Here are today’s new developments:
- The Canadian military released a disturbing report detailing harrowing conditions in five Ontario long-term care homes where soldiers have been deployed to give emergency support. Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath said it’s shocking the military had to lift the veil on horrific conditions Doug Ford and his Long-term Care Minister should have known about already. Horwath urged the province to take over all homes failing to protect seniors and staff, and to commit to a full public inquiry into long-term care, instead of an internal government investigation.
- Canada has reached a deal with General Motors to produce 20 million face masks at their Oshawa plant in Durham Region, something MPP for Oshawa Jennifer French called for last month, asking Premier Doug Ford to push GM to manufacture badly needed PPE in its mostly empty Oshawa assembly plant.
- Andrea Horwath said Ontarians deserve to know the specific areas of the province that Doug Ford has deemed COVID-19 “hot spots” – Ford said this week that that certain areas of the GTA are “lighting up like a Christmas tree” in terms of COVID-19 case numbers, but his government refuses to release the specific locations and details. “Can the premier explain how families are supposed to know whether they’re actually in any of these hot spots if the government refuses to share that information?” Horwath asked Tuesday during question period.
Here are some concerns the Official Opposition is working on, and solutions we’re pushing for:
- After horrifying allegations of abuse and neglect in the Canadian military report of conditions in long-term care homes, Horwath thanked the armed forces and stressed that the buck stops with Doug Ford. She also called for the resignation of Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton.
- Horwath held a virtual press conference urging the Ford government to immediately take over all Ontario long-term care homes failing to keep residents and staff safe. Horwath was joined by the family member of someone who lost a loved one to COVID-19 at Extendicare Guildgood, a Pickering long-term care facility, and by the family member of someone urgently trying to get their loved one discharged from a long-term care home they feel is unsafe.