The Ontario government has adopted an emergency order allowing the province to issue a mandatory management order for a long-term care home struggling to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak. This order would support the use of immediate management alternatives to protect residents and staff within a home. The manager could be any person, including a corporation or a hospital.

Premier Doug Ford. "By taking this step, we will be better prepared to immediately swing into action if a home is struggling to contain this deadly virus."

A long-term care home may require management assistance if they face challenges like a high number of cases among residents or staff, a high number of deaths, an outbreak that has not yet been resolved, significant staffing issues or outstanding requirements from infection prevention and control assessments. Decisions regarding when and where to assign additional management support will be made on a case-by-case basis.

On April 15, 2020, the government announced a COVID-19 Action Plan for Long-Term Care Homes to help prevent the spread of the virus by focusing on additional testing, containment, addressing staffing challenges and securing personal protective equipment.

The province also adopted several emergency orders restricting the movement of staff between multiple homes; enabling the implementation of pandemic premium pay for LTC staff; and enabling the deployment of hospital staff to address staffing shortages and the use of Infection Prevention and Control teams.

In addition, Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed into five long-term care homes to provide support where significant staffing shortages are occurring.

source: media release, Government of Ontario