Minister of LTC must deny licence and expansion for Orchard Villa

QUEEN'S PARK — The Minister of Long Term Care must listen to families in Pickering and immediately deny the licence renewal and expansion for Orchard Villa. While he and his PC colleagues are celebrating the construction of a new long-term care home in Ajax, just down the road families of those who died at Orchard Villa are still grieving, and survivors of deadly COVID outbreaks live in fear.

The Ministry of LTC is set to approve a licence renewal and expansion for Orchard Villa, where 70 residents died from COVID 19. Jennifer French, MPP for Oshawa, joined community and health care advocates at a rally to protest the renewal and expansion back on July 14.

"The Minister is smiling for the cameras in Ajax, but just minutes away, the entire community is reeling from not only the loss of their loved ones, but the fact that the government is willing to put survivors through even more – and is willing to reward a private operator that does not deserve it," says French. "The government needs to hear what families are saying and deny this licence."