OHC in the News

Advocates say Ontario should have known the ‘horrific’ state of long-term care

(May 29, 2020) By: Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen Advocates for Ontario’s long-term care residents say Premier Doug Ford and his government should have known which long-term care homes would be most at risk in a pandemic based on years of inspection reports, risk modelling and bed classifications. In an interview Friday, NDP health critic France […]

Who owns the 5 Ontario long-term care homes cited by military for extreme neglect, abuse?

(May 29, 2020) By: Andrew Russell and Stewart Bell, Global News Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to remove a reference to Southbridge Care Homes operating Pinecrest nursing home in Bobcagyeon, Ont. The company owns Pinecrest nursing home in Plantagenet, Ont. A searing report from Canada’s military into Ontario’s troubled long-term-care system where over 1,600 people […]

Mackenzie-Nicholas Calls for Public Inquiry in Long Term Care Homes

(May 28, 2020) By: Valerie MacDonald, Cobourg Now “An inquiry would be a better method allowing members of the public to testify” The July start to an independent commission on conditions in Long Term Care Homes (LTC) is good, but a full public inquiry is what is needed, says the co-chair of the Northumberland Chapter of […]

LTC crisis exposed; Our views

(May 28, 2020) By: Cornwall Standard-Freeholder (Print Edition) The fact it took the Canadian military to reveal the true scope of the horrific conditions in five Ontario long-term care homes more than two months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply alarming. Why didn’t the province’s inspection system uncover these appalling conditions long […]

Matthews: We cannot wait for an inquiry when it comes to our long-term care homes

(May 28, 2020) By: Catherine Matthews, Ottawa Citizen Our organization, the Ottawa Health Coalition, has been warning successive Ontario governments of the worsening ongoing crisis in long-term care homes for many years. It’s incredible the Canadian Armed Forces had to be called in to protect some of our most vulnerable elderly against the ravages caused […]

Majority of Sudburians believe province was unprepared for pandemic: OCHU

(May 28, 2020) By: Arron Pickard, Sudbury.com A majority of Sudburians polled by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario believe the provincial government failed to properly prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those polled, 68 per cent said the province did not adequately prepare for the […]

Military Report on Conditions in Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes: “Beyond Frustrated”

(May 28, 2020) By: Exchange Magazine The Ontario Health Coalition, which has released major reports annually on the state of long-term care in Ontario in recent years, expressed its frustration upon reading the description of infection control practices at the facilities to which military personnel were dispatched. The Coalition has called on the Ford government […]

Ontario Public Health Coalition calls for a public inquiry into province’s overall response to COVID-19

(May 28, 2020) By: The Review 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 letter is below..Ontario 15 Gervais Drive, Suite 201, […]

Ontario Health Coalition among groups calling for transparency in LTC inquiry

(May 28, 2020) By: Durham Radio Group The Ontario Health Coalition is one of dozens of groups that are calling on the Ford government to ensure any inquiry into the state of long-term care (LTC) homes is open, public and transparent. In a joint open letter to the provincial government, the groups say a “full […]

Military exposes dire state of Ontario long-term care

(May 27, 2020) By: REMI network The Canadian Armed Forces has issued a scathing report on the state of Ontario’s long-term care homes, shedding light on the grim conditions service members observed in five specific GTA residences. Calling the report “heart-wrenching and “disturbing”, Premier Doug Ford announced that an investigation has been launched and that […]

Editorial: Military report exposes crisis in long-term care

(May 27, 2020) By: Robin Harvey, London Free Press The fact it took the Canadian military to reveal the true scope of the horrific conditions in five Ontario long-term care homes more than two months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply alarming. Why didn’t the province’s inspection system uncover these appalling conditions […]

Advocacy group calling for immediate action to improve conditions among long-term care facilities

(May 27, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, InBrampton The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) continues to decry the abhorrent state of many long-term care facilities in the province. Recently, military personnel were dispatched to assist residents at several long-term care facilities due to the less-than-sanitary conditions residents were being subjected to. The OHC is calling for the Province to improve access […]

Military report reveals what sector has long known: Ontario’s nursing homes are in trouble

(May 27, 2020) By: Yahoo News Military report reveals what sector has long known: Ontario’s nursing homes are in trouble Jacqueline Mitchell hasn’t been able to hug her 94-old-mother since March, and now, in the face of a shocking Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) report into the state of five Ontario long-term care homes, she is […]

EDITORIAL: Military report exposes crisis in long-term care Sudbury Star

(May 27, 2020) By: Donald Macdonald, Sudbury Star The fact it took the Canadian military to reveal the true scope of the horrific conditions in five Ontario long-term care homes more than two months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply alarming. Why didn’t the province’s inspection system uncover these appalling conditions long […]

Military exposes long-term care crisis

(May 27, 2020) By: Toronto Sun (Print Edition) The fact it took the Canadian military to reveal the true scope of the horrific conditions in five Ontario long-term care homes more than two months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is deeply alarming. Why didn’t the province’s inspection system uncover these appalling conditions long […]

HEALTH COALITION BLAMES FORD GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE OWNERS ON TRAGEDY UNFOLDING AT NURSING HOMES

(May 27, 2020) By: TAMI JEANNERET, IHeartRadio Tragic but not surprising, that from the head of the Ontario Health Coalition about the Canadian Armed Forces report on the state of five nursing homes in the province. The report outlines a litany of issues the military encountered when they were called in to help the homes […]

‘Just a total staffing crisis’

(May 26, 2020) By: CTV News Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mehra, weighs in on the military report on the conditions of long-term care homes. Click here to watch the video interview

Ford faces blowback after military report reveals ‘horrific’ conditions at Ontario long-term care homes

(May 26, 2020) By: CBC News Province saw a drop in number of new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, but testing remains far below target The military has been deployed to nursing homes in Ontario and Quebec to reinforce workers overwhelmed by the illness, unable to keep up with residents’ needs because of all the protective measures […]

Un rapport accablant de l’armée sur cinq centres de soins de longue durée en Ontario

(May 26, 2020) By: Natasha MacDonald-Dupuis and Pascale Brénielm, Radio Canada Des militaires ont été témoins de situations accablantes dans des foyers de soins ontariens (photo d’archives) Coquerelles, nourriture avariée, résidents abandonnés sur des matelas à même le sol : le rapport des Forces armées canadiennes sur les cinq centres de soins de longue durée de […]

Military report finds gruesome conditions, abuse inside 5 Ontario long-term care homes

(May 26, 2020) By: Emma McIntosh, News Politics Editor’s Note: The following article contains graphic descriptions of conditions inside long-term care facilities. Rooms infested with cockroaches and contaminated with feces. Patients force-fed to the point of choking. Staff afraid to use vital supplies and personal protective equipment “because they cost money.” People with COVID-19 allowed to wander […]

Abusive behaviour, cockroaches, force feedings documented by military in Ontario long-term care homes

(May 26, 2020) By: Victoria Gibson, iPolitics A person who appears to be a staff member looks out of a resident’s window at Eatonville in Etobicoke. April 14 2020. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star Military members deployed to Ontario long-term care homes have blown a whistle on harrowing conditions inside five particularly hard-hit facilities — going beyond […]

Military teams raise concerns about conditions at Ontario care homes

(May 26, 2020) By: Mercedes Stephenson, Stewart Bell and Andrew Russell, Global News Military personnel sent to nursing homes in Ontario have observed shocking conditions, including “blatant disregard” for infection control measures, mistreatment of residents and a level of care described as “horrible,” according to documents obtained by Global News. Canadian Armed Forces teams deployed to five of the […]

Profits before people?; Probe into LTC system must be free from vested interests

(May 25, 2020) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Winnipeg Sun (Print Edition) When Ontario Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton announced an independent commission into care homes a week ago, the question on the minds of many advocates and families who’ve lost loved ones has been whether it will truly be free of influence by deeppocketed vested interests. […]

LEVY: Long-term care home probe must truly be independent

(May 25, 2020) By: Dennis Leung, Ottawa Sun When provincial long-term care minister Merrilee Fullerton announced an independent commission into long-term care homes a week ago, the question on the minds of many advocates and families who’ve lost loved ones has been whether it will truly be free of influence by deep-pocketed vested interests. Fullerton […]

LEVY: Long-term care home probe must truly be independent

(May 24, 2020) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun When provincial long-term care minister Merrilee Fullerton announced an independent commission into long-term care homes a week ago, the question on the minds of many advocates and families who’ve lost loved ones has been whether it will truly be free of influence by deep-pocketed vested interests. Fullerton […]

‘A failed venture’: Unifor president says Canada needs better long-term care system

(May 24, 2020) By: Beatrice Britneff, Global News After witnessing the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus on many long-term care homes and its staff, the president of Canada’s largest private sector union says the country needs “a better system than we have today.” “Hopefully governments will wake up and will now say: ‘Look this was a failed venture, we’d […]

Niagara Falls MPP says province falls short in providing PPE for health care workers

(May 22, 2020) By: Ray Spiteri, The Niagara Falls Review Health Coalition executive says situation is improving but there is still a need for more Wayne Gates is calling on the province to do more to protect front line health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Niagara Falls New Democrat MPP was at Queen’s Park […]

We need a public inquiry into the ongoing long-term care catastrophe

(May 22, 2020) By: hamiltonnews.com More must be done to fix long-term care, writes Monique Taylor Our long-term care system is failing Ontario’s seniors and the workers that support them. Since this pandemic began, more than 4,400 residents and staff at Ontario long-term care homes have contracted COVID-19. Of Ontario’s approximately 2,000 deaths, 1,400 have […]

Bobcaygeon nursing home only the first of COVID-19 outbreaks

(April 24, 2020) By: MyKawartha.com After spending weeks in what some staff described as a ‘war zone’, Pinecrest Nursing Home is finally gaining a foothold in its COVID-19 outbreak. Between the time the outbreak was declared on March 20 and April 9, 29 of the Bobcaygeon long-term care home’s 65 residents died as a result […]

Long-term-care conditions reflect our priorities as a society

(April 25, 2020) By: The Star The media keeps repeating that successive governments are to blame for the appalling circumstances in our long-term-care homes, as these conditions are brutally exposed by a pandemic. Our government’s actions are only a reflection of what we, the voters, believe important. And what we don’t find important. We allow […]

How the pandemic would have been different if PSWs were regulated

(May 21, 2020) By: Laura Bulmer, Macleans Before COVID-19, we did not have enough personal support workers in Canada. This life-threatening shortage is the result of long-ignored retention and recruitment obstacles. According to Miranda Ferrier, president of the Ontario Personal Support Worker Association, a 2017 survey of PSWs revealed the workforce is diminishing at an alarming […]

COVID-19: Inquiry Ordered Into Long-Term Care (Interview)

(May 20, 2020) By: 88.9 RED FM Toronto On Good Morning Toronto, host Shameel Jasvir speaks with Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition on Ford government’s announcement supporting an independent commission/inquiry into long-term care. Click here for original audio

Dan MacDonald Show – Ontario is launching an independent commission in September into the province’s long-term care system

(May 20, 2020) By: The Dan MacDonald Show, iHeartRadio AM800 Natalie Mehra, the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, discusses the independent commission into long-term care recently announced by the provincial government and highlights what actions need to be taken both now and in the future to improve Ontario’s long-term care system. Click here […]

Advocacy group calling for investigation into long-term care facilities

(May 20, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, inbrampton The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is calling for an independent inquiry into the operation of the province’s long-term care facilities. After Premier Doug Ford announced he would support such an investigation, the OHC is calling for the commission into long-term care to be under the public inquiries act and fully independent […]

Radio interview on the crisis in Ontario long term care homes

(May 20, 2020) By: The Craig Needles Show, Global News Radio Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of Ontario Health Coalition, talks about the crisis in Ontario long term care homes and what needs to change to make them a safer environment for the future. Click here for original video

Ontario Launches Commission Into Long-Term Care

(May 20, 2020) Analysis Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra speaks to CTV News about the recently announced commission on long-term care in Ontario. Click here for original video

Coronavirus: Ford government announces commission to examine long-term care in Ontario

(May 19, 2020) By: Morganne Campbell, Global News The Ford government is deploying a non-partisan commission to examine what went wrong during COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario long-term care homes. More than 1,400 residents died after contracting the virus. Morganne Campbell reports. Click here for the video interview

What happened to the hospital patients who had ‘nowhere else to go’?

(May 18, 2020) By: Barbara Sibbald, Canadian Medical Association Journal The rush to clear Canadian hospital beds to make room for COVID-19 cases has meant finding places to send thousands of patients who no longer need acute care but previously had nowhere else to go. Delays in discharging patients who need an alternate level of […]

It’s time to listen to PSWs and front-line workers

(May 15, 2020) By: Terry Martin, Sudury.com Once again, the provincial government has left front-line workers in long-term care (LTC) homes to fend for themselves. The Ontario government set up the Ontario Long-Term Care Staffing Advisory Group to provide advice on how to deal with the chronic shortage of PSWs in Long-Term Care homes. One […]

Critics say mandatory COVID-19 testing should include retirement homes as well

(May 15, 2020) By: CBC Sudbury Under a current provincial order, mandatory testing for COVID-19 is happening in long term care homes but not retirement homes. (CBC) As mandatory testing of all residents and staff in long term care facilities for COVID-19 continues in Ontario, health care critics say the same rules should apply to retirement […]

L’opposition demande un dépistage important dans les maisons de retraite

(May 15, 2020) By: Publié le, Radio-Canada Alors que le dépistage obligatoire de la COVID-19 se conclut dans les établissements de soins de longue durée en Ontario, des voix s’élèvent pour demander cette pratique dans les maisons de retraite. La province s’était engagée le 22 avril dernier à tester tout le personnel et les résidents des […]

Long-term care workers rally for end of for-profit homes

(May 15, 2020) By: Kim Champion, NewMarketToday Local long-term care workers and the union that represents them yesterday rallied together at Newmarket-Aurora MPP and Health Minister Christine Elliott’s office for a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the deaths of long-term care residents, frontline health workers. Local long-term care workers and the union that represents them yesterday […]

COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy

(May 15, 2020) By: Russell Richer, Canada’s National Observer There is no excuse for the deaths at long-term care and hospital facilities. It was a preventable tragedy. Even a cursory look online illustrates that we could have minimized the deaths in the two most at-risk segments of our population: seniors with serious illnesses, and the […]

L’opposition demande un dépistage important dans les maisons de retraite

(May 15, 2020) By: Radio-Canada Alors que le dépistage obligatoire de la COVID-19 se conclut dans les établissements de soins de longue durée en Ontario, des voix s’élèvent pour demander cette pratique dans les maisons de retraite. La province s’était engagée le 22 avril dernier à tester tout le personnel et les résidents des centres de […]

COVID-19 death toll risen by 333 per cent in health care facilities: report

(May 14, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, InBrampton While the spread of COVID-19 has been trending down in Ontario, cases are still on the rise in congregate care settings. A report from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) has found the number of outbreaks in health care settings—including hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, public health units and clinics—has nearly doubled. According […]

Big changes are needed in long-term care homes

(May 13, 2020) By: Luisa D’Amato, TheRecord.com (Metroland Media Group) In a national crisis, we look for a strong centralized government that can make things happen quickly. Nothing else is big enough to do the job. Perhaps that’s why the calls for a full government inquiry into the state of long-term care homes for the elderly seem […]

Updated: Pioneer Manor provides an update on COVID-19

(May 13, 2020) By: Sudbury.com Analysis A report released today from the Ontario Health Coalition tracks data regarding COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes in Ontario. The stats are sobering: 436 deaths, 3,783 infections and 80 large outbreaks. Of course, these statistics are simply a snapshot in time. The pandemic is far from over. This week, […]

Analysis: Can COVID-19 show us how to fix Scarborough nursing homes?

(May 13, 2020) By: Mike Adler, Toronto.com Altamont Care Community in Scarborough have five COVID-19 related deaths. – Dan Pearce/Torstar We failed to protect seniors in long-term care from the coronavirus, and we failed to protect Christine Mandegarian and other nursing home staff. So, what should the people of Ontario do when the pandemic ends? The […]

PANDEMIC #4- Ontario Reaps its Dividends

(May 13, 2020) By: Canada Land Show Download Over 1700 Ontarians have already been killed by COVID-19. And the vast majority of them died in long-term care. But if you live in a private, for-profit home, you’re much more likely to die from this virus. The for-profit long-term care industry is politically powerful and deeply […]

Sudbury letter: Plight of PSWs ignored

(May 12, 2020) By: Terry Martyn, Sudbury Star Once again, the provincial government has left front-line workers in long-term care (LTC) homes to fend for themselves. The Ontario government set up the Ontario Long-Term Care Staffing Advisory Group to provide advice on how to deal with the chronic shortage of personal support workers in long-term care homes. […]

Inquiry on long-term care covid-19 deaths

(May 11, 2020) By: The Bill Kelly Show, Global News Radio 900 CHML Should there be an inquiry into the deaths at long-term care homes? Demands for an inquiry continue to rise and the Ontario government has asked the hardest hit homes to come up with plans to stem the spread of the virus. Ontario […]

Ontario’s call to Ottawa for long-term care support doesn’t aim to reduce private ownership: Ford’s office

(May 11, 2020) By: Victoria Gibson, IPolitics Premier Doug Ford at his daily COVID-19 press conference, at Queen’s Park in Toronto. May 5, 2020. Steve Russell/Toronto Star Internal talks between the Ford and Trudeau governments over supports for the long-term care sector have not included the aim of reducing for-profit facilities, the premier’s office says — as […]

Improvements needed industrywide, not just in for-profit seniors homes: Health coalition

(May 10, 2020) By: Allan Benner, Niagara Falls Review A Niagara-based long-term care advocacy group says industrywide improvements need to be implemented to protect all residents, after a scathing Ontario Health Coalition report focused on the COVID-19 death rate at for-profit facilities. “The problem is OHC (Ontario Health Coalition) is pointing their finger across the […]

No easy fix for long term care home problems highlighted by COVID-19

(May 9, 2020) By: Laura Osman, CHEK News Canada can’t go back to paying care home workers minimum wage after the pandemic is over, says the president of the Canadian Labour Congress. For years, those living and working in nursing and retirement homes across the country have struggled as overburdened caregivers tried to maintain a […]

Editorial: A long-term care review is badly needed. Let’s do it right

(May 9, 2020) By: Donald Macdonald, Sudbury Star Long-term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton says Ontario will “review” its system of looking after the frail and elderly. This is overdue, given the staggering proportion of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents. It should not have taken courageous families and front-line workers talking to media about conditions […]

COVID-19: Why are dying seniors not being taken to hospital?

(May 9, 2020) By: Joanna Frketich, The Hamilton Spectator Questions are being raised by unions and advocacy groups about why Ontario seniors with COVID-19 are not being sent to hospitals from long-term care and retirement homes struggling with outbreaks. “I have been really concerned about this,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “The […]

Editorial: A long-term care review is badly needed. Let’s do it right

(May 9, 2020) Ottawa Citizen Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, minister of Long-term Care, has a big job on her hands given the state of Ontario’s elder care. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia Long-term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton says Ontario will “review” its system of looking after the frail and elderly. This is overdue, given the staggering […]

Coronavirus: No easy fix for problems in Canada’s nursing, retirement homes

(May 9, 2020) By: Laura Osman, Global News For years, those living and working in nursing and retirement homes across the country have struggled as overburdened caregivers tried to maintain a basic level of care and dignity for aging and ailing Canadians. It happened behind closed doors, said Carole Estabrooks, a professor in the faculty […]

Death rate among long-term care homes higher in for-profit facilities

(May 8, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, InBrampton The death rate for those who contract COVID-19 in long-term care facilities is higher in for-profit compared to non-profit and publicly-owned homes. According to a study from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the number of deaths related to the virus is significantly higher in for-profit homes compared to non-profit and […]

Ontario records another 459 COVID-19 cases, 44 deaths

(May 8, 2020) By: Rob Ferguson, DurhamRegion.com (Metroland Media Group) A Star compilation of data from regional health units at 11 a.m. Friday showed an increase of 44 deaths in the previous 24 hours. – Shutterstock photo The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario has now claimed almost 1,600 lives, a number eight times higher than it was a […]

For-profit nursing homes have four times as many COVID-19 deaths as city-run homes, Star analysis finds

(May 8, 2020) By: Marco Chown Oved, Brendan Kennedy, Kenyon Wallace, Ed Tubb and Andrew Bailey, DurhamRegion.com (Metroland Media Group) Overall, for-profit homes make up less than 60 per cent of long-term care homes in the province, but they account for 16 of the 20 worst outbreaks. – Richard Lautens / Toronto Star Residents of for-profit nursing […]

PSW draws attention to ‘burnt out’ staff as COVID-19 compounds long-term care crisis

(May 8, 2020) By: Adam Jacobson, CBC Radio A personal support worker (PSW) with over a decade of experience says she and her colleagues are “afraid,” “frustrated” and “tired” as the coronavirus pandemic exacerbates existing problems related to working conditions inside Ontario’s long-term care facilities. Susan, a PSW who CBC Radio has given a pseudonym […]

‘Staff crisis remains critical’: Health-care unions about coronavirus working conditions

(May 8, 2020) By: Marta Marychuk, Brampton Guardian Employees from hospitals and long-term care homes represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees held a workplace action Wednesday, May 6, to protest the lack of protection and call on Ontario’s premier for help. The peaceful protest, which also included home-care nurses, personal support workers, cleaners […]

NDP Seeks Broad and Thorough Inquiry into Long-Term Care

(May 8, 2020) By: NetNewsLedger QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says, “Ontario deserves a broad and thorough public inquiry into long-term care, including why the system was in crisis before the pandemic hit; how the pandemic response left seniors homes so vulnerable; and an examination of the future of for-profit homes in Ontario”. “It’s heartbreaking […]

Long-term care death rate higher in privately owned facilities: report

(May 8, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, inhalton The death rate for those who contract COVID-19 in long-term care facilities is higher in for-profit compared to non-profit and publicly-owned homes, according to the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC). According to the findings, there have been 1,057 deaths in long-term care facilities due to COVID-19. Of these, 700 have been residents of […]

Community spread of COVID-19 remains stubbornly high, Ontario’s top doctor says

(May 8, 2020) By: Rob Ferguson, Toronto Star The person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in the community is stubbornly persistent and hard to pinpoint, says Ontario’s chief medical officer. “It is still perplexing to me we are not making major headway going down,” Dr. David Williams told a news conference Friday as the daily number of […]

More deaths in for-profit long-term care homes than non-profit and municipally-owned homes: Ontario Health Coalition

(May 7, 2020) By: Durham Radio News Deaths rates in for-profit long-term care homes in Ontario are higher and rising faster compared to non-profit and municipally-owned homes. That’s according to a new analysis from the Ontario Health Coalition. Rabbi Shalom Schachter, a member of the Ontario Health Coalition, did the research and analysis. “The data shows […]

For-profit LTCs have higher COVID-related death rate: OHC

(May 7, 2020) By: Aastha Shetty, kitchenertoday Stock photo A new report by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) analyzes the COVID-related death rates of 93 Ontario long-term care homes that have experienced an outbreak. OHC Executive Director Natalie Mehra tells the Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS, death rates are significantly higher in for-profit homes when compared […]

Death rates at for-profit nursing homes significantly higher than non-profits

(May 7, 2020) By: Jack Hauen, QP Briefing People are dying in Ontario’s for-profit long-term care homes at a “significantly higher” rate than those that are run as non-profits, a health advocacy group has found. A review of provincial statistics by QP Briefing found the same. The results mirror several international studies that find poorer […]

Rosie DiManno: As COVID-19 deaths surge, Canadian Forces personnel step into the breach at Hawthorne Place Care Centre

(May 7, 2020) By: Rosie DiManno, OurWindsor.ca Marian Van Vleit has rolled herself outside for a smoke. And before you get too judge-y, keep in mind that the woman is 60 years old, had a stroke six months ago, and has been resident, grumpily, at a long-term-care facility ever since. Enjoying a cigarette under the […]

More people dying of coronavirus in for-profit LTC homes than publicly-owned

(May 7, 2020) By: News Staff, City News More people appear to be dying of coronavirus in for-profit long-term-care homes, compared to publicly-owned facilities, according to a new analysis released Thursday by health care advocates. The Ontario Health Coalition looked at death rates in 93 Ontario nursing homes with outbreaks of COVID-19 that resulted in […]

Ongoing concerns in long-term care facilities

(May 5, 2020) By: CTV News Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra talks about calls for stronger measures to protect long-term care home staff and residents. Click here for the original post

‘This system is absolutely broken’: New demands to revoke licenses of long-term care homes

(May 6, 2020) By: Nicole Lampa & Jennifer K. Baker, CTV Kitchener Analysis KITCHENER — A health-care watchdog is calling on the province to step in and revoke the licenses of long-term care homes that are dealing with a significant outbreak of COVID-19. Forest Heights Revera, a private and for-profit facility in Kitchener, is currently […]

COVID-19 | DAY OF ACTION RALLY

(May 5, 2020) By: iHeartRadio Matt Holmes speaks with Natalie Mehra – Executive Director Ontario Health Coalition regarding Day of Action rally in support of front line workers. Click here for original post

An Ontario nurse explains how COVID-19 gets into care homes, then hits health-care workers

(May 5, 2020) By: CBC News An Ontario nurse explains how COVID-19 gets into care homes, then hits health-care workers. As the weeks went by in March, and COVID-19 cases in Canada kept ticking upwards, Pamella started to worry about residents coming and going from the long-term care facility where she worked. The registered practical […]

Ontario needs a ‘new normal’ in post-pandemic long-term care

(May 5, 2020) By: Malcolm Buchanan, The Hamilton Spectator There have been numerous documented cases in Ontario of seniors and people with disabilities dying and mistreated as a result of dehydration, ulcerated and infected bed sores, choking and urinary tract infections in long-term care homes. There are also reports of resident-on-resident homicides in long-term homes. […]

Ongoing concerns in long-term care facilities

(May 2, 2020) By: CTV News Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra talks about calls for stronger measures to protect long-term care home staff and residents. Analysis Click here for original video

Long-term care ‘devastation’ rises, including 3 more COVID-19 deaths in Newmarket

(May 3, 2020) By: Debora Kelly, New Market Today Despite some flattening of the curve of new COVID-19 cases in York Region, deaths in long-term care homes continue to spiral upwards, including three more Newmarket residents at Mackenzie Place Long-term Care confirmed today. A 90-year-man, a resident of Mackenzie Place, passed away Thursday, April 30 at Southlake […]

Ontario Health Coalition shines light on the most exploited workforce in our society

(May 2, 2020) By: Michael Thomas, Toronto Caribbean Newspaper Does the Ford Government’s Action Plan reflect his rhetoric when it comes to shielding residents and staff in Long-Term Care from COVID-19?? Depending on who is asked, the answer is yes or no. The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper looked at both the government documents and the Ontario […]

Ontario premier says province ready for spring flooding amid COVID-19

(May 2, 2020) By: CBC News Ontario premier says province ready for spring flooding amid COVID-19 Premier Doug Ford says the province is ready for spring flooding season and is actively monitoring risks across Ontario as it continues to manage the COVID-19 outbreak. Ontario’s surface water monitoring centre in Peterborough is keeping a close eye […]

Cathy Majtenyi: Sad record in helping seniors is exposed

(May 2, 2020) By: Cathy Majtenyi, The Catholic Register It’s a pandemic within a pandemic — and a damning indictment of how we’ve been failing to care for our most vulnerable. People living in seniors’ homes across Canada are being hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19. The numbers are […]

ONTARIO GOVERNMENT IS ALLOWING CERTAIN BUSINESSES TO REOPEN MAY 4

(May 1, 2020) By: Jon Meyer, Barrie 360 The Ontario government is allowing certain businesses and workplaces to reopen as of this Monday (May 4) “as long as they comply with strict public health measures during the COVID-19 crisis,”Premier Doug Ford said on Friday. “It is clear that right now there are certain business and […]

Did Ontario really need to call in the military for COVID-19 in long-term care?

(May 1, 2020) By: Emma McIntosh, Canada’s National Observer After Quebec called in the military for help with COVID-19 in nursing homes, Ontario Premier Doug Ford did the same last week. Photo from Canadian Armed Forces/Twitter In the early days of Ontario’s battle with COVID-19, before the province had even declared a state of emergency, […]

Ontario to allow some businesses to reopen, long-term care outbreaks continue to climb

(May 1, 2020) By: Nick Boisvert, CBC News A customer shops at a gardening centre in Calgary, Alta. in April. Ontario will permit similar businesses to open on Monday under strict new safety guidelines. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) Ontario will allow some businesses to reopen starting on Monday, provided they comply with strict public health […]

Health coalition ‘day of action’ to fix long-term care

(May 1, 2020) By: Colin Gowdy, BLACKBURNNEWS.COM The Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition is calling on the province to continue to improve Ontario’s long-term care homes, even after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. The local chapter is taking part in the Ontario Health Coalition’s “Day of Action to Fix Long-Term Care” Friday. Chair Shirley Roebuck […]

Ontario Health Coalition holding online rally Friday calling on province to do more to help long-term care homes

(May 1, 2020) By: DURHAM RADIONEWS.COM Social distancing isn’t stopping the Ontario Health Coalition from holding a ‘Day of Action’ Friday focused on long-term care homes. They’ve organized a virtual rally on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They’re calling on the province to do more to stop the virus from spreading in the homes, where most […]

Health coalition ‘day of action’ to fix long-term care

(May 1, 2020) By: Colin Gowdy, BlackburnNews.com The Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition is calling on the province to continue to improve Ontario’s long-term care homes, even after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. The local chapter is taking part in the Ontario Health Coalition’s “Day of Action to Fix Long-Term Care” Friday. Chair Shirley Roebuck said COVID-19 […]

London region sees 7 new COVID-19 cases amid louder calls for improved safety in elder care

(May 1, 2020) By: CBC News London regional health authorities added seven new coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the area’s total to 409. One new death was also reported Friday, bringing the number of fatalities up to 38. The woman in her 80s was not a resident of an eldercare facility where the vast majority of the community’s 184 […]

Newmarket invited to virtual rally to fix COVID-19 ravaged long-term care

(May 1, 2020) By: Kim Champion, NewmarketToday The Ontario Health Coalition, with support of the Ontario Federation of Labour, calls for a day of action today, May 1, 2020, to press the Ontario government for concrete measures to fix long-term care. Supplied photo/Ontario Health Coalition A day of action gets underway today, May 1 at […]

Demands grow louder in Ontario to end for-profit nursing homes

(May 1, 2020) By: Zaid Noorsumar, Rankandfile.ca The Ontario Health Coalition is holding an online Day of Action today, May 1, to demand the Ontario PC government and Premier Doug Ford fix long-term care. The hashtag #FixLTCFord is being used by the Coalition and its supporters on Twitter and other social media platforms. In addition to […]

Natalie Mehra on PPE auditing and its importance to the safety of healthcare workers

(May 1, 2020) By: Youtube Transcript: I think on PPE, on personal protective equipment. The fact that the stockpile is not just routinely rotated through and kept up is shocking. I think we could call for something like that it be in the regular audits, the two year and the five year audits of the […]

The private sector cannot be trusted to care for 80,000 seniors

(April 30, 2020) By: Keith Leslie, The Hamilton Spectator “By any measure of morality and humanity, the situation in Ontario’s long term care sector has become intolerable.” You might assume that quote stems from the tragic trail of devastation COVID-19 has left in our long-term care homes, where our parents and grandparents are dying without […]

C-K private, long-term care was already in crisis: PSW, advocate

(April 29, 2020) By: Jenna Cocullo, The Chatham Voice Chatham-Kent is no exception when it comes to the problems facing long-term care homes. The situation in private long-term care and residential homes is not good, said one worker fed up with working conditions. One personal support worker (PSW), with several decades of experience in the […]

Economic Recovery Readiness: Health Perspectives Webinar

(April 29, 2020) Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra spoke at a health webinar that dealt with various health care issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic including: Personal protective equipment, wages, congregate settings, long-term care home testing rates and home care. Analysis

Nipissing NDP hosting virtual ‘Economic Recovery Readiness Panel’

(April 28, 2020) By: BayToday Staff, BayToday The Nipissing NDP Riding Association is also planning future panels with topics related to food and agriculture and education The Nipissing NDP Riding Association is hosting its second virtual “Economic Recovery Readiness Panel” today (Wednesday) with a focus on Health and Healthcare in post-COVID19 economic recovery. The event starts at […]

Metro Morning with Ismaila Alfa

(April 28, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: CBC News Early in the pandemic palliative care physician Amit Arya had a nightmare that convinced him to make an advanced care plan for himself in case of incapacitating disease or accident. Click here […]

Coronavirus: Toronto man concerned about lack of testing of at-home personal support workers

(April 27, 2020) By: Tom Hayes, Global News A man who lives in an assisted living condo in downtown Toronto says he has concerns about the lack of coronavirus testing for his personal support workers (PSWs). A spinal chord accident five years ago left Chris Stigas paralyzed and in need of a wheelchair. His daily routine […]

It’s time to make long-term care part of the public hospital system

(April 26, 2020) By: Geoffrey Stevens, The Hamilton Spectator “In Canada, we shouldn’t have soldiers taking care of seniors. In the weeks and months to come, we will all have to ask tough questions about how it came to this.” — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, April 23, 2020. Questions are good. Answers would be better. […]

COVID-19 rips bandage off the open wound that is our nursing home system

(April 26, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: Dr. Amit Arya, CBC News Funeral home workers remove a body from the Residence Yvon-Brunet long-term care home in Montreal on April 18, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Canada and around the […]

Military heading to five GTA nursing homes hard hit with COVID outbreaks

(April 25, 2020) By: Lois Kirkup, Postmedia, Ottawa Sun A Pickering long-term care home where 40 residents have died during the COVID-19 pandemic will get military support along with four other hard-hit homes in the Greater Toronto Area. The Ontario government says that in addition to sending military resources to Orchard Villa, personnel will be deployed to […]

Warning of potential health crisis fell on deaf ears

(April 25, 2020) By: Ben Lefebvre, Timmins Daily Press (Print Edition) Long term-care homes and homecare providers have been severely underfunded for years despite calls to increase resources needed to protect against inflation and to adequately compensate a skilled workforce. The disaster we are presently witnessing was forecasted by the Ontario Health Coalition. Unfortunately, their well-researched reports […]

Nearly one third of COVID-19 cases are people associated with health care facilities: report

(April 24, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, Inbrampton.com Outbreaks of COVID-19 are increasing exponentially in health care settings. According to a recent report from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), 3,783 people have been infected with the virus in health care facilities—1,127 of these people are staff, while 1,936 are residents/patients (health authorities didn’t specify whether the remaining […]

Outbreaks underreported?

(April 24, 2020) By: Antonella Artuso, Toronto Sun (Print Edition) Long-term care residents account for 72% of the 713 officially reported COVID-19 deaths in Ontario. However, the total death toll is likely higher than reported due to a delay in reporting. A new report from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) said that almost 3,800 residents and staff […]

COVID-19 deaths, outbreaks underreported in Ontario: OHC

(April 24, 2020) By: Antonella Artuso, Toronto Sun Long-term care residents account for 72% of 713 officially reported COVID-19 deaths in Ontario. However, the total death toll is likely higher than reported due to a delay in reporting. A new report from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) says that almost 3,800 residents and staff of healthcare facilities […]

Two COVID-19 cases lift Grey-Bruce total to 68

(April 24, 2020) By: Greg Cowan, Owen Sound Sun Times (Print Edition) Two new lab-test confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus turned up in Grey-Bruce in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of cases in the region to 68. The Grey Bruce Health Unit is rolling out a recently developed plan to test all residents […]

LIVE: Pioneer Manor director provides an update on COVID-19

(April 23, 2020) By: Mark Gentili, Sudbury.com Outbreaks of COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes are very much in the news this week. At his daily press conference, Premier Doug Ford became emotional talking about his personal situation. His mother-in-law in long-term care has tested positive and he acknowledged […]

Testing increases as two new COVID-19 cases lifts regional total to 68

(April 23, 2020) By: Greg Cowan, The Sun Times Two new lab-test confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus turned up in Grey-Bruce in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of cases in the region to 68. The Grey Bruce Health Unit is rolling out a recently developed plan to test all residents and […]

Pioneer Manor director describes LTC’s ‘aggressive’ response to COVID-19 (Video)

Palliative care during a pandemic

(April 23, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: CMAJ Podcasts Dr. James Downar and Dr. Amit Arya discuss how to optimise provision of palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. James Downar is head of the division of palliative care at the […]

Greater funding needed for long-term care providers, says reader

(April 22, 2020) By: TimminsToday Staff, TimminsToday Long term care homes and homecare providers have been severely underfunded for years despite calls to increase resources needed to protect against inflation and to adequately compensate a skilled workforce. The disaster we are presently witnessing was forecasted by the Ontario Health Coalition. Unfortunately, their well researched reports […]

The support needed for employees of long-term care homes, Predicting the second wave of COVID-19 & The pandemic lockdown and your money

(April 22, 2020) By: The Scott Thompson Show, Global News Radio This is a great interview. The host asked a lot of questions and gave OHC executive director Natalie Mehra a chance to give a powerful overview of the problem with for-profit long-term care and the conditions in long-term care homes now, under COVID-19. It […]

Palliative Care During a Pandemic

(April 20, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: TVO 50 Analysis Many of Ontario’s long-term care homes face devastation during the COVID-19 pandemic. One has lost almost half its residents to the virus. For very ill people end of life care becomes […]

Sudbury has been lucky so far

(April 18, 2020) By: Harold Carmichael, Sudbury Star (Print Edition) With patients and staff in nursing homes across southern Ontario having been diagnosed COVID-19 – leading to death in some cases – how are nursing homes across Sudbury faring? So far, so good: no coronavirus-positive cases have been reported here. In speaking to the administrators of […]

LEVY: Ontario’s long-term care homes an accident waiting to happen

(April 18, 2020) By: Sue-Ann Levy, Ottawa Sun As they are forced to play a waiting game isolated from their loved ones, children with elderly parents in Ontario long-term care homes ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak have vacillated from helplessness and guilt to worry and fear. They feel guilty they can’t bring their parents home […]

Dead last in the COVID-19 test race; Ontario Health Coalition raises questions about COVID-19 test numbers

(April 17, 2020) By: Michael Thomas, torontocaribbean.com “How do you just give a link on testing?” Natalie Mehra (Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition) Why are so few Ontarians being tested and tracked for COVID-19? This is a question recently raised by the Ontario Health Coalition to the powers that be here in this province. According […]

Ford government’s long-term care strategy “inadequate”: Ontario Health Coalition

(April 17, 2020) By: Clarrie Feinstein, Daily Hive Toronto The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is calling on Premier Doug Ford to improve his Action Plan to address the COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes, as they say measures taken to date have been “inadequate.” “The Ford government’s Action Plan to address COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario’s […]

Ontario expands testing guidelines as COVID-19 deaths rise

(April 17, 2020) By: Antonella Artuso, The Windsor Star Ontario public health officials confirmed 514 new COVID-19 cases and 38 more related deaths Thursday as the government announced more aggressive testing guidelines. The province now has 8,961 cases and 423 deaths in total. An additional six long-term care facilities reported outbreaks, bringing the total to […]

Advocacy group concerned about lack of COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities

(April 17, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, Inbrampton.com The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is urging the Province to increase measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities. “We are increasingly frustrated with the disconnect between the statements of the Premier and what is actually being put into the regulations, directives and guidance issued […]

Long-term care is now the front line of Ontario’s COVID-19 battle

(April 17, 2020) By: Emma McIntosh, National Observer In some ways, long-term care was a COVID-19 storm waiting to happen. The virus is most deadly to elderly people and those with pre-existing health conditions — the main demographics for long-term-care facilities, which across the country have been ravaged by […]

Testing guidelines expanded

(April 17, 2020) By: Antonella Artuso, Ottawa Sun (Print Edition) Ontario public health officials confirmed 514 new COVID-19 cases and 38 more related deaths Thursday as the government announced more aggressive testing guidelines. The province now has 8,961 cases and 423 deaths in total. An additional six long-term care facilities reported outbreaks, bringing the total to […]

More Canadian women have COVID-19 and are dying as a result. Here’s some possible reasons why

(April 17, 2020) By: Olivia Bowden, Global News More men have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, across the world than women — except in Canada. According to the latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, more women have been diagnosed with COVID-19 than men, and more women have died as a […]

Jarvis: The front-line health-care workers you don’t hear about

(April 16, 2020) By: Anne Jarvis, Windsor Star They are the other front-line health care workers, the ones you don’t hear about. Personal support workers provide the most basic care for the most vulnerable people, feeding, toileting and bathing the elderly and severely disabled. Yet for years we’ve been driving them from their jobs with […]

Inspections on Ontario’s long-term care homes were minimal last year – and public scrutiny needed to make them happen

(April 16, 2020) By: The Morning Show, Global News Radio Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, discusses the lack of inspections conducted at Ontario’s long-term care homes. Click here for original audio

Seule une poignée de foyers en Ontario ont été inspectés en profondeur l’an dernier

(April 15, 2020) By: Radio-Canada L’Ontario a réduit le nombre d’inspections annuelles en profondeur en 2018. L’Ontario a considérablement réduit les inspections annuelles détaillées dans les centres de soins de longue durée en 2018. Seuls 9 des 626 foyers ontariens ont subi une inspection du genre en 2019, a appris CBC. Le gouvernement de Doug Ford […]

PANDEMIC WORSENS SHORTAGES AT LONG-TERM CARE HOMES: HEALTH COALITION

(April 15, 2020) By: Teresinha Medeiros, AM800-News Windsor Health Coalition Co-Chair Patrick Hannon speaks at a news conference on the shortage of PSWs in long-term care homes in Ontario. February 13, 2020 (Photo by AM800’s Teresinha Medeiros) Officials at Windsor’s Health Coalition are saddened by the crisis taking place at long-term care homes across the […]

‘This is not right’; Family, advocates worry care homes ‘don’t send anyone to hospital’as policy

(April 15, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne and Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Sun (Print Edition) In Almonte and across Ontario, long-term care homes are now bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic with dozens dying in their beds without loved ones by their side. Nearly half of the COVID-19 deaths in Canada are associated with long-term care homes. […]

Ontario scaled back comprehensive, annual inspections of nursing homes to only a handful last year

(April 15, 2020) By: Katie Pedersen, Melissa Mancini, David Common, CBC News Analysis Government says it did 2,800 inspections in 2019, but most were related to complaints or critical incidents A CBC News investigation found that only nine long-term care homes in Ontario received a so-called resident quality […]

Ontario reduced comprehensive long-term care home inspections a year before COVID-19

(April 15, 2020) By: CBC News A CBC investigation found that Ontario stopped doing surprise, detailed inspections of long-term care homes a year before COVID-19 started tearing through the facilities. Analysis Click here for original article and video

Coronavirus: Ontario directive clearing asymptomatic staff for care home work raises questions

(April 14, 2020) By: Morganne Campbell, Global News At a time when Ontario is implementing stricter measures to help protect the province’s most vulnerable living in long-term care homes, questions are being raised about a directive issued by the province’s top doctor, saying staff who are COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic can go to work. The […]

Most new COVID-19 cases in Middlesex-London at seniors’ homes

(April 14, 2020) By Amanda Taccone, CTV News MIDDLESEX COUNTY, ONT. — There were 13 new COVID-19 cases reported by the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) on Tuesday, but no new deaths. That brings the regional total to 247, including 42 cases at long-term care and retirement homes – 11 more than on Monday. An overview released […]

No-transfer practice at some long-term care homes denies residents rights during pandemic, say advocates

(April 14, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen In Almonte and across Ontario, long-term care homes are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic with dozens of people dying in their beds in recent weeks without loved ones by their side. Nearly half of the COVID-19 deaths in Canada are associated with long-term care homes. […]

Pandemic lays bare the state of elder care

(April 14, 2020) By: Owen Sound Sun Times (Print Edition) Just over a year ago, my mother passed away in a long-term care facility near Toronto. We had moved her there about six weeks earlier from a retirement home because she was increasingly frail, confused and risked a serious fall. We believed – wrongly, as […]

Care homes face testing road blocks; Public health declined to test new long-term care residents

(April 14, 2020) By: Kathleen Saylors and Greg Colgan, Woodstock Sentinel-Review (Print Edition) The senior leadership at Oxford County’s largest long-term care homes are pushing for increased testing of their residents but say the local public health team is not letting them test incoming – but […]

Pandemic palliative care: beyond ventilators and saving lives

(April 14, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: Amit Arya, Sandy Buchman, Bruno Gagnon and James Downar KEY POINTS The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic will likely strain our health care system beyond capacity, and palliative care services will be needed across many […]

The coronavirus palliative care crisis

(April 13, 2020) Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician and a board member of the Ontario Health Coalition By: Amit Arya and Naheed Dosani, MacLean’s A doctor takes care of a patient during a night watch at the resuscitation intensive care unit of the Ambroise Pare clinic in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Pari on Apr. […]

I Don’T Want Mum To Think We’Ve Abandoned Her; She and seniors’ home residents already are victims of pandemic, more than most

(April 11, 2020) By: Anne Jarvis, Windsor Star (Print Edition) “I think I’m safe here,” Mum said over the phone. “I’m sure you are,” I agreed. But I was lying. I’m not sure, not at all. My mother is 98. She lives in a long-term care home. “We’re putting an iron ring of protection around our […]

Spencer: COVID-19 lays bare the horrible inadequacy of elder care in Ontario

(April 11, 2020) By: Christina Spencer, Ottawa Citizen Just weeks ago, we all discovered that cruise ships are floating crucibles for infectious disease. But we should have known years ago what would happen to our frail older population in the sort of long-term care the province mandates. […]

Could B.C.’s approach to long-term care COVID-19 outbreaks work in Ontario?

(April 10, 2020) By: Katrina Clarke, The Hamilton Spectator After the deadly outbreak at the Lynn Valley Centre care home in North Vancouver, British Columbia is tackling COVID–19 outbreaks in long–term care homes by mandating workers only work at one home, designating them public service workers, hiring them full-time and paying them standardized wages. British Columbia […]

Long-term care home employees demand better protection

(April 10, 2020) By: Natasha Philpott, Orilliamatters.com ‘We continue to follow directives and guidelines issued to us by health units,’ said owner of Bradford facility which also owns Spencer House in Orillia Bradford Valley Care Community employees held a protest outside the long-term care facility Thursday afternoon, calling on the government to ensure better protection for […]

BRACING FOR THE WORST: Ottawa LTC homes prepare after Almonte, Carleton Place outbreaks

(April 10, 2020) By: Aedan Helmer, Edmonton Sun Stoneridge Manor long-term care home in Carleton Place.Tony Caldwell / Postmedia Facilities in the national capital region have been preparing for the best-case scenario while bracing for the worst. After the devastating COVID-19 outbreak at Almonte’s Country Haven long-term care facility claimed the lives of 10 seniors, […]

Canada might be doing better than U.S. in COVID-19 crisis but we shouldn’t be satisfied

(April 9, 2020) By: Alan Freeman, iPolitics Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on March 31, 2020 to speak about the government’s measures to help Canadians with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew Meade/iPolitics It’s time we stopped comparing ourselves to the […]

Ontario Health Coalition reveals London-area long-term care homes dealing with COVID-19

(April 8, 2020) By: Justin Zadorsky, CTV News LONDON, ONT — An updated report from the Ontario Health Coalition is shedding light on just how many healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19 across the region and the province. As of Tuesday, provincial health officials have confirmed that […]

Fighting COVID-19: Supplies, testing and scams: CBC’s Marketplace cheat sheet

(April 5, 2020) By: CBC News There’s a rapid blood test that can tell if you are likely immune to COVID-19. Why isn’t it available in Canada? Safecare Canada is being accused of illegally selling COVID-19 antibody detection tests before getting approval from Health Canada. An online advertisement […]

Overhaul of nursing homes long overdue

(April 3, 2020) By: Toronto Star The heart-wrenching loss of life at homes for seniors is a disaster that has been waiting to happen. It is the result of successive governments’ willingness to allow entrepreneurs to make considerable wealth based on a growing population of needy seniors whose children are willing to pay high fees […]

LHSC boss’s medical leave ‘stunned’ advocate, while replacement criticized by nurses’ union

(April 3, 2020) By: Jonathan Juha & Norman De Bono, London Free Press London Health Sciences Centre’s top boss, Dr. Paul Woods, is taking a temporary a medical leave of absence and is self-isolating at home, The London Free Press has learned. London Health Sciences Centre’s president Dr. Paul Woods […]

Ontario healthcare workers now make up nearly 10 percent of COVID-19 patients

(April 3, 2020) By: Tanya Mok, BlogTO Lead photo by Ontario Nurses’ Association Ontario healthcare workers now make up nearly 10 per cent of COVID-19 patients People working on the frontlines of Ontario’s healthcare system now make up a notable portion of those testing positive for COVID-19, according to the […]

‘It’s like working in a disaster zone’; Long-term care workers in eye of COVID-19 storm

(April 3, 2020) By: Pj Wilson, North Bay Nugget N95 masks are not being made available to all long-term care workers because of a shortage of personal protective equipment, says Candace Rennick, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario. Getty Images. Health-care workers are operating in “war-zone […]

Coveting coronavirus masks a growing concern for Ontario health-care workers

(April 3, 2020) By: Kim Zarzour, YorkRegion.com Scarce supply of COVID-19 masks prompts thefts, rationing, calls for donations across the GTA York Region health-care workers need your donations of unused, unopened and unexpired personal protective equipment. – Southlake Foundation Let’s put this bluntly: the public’s panic for N95 masks is overkill — and it can […]

Almonte COVID death

(April 2, 2020) By: 96.1 Renfrew Today The Ontario Health Coalition is trying to stay one step ahead of Premier Doug Ford by providing cross-Ontario COVID-19 case updates, which they are culling by monitoring media sources and Health Unit releases. Unfortunately in Almonte the Country Haven outbreak claimed a life Tuesday as a male resident […]

Ontario ‘seems unprepared,’critic asks why

(April 2, 2020) By: Jane Sims, London Free Press Natalie Mehra has watched the number of infected Ontarians rise and kept quiet. She agrees Premier Doug Ford “is striking the right tone” during this crisis. And she’s fully behind the praise given to health-care and front-line workers trying to tamp COVID-19 down. But the executive director […]

‘It’s like working in a disaster zone’

(April 2, 2020) By: Donald Macdonald, Sudbury Star Health-care workers are operating in “war-zone conditions” because of the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world. Candace Rennick, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario, says a shortage of personal protective gear – PPE – leaves long-term care employees ill-prepared to deal with the pandemic. […]

Peterborough letter: Appreciate and support our public health care workers

(April 2, 2020) By: The Peterborough Examiner As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the Peterborough Regional Health Centre staff deserve thanks and respect from the community, Roy Brady writes today. – CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT , EXAMINER People in Ontario are appreciating and thanking the staff in our public health care system so deservedly. It has been […]

COLUMN: Public health advocate asks: Why does Ontario seem so unprepared for COVID-19 testing?

(April 2, 2020) By: Donald Macdonald, Sudbury Star Natalie Mehra has watched the number of infected Ontarians tick up and kept quiet. She agrees that Premier Doug Ford “is striking the right tone” during this crisis. She’s fully behind the praise given to health-care and front-line workers trying to tamp COVID-19 down. But the executive director […]

Are governments, institutions losing trust during COVID-19 Pandemic?

(April 1, 2020) By: Melissa Hemingway, Feminine-Perspective Magazine (FPMag) Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte has given shoot-to-kill orders to army and police when dealing with protesters who have been claiming they have no food during the 48 million person, military-imposed lock down of the Philippines’ Luzon Island. The US State Department commingled 14 Covid-19 infected patients with hundreds of […]

Pandemic highlighting need for better support for front-line healthcare worker

(April 1, 2020) By: Dana Roberts, CTV News SUDBURY — Advocates for front-line healthcare workers in long-term care homes are speaking out about the dangers employees are facing as COVID-19 continues to spread in nursing homes throughout the country. Dot Klein is the co-chair of the Sudbury Branch of the Ontario Health Coalition. With decades […]

Consider bringing loved ones home during COVID-19 pandemic, advocacy group suggests

(April 1, 2020) By: Ted Raymond, CTV News Ottawa OTTAWA — Long-term care homes and retirement residences are becoming major points of concern for public health officials as COVID-19 continues to spread. Several deaths linked to the virus have occurred at long-term care facilities, including Canada’s first confirmed COVID-19 related death in B.C., as well […]

‘Dark days ahead’: Ontario premier warns little separates province from devastation in Italy and Spain

(April 1, 2020) By: Sean Davidson & Colin D’Mello, CTV News Toronto TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford warns there will be a surge of COVID-19 cases, adding there are dark days ahead and there is very little separating the province from the devastation seen in Italy and Spain. “We must not forget for one […]

40 dead from COVID-19 in Ontario nursing and retirement homes

(April 1, 2020) By: Mike Crawley, CBC News Outbreaks declared in at least 41 facilities for seniors, prompting calls to widen testing in homes The Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., is the scene of a COVID-19 outbreak that has claimed the lives of 14 residents and one volunteer worker. (Chris Glover/CBC) At least 40 deaths […]

Sudbury’s nurses and PSWs are ‘worried,’activist says; ‘It’s really obvious now that long-term care is the epicentre of the coronavirus in Canada’

(April 1, 2020) By: Jim Moodie, Sudbury Star Deaths will occur at local nursing homes unless more steps are taken to protect residents and staff from COVID-19, warns a local nurse and health-care advocate. “It’s really obvious now that long-term care is the epicentre of the coronavirus in Canada because that’s where the hot-spot cluster infections […]

12 coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in Ontario long-term care homes

(April 1, 2020) By: Clarrie Feinstein, DH News The Province of Ontario says there are 12 COVID-19 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes. The numbers follow the Ontario Health Coalition’s information released on Tuesday, stating there are over a dozen long-term care homes in the province, as well as almost 100 […]

40 dead from COVID-19 in Ontario nursing and retirement homes

(April 1, 2020) By: CBC News At least 40 deaths of residents in Ontario nursing and retirement homes have been linked to COVID-19, almost triple the number that provincial officials reported on Wednesday. The death toll jumped by 11 over the course of Wednesday, including six new deaths at one Toronto long-term care home and two others at a […]

Consider bringing loved ones home during COVID-19 pandemic, advocacy group suggests

(April 1, 2020) By: Ted Raymond, CTV News Ottawa Analysis Long-term care homes and retirement residences are becoming major points of concern for public health officials as COVID-19 continues to spread. Several deaths linked to the virus have occurred at long-term care facilities, including Canada’s first confirmed COVID-19 related death in B.C., as well as […]

OHC believes Province should be doing more to test people for COVID-19

(April 1, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, Inbrampton The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) believes the Province isn’t doing enough to test those who might have been affected by COVID-19. Despite the fact Ontario has the largest population of any province or territory in the country, several provinces have performed more tests than Ontario. In fact, according to information from the […]

LFP’s providing unlimited access to our COVID-19 coverage. Here’s the latest: April 1

(April 1, 2020) By: London Free Press The social and economic response to the coronavirus threat is changing by the hour in Southwestern Ontario and across Canada. Here is a rundown of our latest coverage on the London-area fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic: Handling and reporting outbreaks at retirement homes is a “grey area,” Lambton’s […]

Health coalition sounding alarm about PSW treatment during COVID-19 crisis

(April 1, 2020) By: CBC News The Ontario Health Coalition is saying the outlook is grim for long term care facilities and the PSWs who are enduring stressful conditions during the pandemic. (CBC) The Ontario Health Coalition is very concerned about the well being of personal support workers in long term care facilities. Dot Klein, […]

Ontario conducting far fewer COVID-19 tests per capita than other provinces

(March 31, 2020) By: Chris Herhalt, CP24 People line up outside Women’s College Hospital’s COVID-19 assessment centre on March 17, 2020. (Kevin Hoppler/CP24) Ontario has conducted far fewer COVID-19 tests per capita than any other province, with half as many tests as Quebec and one-third as many as Alberta. According to data published by Ministry […]

Sudbury’s nurses and PSWs ‘worried,’ activist says

(March 31, 2020) By: Jim Moodie, Simcoe Reformer ‘It’s really obvious now that long-term care is the epicentre of the coronavirus in Canada’ Deaths will occur at local nursing homes unless more steps are taken to protect residents and staff from COVID-19, warns a local nurse and health-care advocate. “It’s really obvious now that long-term […]

OHC concerned with rise in COVID-19 cases among long-term care residents and staff

(Mar 31, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, inthehammer.com The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is concerned with the rise in the number of staff and residents of long-term care homes who have contracted the virus over the last week. “Care workers at all levels and across the continuum of care are concerned for their safety, the safety of […]

Nursing home workers ‘crying in their cars’

(March 31, 2020) By: Antonella Artuso, Toronto Sun Please note regarding the article below. The Ontario Health Coalition is deeply concerned about the deregulation of long-term care staffing under the new regulation passed under the emergency act. This is the opposite of what we were asking for prior to COVID-19. Staffing levels are already far […]

L’énoncé budgétaire convainc les entreprises, pas le monde hospitalier

(March 26, 2020) By: Radio-Canada Le gouvernement Ford s’est engagé mercredi à consacrer 10 milliards de dollars aux entreprises et 3,3 milliards aux soins de santé. De cette somme, 935 millions de dollars seront consacrés au secteur hospitalier. En temps normal, nos hôpitaux ont affaire à une surfréquentation sévère, prévient […]

Sudbury letters: Public health care needed more than ever; economy’s health important also

(March 26, 2020) By: Sudbury Star Now is the time to invest in public health care The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the extent to which our individual health is dependent on the health of everyone in our community. Public health care is our best defense against this crisis and others like it. However, our […]

Ontario PCs Add Billions In Deficit Spending To Tackle Coronavirus

(March 25, 2020) By: Emma Paling, HuffPost Canada TORONTO — The Ontario government is abandoning its plan to trim billions off the deficit this year so it can spend big on health care and tax deferrals as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the province. “COVID-19 is an extraordinary threat to the health and economy of Ontario — […]

Peterborough letter: COVID-19 reminds us how much we count on our health care system

(March 19, 2020) By: OPINION, Peterborough Examiner Peterborough started shutting down the way so many other cities around the world have done since the arrival of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As the pandemic sweeps into Canada, we are once again reminded how much we count on our health care system to be there when we need […]

Peterborough letter: COVID-19 reminds us how much we count on our health care system

(March 19, 2020) By: Peterborough Examiner Peterborough started shutting down the way so many other cities around the world have done since the arrival of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As the pandemic sweeps into Canada, we are once again reminded how much we count on our health care system to be there when we need […]

Ontario Announces ‘Surge Funding’ to Boost Hospital Capacity. But Ontario Hospitals Are Already Stretched Thin

(March 17, 2020) By: PressProgress The Government of Ontario has declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but years of underfunding the province’s healthcare system could pose a challenge in boosting hospital capacity during the emergency. Among the measures Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday include $100 million in emergency funding to boost capacity in Ontario […]

How ready are London’s hospitals for coronavirus cases?

(March 15, 2020) By: Kate Dubinski, CBC News Union leaders are calling into question the preparedness of the London Health Sciences Centre. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC) One of the heads of the London Health Sciences Centre says he’s confident the hospital can cope with an influx of patients because of COVID-19. But […]

More pressure to save residential addictions treatment program

(March 12, 2020) By: BayToday Staff Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. File Photo by Doug Diaczuk/Tbnewswatch.com Residents Plan to Step Up Pressure to Ask MPP Fedeli to Save the North Bay Hospital’s Residential Addictions Treatment Program Close to 40 people attended Tuesday night’s public meeting organized by the Ontario Health Coalition. […]

Pleas to reverse treatment bed changes heard at town hall

(March 11, 2020) By: Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles, North Bay Nugget Addicts don’t have a chance in hell to recover in North Bay, two advocates for those suffering from addiction say. Between the extremely long wait lists, lack of services to meet the needs of people living on the streets and the looming closure of 29 residential addiction […]

IMPACT: Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition aims to fight changes to Lindsay hospital act

(March 10, 2020) By: Catherine Whitnall, Kawartha Lakes This Week The Ross Memorial Hospital is actively seeking former patients, and family members of patients, to serve as Patient Experience Partners (PEPs) to help inform ongoing care. – File photo Dozens of area residents have thrown their support behind the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition’s efforts to stop […]

Health Coalition holding town hall meeting Tuesday night

(March 9, 2020) By: BayToday Staff, BayToday The Ontario Health Coalition is hosting a Town Hall Meeting at the Centre Culturel Les Compagnons, 327 Dudley Avenue Tuesday night to continue its fight to keep 29 residential addiction treatment beds, which are slated to be cut this spring. “The Health Coalition has repeatedly raised the issue that […]

Changes to RMH endangers hospitals’ future says OHC: ‘We have to stop this legislation’

(March 6, 2020) By: Joli Scheidler-Benns, The Lindsay Advocate Hundreds of people gathered at a town hall-style meeting last night at the Lindsay Recreation Centre determined to stop Ross Memorial Hospital from becoming anything other than a hospital. That is, they want RMH’s status as a hospital to remain and not morph into an entity that […]

Ontario Health Coalition concerned about new Bill proposed by Ford government

(March 6, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, inhalton.com Representatives from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) has raised concerns about the Ford government’s new home care legislation. The OHC believes the legislation, entitled Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act 2020, is being rushed through the process without the proper vetting process and input from Ontario residents. According to a media […]

Sudbury’s Pioneer Manor looking to ease personal support worker shortage

(March 4, 2020) By: CBC News Staff, CBC News Facility director cites ‘vicious cycle’ of staff under pressure Pioneer Manor in Sudbury is facing a shortage of PSWs, the home’s director says. (Yvon Theriault/CBC) The director of Pioneer Manor in Sudbury says the long-term care home is making progress in addressing a shortage of personal support […]

Long-term care: The math doesn’t exactly add up; We still need a real action plan, Michel Bilodeau says

(March 4, 2020) By: Michel Bilodeau, Ottawa Citizen It is not news that Canadians, as a group, are aging. The 2016 census showed that there are more people aged 65 and over than people under 16. “Seniors” represent 17 per cent of the population of Ontario. There are currently 1.1 million people 75 and over in […]

Personal Support Workers on the front lines of caring for your loved ones

(March 1, 2020) By: Joli Scheidler-Benns, The Lindsay Advocate When it comes to senior care, it takes a village to ensure our family members are well looked after. While some positions may be more glamourous, personal support workers (PSWs) are a critical part of health care, but there’s a growing shortage of PSWs. In an area […]

Battle for rehab beds rages on

(February 29, 2020) By: Jennifer Hamilton-Mccharles, North Bay Nugget Mary Morin says she would be dead if it wasn’t for the services she received 10 years ago at the addiction treatment centre on King Street in North Bay. Morin, however, is afraid someday she will find the body of her son, who is a drug addict. […]

‘We Will Fight’: Group rallies in hopes of saving hospital addiction beds

(February 28, 2020) By: Eric Taschner, CTV News Northern Ontario Videojournalist NORTH BAY — A small group braved the bitter cold Friday afternoon in support of keeping a 29-bed addiction treatment hospital program on King Street West open. Following a community conference call, which saw more than 2,000 North Bay residents call in, the Ontario Health Coalition […]

Small rally focuses on saving addiction treatment beds

(February 28, 2020) By: Chris Dawson, BayToday ‘The closure of the residential treatment beds we think is a dangerous and risky thing for which there has been no good answer and which we are asking Vic Fedeli to reverse’ Louis Rodrigues, the First VP of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, speaks to a small […]

Rally tomorrow to keep 29-bed addiction treatment hospital program open

(February 27, 2020) By: BayToday Staff, BayToday The North Bay Regional Hospital’s mental health and addictions clinic on King St. Jeff Turl/BayToday. The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is organizing a rally tomorrow at noon to keep a 29-bed addiction treatment hospital program open. The rally will take place at MPP Vic Fedeli’s office, at 219 Main […]

Funding goes to fixing aging infrastructure, rather than patient care, say Windsor officials

(February 25, 2020) By: CBC News Staff, CBC News Hospitals in southwestern Ontario received more than $3 million in funding to maintain hospital infrastructure, like roofs and air conditioning systems — but officials at Windsor Regional Hospital believe the money could be put to better use. Area hospitals recently received special funding to upgrade aging infrastructure […]

PSW shortage to be addressed with staffing strategy, provincial government says

(February 24, 2020) By: Angela Gemmill, CBC News The provincial government says it is working to address the need for more personal support workers in health care. A recent report from the Ontario Health Coalition calls the province-wide shortage of PSWs in long term care facilities a crisis. That report found that many PSWs were leaving the field […]

No quick fix for PSW shortage: Ontario Health Coalition

(February 20, 2020) By: Alana Everson, CTV News SUDBURY — The Ontario HealthCoalition released a new report in Sudbury on Thursday called ‘Caring in Crisis-Ontario’s Long-Term Care PSW Shortage.’ The group is urging the government to take action to stop the devastating impacts on our seniors. Unifor, the union representing thousands of personal care support […]

Recruiting PSWs difficult for nursing homes in Espanola, Sudbury

(February 20, 2020) By: Colleen Romaniuk, The Sudbury Star Being a personal support worker (PSW) is a tough job. David Adamczak, the assistant director of care at Espanola Nursing Home, can understand why burnout is so common. The province of Ontario has seen a shortage of PSWs in long-term care facilities for several years now. […]

PSW shortage pushing workers ‘to the brink’

(February 21, 2020) By: Arron Pickard, sudbury.com Shawn Mathe, the member at large for the nursing care sector, Local 598, Unifor and the unit chair for Finlandia Village, looks over the “Caring in Crisis: Ontario’s Long-Term Care PSW Shortage” report with Melissa Wood, co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition. (Arron Pickard/Sudbury.com) […]

‘This isn’t just a union fight. It’s a working-class fight’: Ontario Federation of Labour

(February 19, 2020) By: Zaid Noorsumar, rabble In June 2018, Doug Ford’s Conservatives won a majority government by convincing enough Ontarians that it would bring “efficiencies” to a state often considered wasteful in popular imagination, even as the province has been operating in austerity-mode for decades. Nearly 20 months since that election, Ontarians are reeling from draconian cuts to […]

PSWs burned out, stressed and underpaid

(February 20, 2020) By: CBC News The Ontario Health Coalition conducted round table meetings last year to collect the information. It found most long-term care homes were short-staffed on every shift, and that was contributing to poor working conditions. Dot Klein, the co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the coalition, said many PSWs leave the […]

Sudbury facing PSW crisis, report says; More personal support workers needed and they need to be better paid: coalition

(February 19, 2020) By: Sudbury Star Staff, Sudbury Star Sudbury advocates, families and representatives of frontline workers in long-term care are coming together to raise the alarm. A new report on critical staffing shortages in long-term care released Monday called the situation is dire. Caring in Crisis: Ontario’s longterm care PSW shortage, a report written […]

‘This isn’t just a union fight. It’s a working-class fight’: Ontario Federation of Labour

(February 19, 2020) By: Zaid Noorsumar, rabble.ca In June 2018, Doug Ford’s Conservatives won a majority government by convincing enough Ontarians that it would bring “efficiencies” to a state often considered wasteful in popular imagination, even as the province has been operating in austerity-mode for decades. Nearly 20 months since that election, Ontarians are reeling from draconian cuts […]

Sudbury facing PSW crisis, report says

(February 18, 2020) By: The Sudbury Star Sudbury advocates, families and representatives of frontline workers in long-term care are coming together to raise the alarm. A new report on critical staffing shortages in long-term care released Monday called the situation is dire. Caring in Crisis: Ontario’s long-term care PSW shortage, a report written by the […]

Layoffs cancelled at North Bay Regional Health Centre

(February 14, 2020) By: Megan Evans, CTV News Northern Ontario NORTH BAY — The North Bay Regional Health Centre is the preferred operator of Community Withdrawal Management Services and safe beds. The decision was made at the mayor’s health and addictions round table and supported by round table members. The North Bay Regional Health Centre […]