OHC in the News

Demonstration against Bill 175

(June 24, 2020) By: Melanie Irwin, blackburnnews.com Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition Chair Shirley Roebuck and Steve Clendenning with Unifor Local 914, taking part in a province-wide day of action to bring attention to Bill 175. 24 June 2020. (BlackburnNews.com photo by Colin Gowdy) There was only a couple of people at a demonstration outside Sarnia-Lambton MPP […]

Demonstrators call for more sober second thought on new Ontario home care bill

(June 24, 2020) By: Len Gillis, sudbury.com A steady sprinkle of rain in downtown Sudbury didn’t dampen the spirits of a small but passionate group of protesters who believe Premier Doug Ford is steering his government in the wrong direction with Bill 175, known as the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020. […]

Protesters rally against province’s community and home care bill

(June 24, 2020) By: Katherine Hill, CTV News KITCHENER — Protesters rallied in Kitchener on Wednesday against the Ford government’s proposed bill to change how home care operates in the province. The group gathered along King Street in Kitchener, near local MPP Amy Fee’s office. Organizers said they’re concerned Bill 175 will restructure and privatize […]

Protesters call for pause on health-care bill

(June 24, 2020) By: Chris Seto, The Record KITCHENER — Motivated by fears around further privatization of health care in Ontario, members of the Waterloo Region Health Coalition held a rally Wednesday in Kitchener to sound the alarm over Bill 175. Starting at noon, more than 20 people spread out along King Street East near […]

Protesters demand improvements in long-term care homes

(June 24, 2020) By: Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News Dental hygienist Pat Lambier says she’s seen oral problems in local long-term care homes as appalling as those she faced in Indonesian refugee camps. “It was like a Third World country,” she said. Lambier stopped working in Southwestern Ontario homes six or seven years ago, but […]

Local protesters join province-wide opposition to Bill 175

(June 24, 2020) By: Tony Saxon, Guelph Today A small group of people gathered in Downtown Guelph Wednesday at noon to protest what they feel is a very big issue: Bill 175. There were 15 people gathered outside Old Quebec Street Shoppes, most of them members of the local chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition, […]

Protesters to demand action

(June 24, 2020) By: Sudbury Star Staff, Sudbury Staff A protest will be held in Sudbury today as part of a series of demonstrations across Ontario concerning the staffing shortage in long-term care homes. The Ontario Health Coalition protest will take place outside the North East Local Health Integration Network offices in the Rainbow Centre, […]

Citizens rally for seniors care

(June 24, 2020) By: Mary Katherine Keown, The Sudbury Star Pat Byrne, right, takes part in a protest organized by the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition on Wednesday. JOHN LAPPA/SUDBURY STAR They rallied in the rain to make their voices heard. A half-dozen supporters of the Ontario Health Coalition braved Wednesday’s cold rain […]

Local protesters join province-wide opposition to Bill 175 (5 photos)

(June 24, 2020) By: Tony Saxon, GuelphToday A small group of people gathered in Downtown Guelph Wednesday at noon to protest what they feel is a very big issue: Bill 175. There were 15 people gathered outside Old Quebec Street Shoppes, most of them members of the local chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition, a […]

Demonstrators call for more sober second thought on new Ontario home care bill

(June 24, 2020) By: Len Gillis, Sudbury.com Dot Klein, co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition, holds a sign alongside supporters demonstrating against Ontario’s new home care bill. (Len Gillis/Sudbury.com) A steady sprinkle of rain in downtown Sudbury didn’t dampen the spirits of a small but passionate group of protesters who believe […]

Families demand better support for nursing homes

(June 24, 2020) By: CTV News Analysis Ontario long-term care homes are continuing to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic as families ask the province to better support homes. Click here for original video

PROTESTS AGAINST BILL 175 TODAY

(June 24, 2020) By: Tami Jeanneret, iHeartRadio Photo: iStock/rclassenlayouts Members and supporters of the Ontario Health Coalition will be staging several noon hour protests today. The protests at MPP’s offices and Queen’s Park are aimed at Bill 175, a plan the group says will restructure and privatize home care while refusing to address critical care […]

Bill 175 to ‘modernize’ delivery of home-care services: Nicholls

(June 24, 2020) By: The Chatham Voice With members of the Chatham-Kent Health Coalition (CKHC) poised to picket outside his offices today, local MPP Rick Nicholls commented on their areas of concern. The CKHC and the Ontario Health Coalition are picketing over Bill 175, the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act. They said […]

Sudbury protesters rally against Ontario Bill 175

(June 24, 2020) By: Ian Campbell, CTV News SUDBURY — A dozen protesters braved the bleak weather on Wednesday to send a message to Premier Doug Ford: they want Bill 175 scrapped. Armed with signs, they gathered outside the Rainbow Centre over the noon hour calling for action. “We are demanding that the Ford government withdraw Bill […]

Health Coalition says new bill will lead to more privatization of home care

(June 24, 2020) By: Doug Diaczuk, tbnewswatch.com THUNDER BAY – The Ontario Health Coalition is raising the alarm about legislation proposed by the Ford government that it says will open the door to more privatization of home care and long-term care in the province. The Ontario Health Coalition held rallies in 12 cities across Ontario, […]

COVID-19: We Need an Ethical Compass For Fixing Long-Term Care in Canada

(June 23, 2020) By: David Pfrimmer, Zoomer Canada’s military recently reported the living conditions in some of the country’s long-term care homes “appeared to be nothing short of horrid and inhumane.” As many as 82 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been connected to long-term care facilities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was angry, sad and […]

Wednesday protests: Health coalition says proposed home care changes could ‘destabilize’ system

(June 23, 2020) By: Len Gillis, sudbury.com The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), a group that lobbies for full publicly funded health care, has organized a province-wide day of protest for this Wednesday, June 24 which includes noon-hour rallies in downtown Sudbury and New Sudbury. The concern by OHC is that the Ontario government is trying to […]

Advocacy group staging protests against Bill related to long-term care facilities

(June 23, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, inthehammer The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is concerned about the Province’s inaction regarding long-term care facilities. In a release, the OHC expressed concerns regarding several deaths of long-term care facility residents for preventable reasons such as malnutrition and insufficient care. Some facilities were in such bad shape, the military had […]

Health-care protest slated for Wednesday in Chatham

(June 23, 2020) By: Bruce Corcoran, The Chatham Voice Chatham-Kent Health Coalition (CKHC) members and others aren’t happy with a proposed government bill, and they’ll be protesting Wednesday outside our local MPP’s Chatham office. Shirley Roebuck of the CKHC said the issue is Bill 175, the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act. The […]

‘Righteous rage’: Woodbridge families share pain, anger after COVID-19 crisis

(June 23, 2020) By: Kim Zarzour, YorkRegion.com Earlier this month, the province seized control and called in the armed forces to help as COVID-19 ravaged residents in the 224-bed Woodbridge Vista long-term-care home. Vista is not the only long-term-care facility that is in dire straits right now — just the latest. It’s the sixth home […]

Letters: Provincial homecare plans; federal support for seniors

(June 23, 2020) By: Sudbury Star Staff, Sudbury Star Homecare disaster is looming on the horizon While we are distracted by the horrors happening in long-term care, the Ford government is ramming a bill through the legislature that will lead to the privatization of homecare. In the 1990s the Conservative government turned long-term care over […]

Homecare disaster is looming on the horizon

(June 23, 2020) By: Roma Smith, Sudbury Star While we are distracted by the horrors happening in long-term care, the Ford government is ramming a bill through the legislature that will lead to the privatization of homecare. In the 1990s the Conservative government turned long-term care over to private, for-profit businesses. The outcome of that […]

PROTEST AGAINST PROPOSED CHANGES TO ONTARIO COMMUNITY CARE ACT

(June 23, 2020) By: Tami Jeanneret, iHeartRadio Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff will be greeted by protestors if he heads to work tomorrow at his Beamsville office. Members of the Ontario Health Coalition will be demonstrating in front of MPP’s offices across the province tomorrow, starting at noon, as well as on the lawn of […]

Health-care protest slated for Wednesday in Chatham

We need an ethical compass for fixing long-term care during the COVID-19 crisis

(June 22, 2020) By: David Primmer, Cape Breton Post Canada’s military recently reported the living conditions in some of the country’s long-term care homes “appeared to be nothing short of horrid and inhumane.” As many as 82 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been connected to long-term care facilities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was angry, […]

Health care coalition questions home care bill

(June 22, 2020) By: Mike Aiken, DrydenNow Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Care Coalition has concerns about Bill 175. It would restructure home and community care under the umbrella of the provincial health teams. “How is it going to work in northern Ontario, where there are these large populations spread out over huge geography […]

LETTER: Saultite concerned about Bill 175

(June 22, 2020) By: SooToday Staff Marie is an Ontario Health Coalition member from Sault Ste. Marie. Stock image Bill 175, entitled ‘Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act 2020′, is an act that would, if passed, overhaul the present system of home care. Saultite Marie DellaVedova writes of her concern that the Ford government […]

Health care coalition questions home care bill

(June 22, 2020) By: Mike Aiken, KenoraOnline Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Care Coalition raises concerns about Bill 175. (Submitted) Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Care Coalition has concerns about Bill 175. It would restructure home and community care under the umbrella of the provincial health teams. “How is it going to work […]

Open Letter about Bill 175

(June 22, 2020) By: SaultOnline Letter to the Editor – Bill 175 “Have you heard about Bill 175, the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act 2020? In the midst of a pandemic and the struggle to contain it, the Ontario government is proposing to overhaul the present system of home care. We are […]

We need an ethical compass for fixing long-term care during the COVID-19 crisis

(June 21, 2020) By: David Pfrimmer, The Conversation Canada’s military recently reported the living conditions in some of the country’s long-term care homes “appeared to be nothing short of horrid and inhumane.” As many as 82 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been connected to long-term care facilities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was angry, sad […]

We must let our outrage drive real change in care for vulnerable citizens

(June 21, 2020) By: Linda Till, The Hamilton Spectator No one I know of is eagerly awaiting the day when they will be placed in a long-term-care facility. Quite the contrary — people repeatedly express a desire to remain living in their own homes as they age. But the system currently offers little to no […]

Coronavirus: Nursing homes begin refilling beds emptied by pandemic, worrying families

(June 19, 2020) By: Stewart Bell and Andrew Russell, Global News The Markhaven nursing home lost 17 residents to the coronavirus, but now that its outbreak has been declared over, the management has told families it is refilling beds emptied by the pandemic. “We’re going to start admitting new residents this week, and will continue to […]

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris is raking in profits from the long-term care system he helped create

(June 18, 2020) By: Jan Malek, rabble.ca Twenty-five years ago, Mike Harris and his Progressive Conservative party ousted Bob Rae’s NDP government in Ontario, starting the so-called “common sense revolution.” Pledging to tackle Ontario’s deficit, the Harris government pushed tax reductions and slashed public spending on health care, education and social services. The government closed […]

“It is a New Low” Behaviour of Government MPPs in Home Care Legislation Public Hearings Unprecedented and Unacceptable says Ontario Health Coalition

(June 18, 2020) By: Exchange Magazine “In addition, we have never heard or seen before MPPs cutting off presenters and telling them that they must answer only “yes” or “no” to trick questions that do not have a clear yes or no answer. It is a new low in what is supposed to be a […]

Advocacy group urging province to scrap new health care bill

(June 17, 2020) By: Matt Dionne, insauga Cover photo courtesy of @kathaforunifor’s Twitter A new Bill proposed by the Province could have a negative impact on home and community care according to an advocacy group. According to a news release from the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the new Bill: “Guts existing home and community care legislation, dismantles public […]

Coronavirus: Ontario’s worst hit nursing homes and who owns them

(June 16, 2020) By: Stewart Bell and Andrew Russell, Global News Almost a third of the Ontario nursing home residents who have died of COVID-19 were living at facilities owned by just two corporate chains, according to a Global News analysis of government statistics. Sienna Senior Living and Revera Inc. long-term care facilities have lost […]

Critics say province should slow down plans to revamp home care

(June 15, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, Sudbury Star Ontario says it is breathing new life into an outdated system, but critics say the province’s plan to revamp home care in the middle of a pandemic is reckless and will cause further chaos for those most affected by COVID-19. In March, critics complained the Ontario government […]

Critics say province should slow down plans to turn home care on its head

(June 13, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen Natalie Mehra is executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. JOHN LAPPA / Postmedia Ontario says it is breathing new life into an outdated system, but critics say the province’s plan to revamp home care in the middle of a pandemic is reckless and will cause further chaos […]

Ford government moving to privatize health care, reader says

(June 11, 2020) By: Lindsay Advocate I am beyond disgusted at the Ford government. Premier Doug Ford is moving ahead with Bill 175, which seeks to privatize home health care — even as he cries crocodile tears over the horrible conditions at long-term care homes. As citizens of this country, we have worked, paid taxes […]

Ontario Health Coalition Calls on Government to Implement Repeated Recommendations to Improve Conditions in Long-Term Care Homes

By: Today’s Northumberland 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 repeatedly to improve […]

Long-term care concerns not new

(June 10, 2020) By: Karen Gventer, Owen Sound Sun Times (Print Edition) The government’s failure to provide safe, quality care to seniors in this province is disappointing, but hardly a surprise. Health-care workers, and the wider labour movement, have been sounding the alarm for many years. In particular, the Ontario Health Coalition has been raising […]

Soldiers may be called to testify in lawsuits against long-term care homes

(June 9, 2020) By: Marc Montgomery, Radio Canada International (en) When coronavirus cases began to mount across the country in mid-March, long-term care facilities for the elderly and those needing constant care were particularly hard hit. Most of these facilities are privately run by for-profit companies. Many of the elderly in the homes soon began […]

Report finds patients of colour less likely to get pain meds among racial issues plaguing health care

(June 9, 2020) By: Len Gillis, Sudbury.com Ontario Health Coalition cites numerous studies showing the amount of pain relief can depend on a person’s skin tone The amount of pain relief a person receives can often depend on their skin tone, stated a report by the Ontario Health Coalition released this month, citing studies from […]

“We need a public, not-for-profit home care system”

(June 9, 2020) By: Zaid Noorsumar, RANKANDLIFE.CA Ontario’s new home and community care legislation will likely become law by the end of the month with virtually no public consultation, even as it impacts over 700,000 annual care recipients who require personal support services, nursing care, physiotherapy and other services. Instead of addressing the myriad problems that have plagued the system […]

Racism against Black people a public health crisis, says Ontario health coalition

(June 8, 2020) By: Meredith MacLeod, CTV News TORONTO — As protesters around the world continue to take to the streets to demand an end to violence and oppression aimed at Black people, a coalition of Black community health leaders is calling on the Ontario government to declare anti-Black racism a public health crisis. “Our […]

‘Tragic’ COVID-19 deaths not unexpected, Hirji says

(June 7, 2020) By: Allan Benner, Niagara Falls Review Garden City Manor on Scott Street in St. Catharines is one of two Niagara long-term care homes currently experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks. – Bob Tymczyszyn , Torstar While the number of COVID-19 outbreaks in health-care facilities across the province has begun to stabilize, a new Ontario Health […]

COUPLE’S DEATHS, MINUTES APART, A REMINDER THE PANDEMIC ISN’T OVER, SAYS TORONTO DOCTOR

(June 6, 2020) By: Meredith MacLeod, iHeartRadio A husband and wife died in a hospital room of COVID-19 Thursday just three minutes apart. “This pandemic is only over for people who don’t survive it,” wrote Toronto physician Dr. Abdu Sharkawy in a tweet Friday about the couple’s death. He hopes to convince those believing the […]

Long-Term Care Protest at Piccini’s Office

(June 25, 2020) By: Bill Hornbostel, Port Hope Now The contents of Bill 161 & Bill 175 focus of Northumberland Health Coalition Article and image by Bill Hornbostel At noon on Wednesday, June 24, a small group of protestors gathered in front of MPP David Piccini’s office located on Peter Street in Port Hope. Responding […]

Des milliers de travailleurs de la santé canadiens infectés par le COVID-19 en raison du manque d’EPI

(June 2, 2020) By: Omar Ali, World Socialist Web Site La négligence en matière de soins de santé au Canada par une élite dirigeante indifférente à la vie des travailleurs peut se manifester de manière particulièrement aiguë au cours de la présente pandémie par l’incapacité à fournir au personnel médical, même en première ligne, un […]

Profit motive blamed in long-term care crisis

(June 4, 2020) By: Michael Swan, The Catholic Register The 88-year-old godmother of palliative care in Ontario knows exactly what’s wrong with long-term care in the province. Much of it is motivated by profit. “The profit motive is — what do I want to call it? — something that sets fire to the concept of […]

Action needed now on long-term care

(June 4, 2020) By: Nancy Johnson and Roma Smith, Sudbury Star The following is an open letter to Premier Doug Ford and cabinet regarded expedited action to achieve short-and long-term safety and wellbeing of long-term care residents. The Northeast Family Councils Network, a grassroots group of volunteers from long-term care Family Councils in Northeast Ontario’s […]

Lack of funding at heart of long-term care home issues: County official

(June 3, 2020) By: Shane MacDonald, Orilla Matters The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged Ontario’s long-term-care homes, but experts and industry members say the conditions that let it happen have been an issue for decades. A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) report detailing findings in five Ontario long-term-care homes released May 26 found that residents were living in […]

Unifor applauds investigation of Ontario’s oversight of long-term care during pandemic

(June 3, 2020) By: News Wire TORONTO, June 3, 2020 /CNW/ – Unifor applauds the decision of the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the provincial government’s oversight of long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. “One thing that we know for certain is that this pandemic publicly exposed the precariousness of the long-term care system that we have […]

Ontario health leaders call on province to declare anti-Black racism public health crisis

(June 3, 2020) By: Nick Westoll, Global News A coalition of Black community health leaders and organizations is calling on the Ontario government to declare anti-Black racism a public health crisis as protests continue across North America. “Our communities are grieving. This moment is unprecedented, yet in many ways we have been here before,” a recent joint statement issued […]

Unifor applauds investigation of Ontario’s oversight of long-term care during pandemic

(June 3, 2020) By: Stockhouse TORONTO, June 3, 2020 /CNW/ – Unifor applauds the decision of the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the provincial government’s oversight of long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. “One thing that we know for certain is that this pandemic publicly exposed the precariousness of the long-term care system that we have been […]

The ‘revolving door’ between Ontario’s PCs and the for-profit seniors care industry worst hit by coronavirus

(June 3, 2020) By: Samuel Helguero, The Post Millennial For decades, long-term care homes have been operated by non-profits, municipalities, or for-profit companies. It was the Chair of Chartwell Retirement Residences, and former Premier, Mike Harris, that started the for-profit boom in Ontario. With Harris’ introduction of a competitive bidding process for home care services […]

UNIFOR welcomes Ombudsman probe of provincial long term care oversight

(June 3, 2020) By: Janice MacKay, BlackburnNews Unifor welcomed an Ontario Ombudsman investigation into the provincial government’s oversight of long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unifor National President Jerry Dias said the pandemic publicly exposed the precariousness of the long-term care system. He added if nursing homes were properly staffed, especially with personal support […]

COVID-19 highlights ‘systemic issues of inadequate care,’ says advocacy group

(June 3, 2020) By: Shane MacDonald, Bradford Today The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged Ontario’s long-term-care homes, but experts and industry members say the conditions that let it happen have been an issue for decades. A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) report detailing findings in five Ontario long-term-care homes released May 26 found that residents were living in […]

Ford Government ’s Home Care Changes Dismantle Public Control, Risk Privatization: Health Coalition

(June 2, 2020) By: Exchange Magazine In a press conference at the Ontario Legislature from early March, spokespeople for the Ontario Health Coalition raised concerns about the Ford government’s new home care legislation that the Health Coalition reported is being rushed through the legislature at break – neck speed. The Bill, Connecting People to Home […]

Thousands of Canadian medical workers infected with COVID-19 due to lack of PPE

(June 1, 2020) By: Omar Ali, World Socialist Web Site The neglect of health care in Canada by a ruling elite that is indifferent to the lives of working people can be seen most acutely during the present pandemic in the failure to provide even frontline medical staff with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). This […]

Military’s report paints a grim picture of Ontario’s long-term care system

(June 1, 2020) By: Nate Smelle, Bancroft this Week With the death toll in Ontario’s long-term care facilities due to COVID-19 rising fast, on April 22 the provincial government decided it was time to seek assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces. At this time, Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe reported […]

Fighting Covid-19: International Lessons and Warnings

(May 29, 2020) Health Campaigns Together and Keep Our NHS Publicinvite you to hear from our allies from Europe, Canada, USA and the UK, to help us learn from the tragic, but very different, experiences of how health services and politicians have responded to the Covid19 pandemic around the world Click here for original video

How has COVID-19 impacted non-profits? We check in with six Ontario charities

(May 31, 2020) By: Megan DeLaire, Durham Region Ontario’s non-profit sector may be the largest in Canada, contributing $50 million to the provincial economy, but it’s not immune to the viral pandemic that has shut the province down. We reached out to some charities to find out how they are doing three months into the […]

Province ‘should have known’ state of long-term care

(May 31, 2020) By: Andrew Duffy, North Bay Nugget 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, NDP health critic France […]

Fact Check & Briefing Note on Inspections in Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes

(May 31, 2020) By: Ontario Health Coalition TORONTO, June 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ontario Health Coalition, which has advocated for more than two decades for annual unannounced full resident quality inspections of all long-term care homes, issued a fact checker to clarify what has happened with the homes’ inspection and enforcement regimen. The […]

Pandemic should push change in long-term care; Advocates say there is no going back now that inadequacies have been highlighted

(May 30, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen Once the novel coronavirus has been tamed or eradicated and the world returns to “normal,” what will that look like? Will COVID-19 fundamentally and permanently alter our lives? In an occasional series, this newspaper examines the potential lasting effects of the pandemic on how we live, work […]

Health Coalition seeks commission into long-term care homes

(May 30, 2020) By: Jake Romphf, Chatham Daily News The Ontario Health Coalition is asking the recently announced commission into long-term care homes be independent of operators and owners while calling for a public inquiry into the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shirley Roebuck, chair of the Chatham-Kent, Sarnia, Wallaceburg and Walpole Island First […]

How the pandemic might spur real change in Ontario’s long-term care homes

(May 30, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, Regina Leader- Post The COVID-19 crisis has shone a devastating light on one of Ontario’s worst kept secrets: The province’s system of caring for the elderly is underfunded, inadequately staffed and badly designed. COVID-19 exploited those vulnerabilities. Could it also be the push that changes long-term care in Ontario? […]

Laying It Out: Great news, we’re trading seniors for profit

(May 30, 2020) By: Medicine Hat News Let me see if I have this right… The good news is only old people are dying, and the vast majority of those old people are in long-term care facilities that I don’t even need to go to. Let’s live it up! We used to acknowledge the fact […]

COVID-19 and the Crisis in Long-Term Care in Ontario

(May 30, 2020) By: Socialist Project The Ontario Health Coalition sent an open letter to Ontario 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. Almost unbelievably, the Ford government is rushing […]

How the pandemic might spur real change in Ontario’s long-term care homes

(May 30, 2020) By: Elizabeth Payne, The Sudbury Star The COVID-19 crisis has shone a devastating light on one of Ontario’s worst kept secrets: The province’s system of caring for the elderly is underfunded, inadequately staffed and badly designed. COVID-19 exploited those vulnerabilities. Could it also be the push that changes long-term care in Ontario? […]

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

(May 29, 2020) By: Andrew Russell & 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 […]

Health Coalition seeks independent commission into long-term care homes

(May 29, 2020) By: Robin Harvey, Sarnia Observer The Ontario Health Coalition is asking that the recently announced commission into long-term care (LTC) homes be independent of their operators and owners, and is also calling for a public commission into the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shirley Roebuck, chair of the Chatham-Kent, Sarnia, Wallaceburg […]

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 […]