Ontario’s Premier calls the facts from a report on 5 long-term care homes in that province disgusting and disturbing.
The Canadian Armed Forces has been helping at care facilities most affected by COVID-19 in Ontario and Quebec and a report indicates the 5 Ontario homes had conditions that include cockroach infestations, staff shortages, lack of sanitary care to the homes and the residents, and residents crying for help.
Doug Ford says as soon as the government heard about the challenges, they asked Public Health for help, then the local hospitals, Ontario Health and volunteers before the military was brought in.
This isn’t a problem that began with the pandemic, Ford says, it’s a broken system that isn’t just happening locally, but all across Canada.
The Ontario government will look at every avenue to find a way to fix the system.
The Premier was asked if one part of the solution could be having all care homes under the public system, rather than having some privatized homes.
Ford answered that it could be considered, but it wouldn’t be affordable unless the federal government helped out.