care home. PHOTO BY TONY CALDWELL /Postmedia Network Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission Report was made public on April 30 and can be found on the Ontario Government website. I recommend that every Ontario taxpayer read this report to fully comprehend the […]

Doug Ford promised ‘accountability’ after last year’s horrors in long-term care. Critics say they are still waiting

(May 6, 2021) By: Rob Ferguson, Muskoka Region (Metroland Media Group) Ontario’s Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said she is not aware of any provincial investigation into what Premier Doug Ford called “disgusting” situations in long-term-care homes. – Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS It’s been almost a year since a visibly upset Premier Doug Ford […]

Will COVID-19 vaccinations bring fresh air to some Caledon seniors after months of isolation?

(May 4, 2021) By: Alexandra Heck, Caledon Enterprise The closest Inge Hoare has gotten to her 98-year-old mother, Marie Placzek, in the past year is through the window of Placzek’s room at King Nursing Home in Bolton. “She’s one of the lucky ones,” Hoare said, noting that they wouldn’t be able to have window visits […]

Ontario Care Homes Not Prepared for the Spread of the Pandemic

(May 2, 2020) By: CTV News Analysis “We can’t allow people to die & suffer with the kind of neglect we have seen over the last year. It is an absolute moral failure.” – Executive director Natalie Mehra on CTV News talking about the state of long-term care after the new COVID-19 Long-Term Care Commission […]

NATALIE MEHRA – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ONTARIO HEALTH COALITION

(May 2, 2021) By: Matt Holmes, iHeart Radio We are not going to let the Ford gov’t off the hook! “They didn’t improve staffing throughout the pandemic, care levels are the lowest they have ever been. There is so much more they could have done to protect people’s lives.” “A real vindication of what we […]

After 26 years working at a factory, he caught COVID-19 and died. Inside one Brampton family’s story of the pandemic’s devastating — and preventable — toll

(May 1, 2021) By: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, New Hamburg Independent (Metroland Media Group) Kanaiya Gandhi was the kind of dad who shared everything, the kind who spent rarely on himself so his daughters could take swimming lessons. A run for his Tim Hortons coffee typically ended with doughnuts for the whole family; he loved to ply […]

COVID-19: Here’s the situation in the Sault this week

(April 30, 2021) By: Riley Smith, SooToday.com Stock image Update: Algoma Public Health reported one further COVID case in the region on Friday evening. Cases of COVID-19 across Ontario ranged this week between a low of 3,265 and a high of 4,094. As new provincial COVID cases remain steady at slightly lower daily averages, the province is […]

Seniors languish in LTC; Time to let residents out of their prisons

(April 29, 2021) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun Some 99% of long-term care (LTC) and retirement home residents have been vaccinated with both doses, and yet, they’re still locked into facilities – not free to even venture outdoors with the nice weather. It’s been more than a year of loneliness and isolation for them. When […]

Homes ‘inhumane’; Ontario LTC still a disaster a year later

(April 28, 2021) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun Janice Codeluppi couldn’t hold back the tears as she spoke of the impact of personal support worker (PSW) shortages in her mom’s GTA long-term care (LTC) home in the past year. She said that in her mom’s unit there are 32 beds with only two PSWs at […]

LEVY: Time to let long-term care residents out of their prisons

(April 28, 2021) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Ottawa Sun Some 99% of long-term care (LTC) and retirement home residents have been vaccinated with both doses, and yet they’re still locked into facilities — not free to even venture outdoors with the nice weather. It’s been more than a year of loneliness and isolation for them. At […]

National long-term care home standards a priority for healthcare advocates

(April 28, 2021) Christian D’Avino, CTV News SAULT STE. MARIE — Healthcare advocates and long-term care workers staged a virtual day of action Wednesday in an effort to improve care at long-term care facilities throughout the country. The protest was organized by the Ontario Health Coalition and called on provincial and federal governments to set […]

Advocates call for national long-term care standards

(April 27, 2021) By: Doug Diaczuk. tbnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – Following the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care in Ontario, health care and seniors advocates, family members, and workers are calling for nationalized standards to ensure a higher quality of care in homes. “We are not asking for the sky. We are […]

LEVY: Ontario LTC homes still a disaster

(April 27, 2021) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun Janice Codeluppi couldn’t hold back the tears as she spoke of the impact of personal support worker (PSW) shortages in her mom’s GTA long-term care (LTC) home in the past year. She said in her mom’s unit, there are 32 beds with only two PSWs at a […]

ONTARIO: Advocates call for national long-term care standards

(April 27, 2021) By: Doug Diaczuk, Sudbury.com THUNDER BAY – Following the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care in Ontario, health care and seniors advocates, family members, and workers are calling for nationalized standards to ensure a higher quality of care in homes. “We are not asking for the sky. We are […]

Are cancer surgeries ‘elective’ or life-saving? Some awaiting operations are in limbo due to COVID-19

(April 17, 2021) The Ontario government’s directive to hospitals to perform only emergency and life-saving surgeries has left people getting certain types of cancer treatments in limbo because they say their surgeries are considered elective. Lisa Scott’s 33-year-old daughter Vanessa Scott Fisher was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago. She was scheduled to have […]

Chris Selley: Doug Ford’s Ontario has utterly lost the plot in closing down schools

(April 14, 2021) It is testament to Ontarians’ orderly and tolerant ways that the province’s parents have yet to set any government buildings ablaze. On Sunday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce published a letter to his constituents assuring them that in-person classes would resume for their children after this week’s spring break, except in areas where local public […]

Toronto is struggling to fill vaccine appointments for seniors. Why Ontario’s rollout is missing people in COVID-19 hot spots

(April 03, 2021) By: Olivia Bowden, The Hamilton Spectator This is a snippet of the full paywalled article. A link to the full article can be found below. Premier Doug Ford conceded recently he was “kind of shocked” to see vaccine appointments not being filled by older adults in the province. But for physicians and […]

Western University deals with another outbreak amid calls to expand vaccine rollout

(April 05, 2021) By: Bryan Bicknell, CTV News London Reporter LONDON, ONT. — Less than a week after a COVID-19 outbreak at Essex Hall was declared over, there is another outbreak at the Western University residence. The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is reporting a small number of cases at the residence. But the outbreak, declared […]

Advocates want LTC residents let out of their rooms

(April 08, 2021) By: Todd Hambleton, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder (Print Edition) Long-term care facility residents, their families and advocates were recently demanding an immediate end to lock-in and isolation policies they say have created a desperate situation and a human rights issue. “We’re extremely concerned about what we’re hearing right across Ontario,” said Natalie Mehra, executive […]

Canada must radically reform disastrous long-term care system

(April 01, 2021) By: Karl Nerenberg Long-term care for the elderly is the weak sibling of Canada’s health system. If we did not know that previously, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven it conclusively. During the first wave of the pandemic last spring, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported that among a group of OECD countries, […]

Vaccinated seniors get COVID-19, show no symptoms

(April 01, 2021) By: Wayne Lowrie, Brockville Recorder & Times (Print Edition) Despite being vaccinated against COVID-19, 10 residents of the Rideau Ferry Country Home have tested positive for the virus but all are asymptomatic, according to the retirement home. Amy Morrow, director of care and general manager at the 44-bed home, credited the vaccine […]

HPE region sees 32 new COVID-19 cases in single day

(April 01, 2021) By: Derek Baldwin, Belleville Intelligencer (Print Edition) A third wave of COVID-19 is rising steeply in Ontario, raising concerns for essential workers in workplaces, schools and childcare facilities, says a new report by the Ontario Health Coalition. The organization said it is tracking the spread of the virus and variants of concern […]

Many long term care residents have not left their room for over a year

(March 31, 2021) By: Tyler Brownbridge, Windsor Star Many people in Ontario’s long term care homes have been living in isolation for over a year. Despite government promises to spend your tax dollars on more and better, the situation for residents in LTC has never been worse. On the same day that a new report […]

Ontario Health Coalition Calling on the Province to Let LTC Home Residents go Outside

(March 30, 2021) By: 104.7 Heart FM Almost every single LTC home resident in the Province is vaccinated and yet, they are still not allowed outside to enjoy the sunshine or experience some fresh air. ONTARIO – The Ontario Health Coalition is calling on the Ford Government to let residents of long term care homes […]

Long-term care residents beg to go outside after year-long COVID-19 confinement

(March 30, 2021) By: Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press Friends and family members of residents at Extendicare Guildwood in Toronto visit their loved ones through windows, on June 12, 2020. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes begged on Tuesday to be allowed outside, saying anti-pandemic restrictions that have confined them indoors for more than […]

LTC residents beg for freedom to go outside

(March 30, 2021) By: Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press TORONTO — Residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes begged on Tuesday to be allowed outside, saying anti-pandemic restrictions that have confined them indoors for more than a year make no sense given almost all have now been vaccinated. Some compared their situations to solitary confinement, and […]

Many long term care residents have not left their room for over a year

(March 31, 2021) By: Donald Macdonald, Sudbury Star Many people in Ontario’s long term care homes have been living in isolation for over a year. Despite government promises to spend your tax dollars on more and better, the situation for residents in LTC has never been worse. On the same day that a new report […]

LTC residents trapped; Many haven’t left their room in a year

(March 31, 2021) By: Liz Braun, Ottawa Sun (Print Edition) Many people in Ontario’s long-term care homes have been living in isolation for more than a year. On the same day that a new report came down about Canada’s terrible track record with LTC deaths during COVID-19 – we’re essentially the worst among wealthy nations […]

Residents of LTC demand freedoms

(March 31, 2021) By: Colin Perkel, London Free Press (Print Edition) TORONTO Residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes begged on Tuesday to be allowed outside, saying anti-pandemic restrictions that have confined them indoors for more than a year make no sense given almost all have now been vaccinated. Some compared their situations to solitary confinement, […]

Ontario seniors stuck inside long-term care want to be let out

(March 31, 2021) By: Tina Yazdani Though more than 90 per cent of Ontario long-term care residents have been vaccinated and cases inside homes have dropped to near-zero, most living in care are still being forced to stay inside – and they are demanding to be let out. WATCH: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/03/30/ontario-seniors-stuck-inside-long-term-care-want-to-be-let-out/ Advocates and residents say the […]

Local COVID in sixth day of decline

(March 30, 2021) By: Wayne Lowrie, Brockville Recorder This handout file illustration image obtained Feb. 27, 2020 courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the coronavirus, COVID-19. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /Centers for Disease Control and Prevention While the third wave was pushing Ontario’s […]

More beds coming as system tackles 5-year wait lists for long-term care

(March 31, 2021) By: Kate Bueckert, CBC News The wait to get into a long-term care home in Waterloo-Wellington can take between months to years for some people. The province recently announced an extra 281 beds for Waterloo region in the coming years. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) A new report says the average wait time for a room […]

After a year, let LTC residents out of their rooms: advocates

(April 7, 2021) By: Todd Hambleton, The Intelligencer Alfred Borg, 83, during a lighter moment during an online media conference on Tuesday. Photo on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, in Cornwall, Ont. Todd Hambleton/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia Network PHOTO BY TODD HAMBLETON /Todd Hambleton/Standard-Freeholder Long-term care facility residents, their families and advocates were recently demanding an immediate end to […]

Call for LTC inquiry

(April 5, 2021) By: Natali Trivuncic, Toronto Star The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) held a virtual conference to review wait times for long-term care in northwestern Ontario, hospital overcrowding […]

National standards needed in long-term care

(March 30, 2021) By: Marie DellaVedova, The Sault Star According to many medical and scientific experts, we have now entered the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the first two waves approximately 4,000 people died in long-term care homes in Ontario. The pandemic experience for long-term care residents in Canada has been especially brutal. […]

Human rights probe sought into long-term care

(March 27, 2021) By: Ronald Zajac, Brockville Recorder & Times (Print Edition) A coalition of groups is calling for a human rights inquiry into what they call Ontario’s systematic discrimination against the elderly in access to health care. At a virtual media event earlier this week, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council of […]

Hesitant long-term care staff asked to give vaccine a shot

(March 27, 2021) By: Tyler Brownbridge, Windsor Star Ontario will offer staff working in nursing homes another chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine but stopped short of mandatory vaccination as a condition of employment. “Certainly the staff in long-term care were really the first group to be prioritized for the vaccines… If you’re first in […]

Advocates call for investigation into ageism in provincial health system

(March 26, 2021) By: Ian Macalpine, Kingston Whig-Standard (Print Edition) The Ontario Health Coalition, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly are calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commission for a probe into what the groups call “systemic ageism […]

‘Terrible inadequacy of care’ needs human rights inquiry

(March 26, 2021) By: Todd Hambleton, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder (Print Edition) Representatives of several groups say the elderly in Cornwall and eastern Ontario, and all across the province, are having their human rights violated by being denied access to essential health care. Advocates including Michael Hurley, CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) president, are urging […]

The Ford government says Brampton is getting a new hospital. The details aren’t so clear

(March 26, 2021) Nick Boisvert, CBC News After enduring years of struggles and seeing its local health care system stretched beyond its limits, relief could finally be coming to Brampton in the form of a brand new hospital. Maybe. It depends on who you ask. The provincial government included in its 2021 budget a commitment […]

Sims: Vaccination tweak intended to stamp out stubborn outbreaks at seniors’ homes

(March 25, 2021) By: Jane Sims, London Free Press A little tweak is coming to the local vaccination plan in a week or two that makes loads of sense and could finally end the persistent outbreaks showing up in seniors’ home. “Our hope is within the next one to two weeks that we will be […]

Unions and advocacy groups call for inquiry into long-term care

(March 25, 2021) By: Nick Seebruch, Seaway News ONTARIO – A coalition of unions and advocacy groups are calling for an inquiry into Ontario’s long-term care sector, and the treatment of long-term care residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID-19 has shone a harsh light on Ontario health care’s systemic ageism in the treatment of the […]

Long waits, COVID toll blamed on ‘ageism’in Ontario health care

(March 25, 2021) By: Jonathan Juha, London Free Press With Southwestern Ontario seniors waiting as long as four years for long-term care beds, it’s time for an inquiry into “ageism” in the province’s health-care system, a coalition of health, labour and seniors’advocates say. The group, including the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), Ontario Council of Hospital […]

Long waits, COVID toll blamed on ‘ageism’ in Ontario health care

(March 25, 2021) By: Jonathan Juha, Stratford Beacon-Herald LONDON With Southwestern Ontario seniors waiting as long as four years for long-term care beds, it’s time for an inquiry into “ageism” in the province’s health-care system, a coalition of health, labour and seniors’advocates say. The group, including the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), Ontario Council of Hospital […]

Unvaccinated staff source of outbreaks; Positive COVID cases at seniors and longterm care homes not among residents

(March 25, 2021) By: Jane Sims, Stratford Beacon-Herald (Print Edition) A little tweak is coming to the local vaccination plan in a week or two that makes loads of sense and could finally end the persistent outbreaks showing up in seniors’ homes. “Our hope is within the next one to two weeks that we will […]

Loved ones worried about low staff vaccination rates at nursing homes

(March 25, 2021) By: Yahoo News An average of only 65 per cent of long-term care staff working in Ottawa long-term care homes have received vaccinations against COVID-19, a survey by CBC reveals, leaving residents in some facilities to face further isolation and confinement as homes grapple to contain outbreaks, mainly involving staff. The low […]

Spotlight on Brampton: HealthCare System Neglected for Too Long

(March 24, 2021) By: Mansoor Tanweer, Yahoo News Natalie Mehra is the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, a non-profit network of grassroots community organizations. While she advocates for better health care across the province, Brampton is of particular interest to her. “For decades now, the continuum of care from hospital care to long-term […]

‘Systemic ageism’ impacting COVID-19 care in southwestern Ontario: Advocacy groups

(March 24, 2021) By: Sean Irvine, CTV News LONDON, ONT. — Southwestern Ontario residents are being encouraged to back a call for a human rights inquiry into ageism as it relates to COVID-19. Multiple groups say chronic provincial government cuts to hospital beds, and a lengthy waiting list to access long-term care (LTC), has led […]

‘Impossibly long’: LTC waitlists, age discrimination among concerns in request for public inquiry

(March 24, 2021) By: Brittany Rosen, Global News Several Ontario unions representing health-care workers are calling for a public inquiry into the province’s hospitals and long-term care homes. The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Advoacy Centre […]

Call for human rights inquiry on discrimination for elderly population reaches Windsor

(March 24, 2021) By: CBC News Staff, CBC News Health-care advocates and unions are calling for an Ontario Human Rights Commission inquiry into what it calls systemic discrimination against elderly patients in hospital and long-term care homes across the province. One of those who have witnessed that discrimination first-hand in Windsor-Essex is Katrina Simonato. Her mother lives […]

‘Pleas from the elderly can no longer fall on deaf ears’ (UPDATED WITH SAH COMMENTS)

(March 22, 2021) Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition executive director, says that in Sault Ste. Marie alone, wait times for long-term care homes range from 124 days to 2,088 days. JEFFREY OUGLER/POSTMEDIA The Ontario Human Rights Commission is being asked to probe “years of systemic ageism” in Ontario’s health system. The Ontario Health Coalition, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), […]

Group calling for human rights inquiry as province’s long-term care waitlist grows

(March 23, 2021) By: DurhamRadioNews.com A group is calling for a formal inquiry into alleged age discrimination in Ontario hospitals and long-term care settings. The Advocacy Centre for Elderly (ACE), Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are jointly asking the Ontario Human Rights Commission to investigate. The groups accuse the […]

‘Pleas from the elderly can no longer fall on deaf ears’; Groups call on Ontario Human Rights Commission to probe ‘years of systemic ageism’ in health care

(March 23, 2021) By: Jeffrey Ougler, Sault Star (Print Edition) The Ontario Human Rights Commission is being asked to probe “years of systemic ageism” in Ontario’s health system. The Ontario Health Coalition, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU), the hospital division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, […]

Women don’t choose low-paying jobs; society just doesn’t value our work

(March 23, 2021) By: Suzanne Rent, Halifax Examiner 1. Nurse recruitment during the pandemic is challenging, but going reasonably well Nurse Suzette MacLeod administers the COVID-19 vaccine to elder Patsy Paul-Martin of Millbrook First Nation at the Feb. 24 vaccination clinic. Photo: Communications Nova Scotia Jennifer Henderson reports on the recruitment of retired or inactive […]

No federal funding for long-term care homes that don’t follow national standards, Canadian advocates demand

(March 23, 2021) By: Nebal Snan, The Telegram Although Nova Scotia had a strong overall response to the pandemic, flaws in the long-term care system cost lives, with about 86 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 happening in long-term care. Pictured is the Northwood Halifax campus in September, 2020. – Tim Krochak/File Health-care advocates across […]

Advocates Asking the Human Rights Commission for a Ground-Breaking Probe

(March 22, 2021) By: Sault Online Advocates asking the Human Rights Commission for a ground-breaking probe into years of systemic ageism in Ontario’s health system are urging Sault Ste. Marie residents to get behind their call for an inquiry. The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) the hospital division of […]

Group calls for inquiry into Ontario health care’s ‘systemic discrimination’ against elderly

(March 22, 2021) By: Arron Pickard, Sudbury.com Natalie Mehra is the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. (File) Canadians like to be proud of the country’s health-care system and to believe everyone has equal access to it, but when it comes to the elderly in Ontario, that is not the situation, said a group […]

Advocates call for inquiry to address ageism in Ontario health care

(March 22, 2021) By: Doug Diaczuk, tbnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – The Ontario Health Coalition, along with elderly advocates and health care unions are calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commission to launch a public inquiry into what it says has been decades of systemic ageism in Ontario’s health care system. The Ontario Council of Hospital […]

Groups Demand Inquiry Into Seniors’ Care

(March 22, 2021) By: Colin Redston, Country 105 Hush Naidoo / Unsplash Healthcare advocates want an investigation of alleged discrimination against elderly patients in hospitals and long-term care. The Ontario Health Coalition, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, and lawyers from Goldblatt Partners laid out their complaints in a virtual news conference. They’re […]

Singh tables motion to end for-profit long-term care as calls to reform system build

(March 22, 2021) By: Janet E Silver, iPolitics A worker waves from inside Grace Villa in Hamilton on Dec. 5, 2020, during a rally in support of workers inside the long-term care home. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has introduced a motion to end for-profit long-term care by 2030. (John Rennison/Hamilton Spectator) As the list of […]

Peterborough Health Coalition invites public as long-term care deaths focus of Facebook event

(March 20, 2021) Click here for original article

Human rights inquiry into senior care ‘long overdue’

(March 20, 2021) By: Michael Lee, North Bay Nugget (Print Edition) Health-care advocates are calling for a public inquiry into human rights discrimination against the elderly over access to care in hospitals and long-term care. The push by the Ontario Health Coalition, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, which serves as the hospital division of the […]

Coalition claiming discrimination against Ontario’s elderly

(March 20, 2021) By: Yahoo! News Canada Health advocates across the province are calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner to conduct a formal inquiry into the discrimination against the elderly in access to and levels of care in hospitals and long-term care homes. As part of their campaign, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) partnered […]

Healthcare group wants human rights inquiry into “systematic discrimination” against elderly

(March 19, 2021) By: Greg Bowman, My North Bay Now (Stock image via Pixabay.com) A healthcare group is demanding the Ontario Human Rights Commission to open a public inquiry on discrimination against the elderly in access to healthcare, as well as the various levels of care. The partnership includes the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council […]

Human rights inquiry ‘long overdue’ regarding the elderly and health care — advocates

(March 19, 2021) By: BayToday Staff There are calls for a public inquiry on human rights discrimination against the elderly when it come to access to — and levels of — care in hospitals and long-term care. Stock image. Advocates for the elderly claim years of systemic ageism in health policies have contributed to long-term […]

450 new, upgraded LTC beds get funding

(March 19, 2021) By: Jonathan Juha and Dan Brown, London Free Press (Print Edition) The London region is getting nearly 450 new or renovated longterm care home spaces as part of a $933 million provincewide investment by the Ontario government for such projects. Two among 80 funded projects provincewide are in London and another in […]

Unions, advocates for seniors call for inquiry into discrimination against elderly in health care

(March 18, 2021) By: Saira Peesker, CBC News Ross Ha waves goodbye to his 88-year-old mother on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 after the Rose of Sharon Korean Long Term Care home introduced new visitation processes. (Sam Nar/CBC) (Sam Nar/CBC) A coalition of health-care advocates and union groups is calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commission to conduct […]

Ontario groups call for inquiry into ‘systemic discrimination’ against seniors

(March 18, 2021) By: Maria Iqbal, The Hamilton Spectator Ontario advocacy groups and unions are demanding a formal inquiry into older residents being denied adequate access to health care — which they say has only worsened in the pandemic. In a campaign launched Tuesday, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) and the Advocacy […]

Province funding 450 new, upgraded long-term care beds in London, Elgin

(March 18, 2021) By: Robin Harvey, St. Thomas Times-Journal The London region is getting nearly 450 new or renovated long-term care home spaces as part of a $933 million provincewide investment by the Ontario government for such projects. Two among 80 funded projects provincewide are in London and another in Port Stanley. In the city, […]

‘Harsh light’ on problem; Groups see worrying trend of seniors ‘pushed’ into poor care

(March 18, 2021) By: Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Sun (Print Edition) Critics are calling for a human rights inquiry, saying the transfer of elderly patients into retirement homes and converted hotels to free up hospital beds has become a worrying trend in Ontario. Among facilities cited during a press conference by the Advocacy Centre for the […]

When COVID-19 strikes workplaces, what does real transparency look like? Why disclosure is rare, but revealing

(March 18, 2021) By: Tavia Grant, The Globe and Mail Workers head to the main security gate at Maple Lodge Farms’s poultry-processing plant in Brampton, Ont. Throughout the pandemic, the facility has kept running even as Brampton became of Canada’s top COVID-19 hotspots. FRED LUM/THE GLOBE AND MAIL The production line at Maple Lodge Farms […]