Ontario election candidates in Thunder Bay-area ridings lay out long-term care plans

More than one in five people living in the Thunder Bayarea arenow over age 65, and the city istwo years older than the Ontario median average.

New census data from Statistics Canada figures record 32,140 seniors among the district's 146,855 residents, which amounts to 22 per cent of the populationand an increase of 7,700 over the last decade

Three of the four major parties vying to form Ontario's next government on June 2 arepromising to phase out for-profit, long-term care facilities, following the system pressures thatemerged under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's how the local candidates in the northwest say they'll tackle the issue if elected.

Liberal

Thunder Bay-Superior North Liberal candidate Shelby Ch'ng lookedback on the last two years ashaving exposed for-profit long-term care as "warehousing seniors." She cites a 2021 reportfrom the government's science table that found 78 per cent more resident deaths from COVID-19 occurred in for-profit long-term care homes than in non-profit homes.

"It was the military that had to get called in to take care of people," Ch'ng said.

"We had people with bandages on their arms for days lying in their own waste, not being fed, under-medicated,overmedicated it was absolute mayhem inside for-profit long-term care facilities and the Fordgovernment is actually investing taxpayer money into more private long-term care facilities andit's just not how we take care of seniors. For-profit long-term care facilities is the greatestmistake of the 20th century."

Should they be elected, the Liberals plan to phase out for-profit long-term care facilities "as quickly as possible" as they create 58,000 new spaces and expand home care for 400,000 Ontarians. They also vow to increase seniors' pensions by $1,000 per year.

NDP

Judith Monteith-Farrell, the NDP incumbent candidate for Thunder Bay-Atikokan, said the Liberals tookher party's promise to phase out for-profit, long-term care homes, some of whose proprietorshave 30-year contracts with the provincial government.

Monteith-Farrell sees a different kind of senior citizen emerging from a generational shift who's more likely to be active and still engaged in the workforce. As baby boomers continue toage, her party says,it will create 50,000 new spaces by 2030, including supporting housing andaffordable housing for seniors age at home.

In the meantime, the NDP promises to connect hospital budgets directly to the rate of healthcare inflation.

"They've been in a funding model that is actually disastrous," Monteith-Farrell said.

"We needto have a system where hospitals have the money they need where they're not robbing fromPeter to pay Paul. They have stable funding they can rely on so if the cost of living has gone uptwo per cent, they know they can get two per cent and not have to juggle around cutting care for individuals in the hospitals or programming that's essential."

Progressive Conservative Party

Thunder Bay-Atikokan candidate Kevin Holland is running for the PCs because he feels it's theonly party that will see to it that long-term care homes are built in Ontario's smaller communities.

The incumbent party is investing $933 million in 80 new long-term care projects, and planning toadd 7,510 new spaces and upgrade 4,197 more.

Holland points to the previous Liberal government for allowing the province to fall behind onplanning for long-term care, when only one per cent of the 20 per cent needed was constructed.

As Conmee's mayor and chair of the municipality's non-profit housing corporation, Holland said lobbying efforts "hit a brick wall" with the Liberals as it sought to have 128 bedsbuilt so it can accommodate its elders when the time comes.

"Not all residents, especially the ones who were raised or lived their whole life in a rural areawant to move into an urban centre when that time comes," he said. "By allowing developmentof long-term care in rural settings, it alleviates the demand on the urban centres. The advocacywe've had with the Ford government has been positive in that regard."

He adds both the non-profit and private sectors need to continue to play a role.

Green Party

The Green Party wants to phase out for-profit, long-term care, but its Thunder Bay-Atikokancandidate, Eric Arner, believes the way to ensure elders are supported is to better regulatetheir care.

Arner said a lower staff-to-patient ratio with registered nurses, registered nurse practitioners,and more, better-compensated personal support workers (PSWs)will lay seniors' conditions on a stronger foundation of professional care.

The Greens promise to add $2 billion to long-term care funding, and are alsorunning onheightened inspections and enforcement to ensure facilities are meeting those standards.

Arner is pragmatic about his party's fortunes among voters, butsaidgood ideas can punchabove their weight when it comes to influencing policy with a few seats.

"We're fairly certain the other parties are going to have more seats than us so we want to makesure we get a message through to them, here are our ideas, please run with it," Arnersaid.

"And that has happened in the past four years. Mike Schreiner has brought a lot of ideas in andother parties have run with them and that's great. We want to do that with long-term carefacilities and staff. And that costs money but it's an important place to put money."

New Blue Party

Ontario's New Blue Party is also running candidates innorthwestern Ontario. Its one-page party platformlists "restoring dignity and transparency in our health care" as a priority, but does not mention long-term care homes.