(June 2, 2020)<\/p>\n
By: Exchange Magazine<\/p>\n
In a press conference at the Ontario Legislature from early March, spokespeople for the Ontario Health Coalition raised concerns about the Ford government\u2019s new home care legislation that the Health Coalition reported is being rushed through the legislature at break – neck speed. The Bill, Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act 2020, was introduced last Tuesday, was rushed through First Reading, and is already in the final stages of its Second Reading debate. The Coalition is seeking answers as to whether or not there will be any public hearings on the legislation and is asking the Ford government to slow it down and consult with Ontarians, noting that the changes will impact more than 730,000 Ontarians who use home care services and many thousands more who require community care services.<\/span><\/p>\n Among the key concerns of the Health Coalition:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 The new legislation repeal s the existing home and community care l aw and transfers almost all of its key elements to regulation which can be changed by the Minister s of the F o rd government in C abinet without ever going to a vote in the Legislature.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 The new legislation dismantles all remaining public governance and control of home care and p ropo ses to hand it off to provider companies , including for – profit companies, that do not have public governance and accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 There are no pr ovisions to i mprove access to care, equity, home care assessments , quality of care and s taffing shortages , and nothing that will stop the major problem of missed visi ts that risk people \u2019s safety.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 There are numerous provisions that would e xpand privatization not only of home care, but also potentially of parts of hospital and long – te rm care.<\/span><\/p>\n