NDP fighting Ford’s cuts to long-term care

Kingston’s Providence Manor facing deficit, higher resident fees

KINGSTON — Doug Ford’s cuts to long-term care are taking away millions of dollars from homes across the province. In Kingston, long-term care homes like Providence Manor will face a deficit, and its residents will see higher fees.

"Families in Ontario are already concerned about the level of care their loved ones are receiving after years of Liberal underfunding of long-term care,” said Kingston and the Islands MPP Ian Arthur. “Long-term care staff are already run off their feet. Our parents and grandparents already are not getting enough one-on-one help and support to protect their hygiene, prevent falls and give them the best quality of life. Doug Ford’s planned cuts will just make matters worse.”

At Providence Manor, the Ford government’s cancellation of two key long-term care funding streams will result in a total funding loss of 1.9 per cent, or a deficit of $234,121 this year — a loss that could have a direct impact on resident care.

“We take our commitments to providing high quality care and financial stewardship seriously,” says Kyle Cotton, Administrator at Providence Manor. “With such short notice about these in-year funding decreases, Providence Manor is challenged to adapt our operations to this significant reduction in funding.”

The Ford cuts scheduled for Oct. 1 include the elimination of funding for older homes to do necessary maintenance and repairs that help keep homes up to modern safety standards.

At the same time, Ford is raising the co-payment fees that long-term care residents pay by 2.3 per cent, which is one of the highest price hikes in the last decade. A middle class senior in care will pay about $500 more a year, as a result.

“Residents here at Providence Manor, and across Ontario, deserve better than this. They raised our families, they built our province, and they cared for us,” said Arthur. “New Democrats will fight these cuts, which will make long-term care less safe and less dignified for the 78,000 Ontarians in long-term care and across Ontario’s 630 long-term care homes. We don’t want seniors’ care dragged backwards, we want more compassionate and dedicated care for our loved ones.

The Wettlaufer inquiry highlighted the serious problem of understaffing in Ontario’s long-term care homes. The NDP has been fighting for more investment in daily care for seniors in long-term care homes.”