There have been numerous documented cases in Ontario of seniors and people with disabilities dying and mistreated as a result of dehydration, ulcerated and infected bed sores, choking and urinary tract infections in long-term care homes. There are also reports of resident-on-resident homicides in long-term homes.

These horror stories have focused attention on the vulnerability of the residents that rely on these institutions. The incidents mentioned came from media reports that predate the COVID-19 pandemic. They reflect Ontario’s system of care for seniors and people with disabilities in “normal” times, not times of the virus crisis.

Politicians claim they are saddened over the tragedy now unfolding in Ontario’s long-term homes. They have long known about the chronic underfunding of long-term care facilities that has led to inequality and instability in providing quality care for the elderly. Unions and organizations that advocate for people who depend on long-term care have for years complained about the worsening conditions of these private facilities. The private for-profit long-term care “market” which are self regulated, charge exorbitant fees, including fees for service that a person would be entitled to receive through a publicly funded long-term care system.

The connection between private long-term homes and diminished standards of care has been documented in numerous studies and reports. The Ontario Health Coalition has found that for-profit facilities not only provided “inferior” care, but also were more likely to have been cited for serious deficiencies than nonprofit and public long-term care homes.

The solution being proposed by the Ontario government’s Action Plan to address COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term homes is less than what is needed to stop the spread of the virus and stabilize the workforce — the so called “iron ring.”

This is a naive solution that presumes that regulations can cause private corporations, whose CEO’s are hired and rewarded to deliver profits to shareholders, to magically begin acting in the interest of ordinary people. This is not going to happen.

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown that Ontario’s long-term care system, especially the for-profit system, is not equipped to cope with health epidemics and pandemics.

As of April 29, across Ontario, 154 long-term care homes are reporting outbreaks. Of the provinces 951 COVID-19 related deaths, 705 were long-term care home residents. This is alarming given that a CBC investigative report revealed that since the Ford government was elected, annual announced inspections of long-term homes have ceased.