Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker introduced a private member's bill at Queen's Park this week to ensure government funding for nursing homes doesn't fall below inflation."Homes need stable funding to help ensure they can provide better care to our most frail seniors. I believe my bill will ensure that happens by guaranteeing that essentials like food and hydro are, at a minimum,indexed to CPI each and every year," Walker said. "Anything less than that is setting up our 100,000 seniors in long-term care for disaster."

He said this funding guarantee is supported by seniors' advocates, adding that over 11,000 Ontarians signed a petition to call for change.

Walker said 26,500 seniors today are going without access to a long-term care bed, as the wait list hits a new record high this year. "With no new beds committed by the government," he said,  "the list will double to 50,000 seniors over the next six years."

Walker said the system is in dire straits and will only get worse unless government takes action now.  "I hope the government accepts my idea so that seniors in long-term care can get better services and care."

source: media release, Bill Walker MPP