If the Liberal government had been addressing enforcement and funding concerns properly, then there wouldn't be a crisis or a need for a full public inquiry into long-term care in Ontario, says Bill Walker, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
The current Long Term Care Homes Act includes enforcement tools like license suspensions, financial penalties, and duty to report to protect seniors from neglect and abuse. While homes are inspected by the Ministry every year for compliance, a 2015 report from the Auditor General found that the Ministry was not doing enough to address its pattern of poor oversight of seniors in long-term care, including a doubled backlog of critical incident and complaint inspections.
"Last spring I put before the Minister a Private Member's Bill to provide guaranteed funding for seniors in long term care," Walker explained. "Our seniors deserve to have the best standard of care, oversight and protections in long-term care....it now warrants a full public inquiry."
