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<\/p>\n(May 26, 2021)<\/p>\n
By: PressProgress<\/p>\n
Doug Ford\u2019s assistant infrastructure minister is an outspoken defender of Ontario\u2019s response to COVID-19 in long-term care homes, but he\u2019s been less vocal about his investments in two of the province\u2019s most controversial LTC companies.<\/p>\n
According to his most recent filing with Ontario\u2019s Integrity Commissioner, Assistant Infrastructure Minister Stephen Crawford appears to hold shares in two high-profile private, for-profit LTC companies \u2014 Sienna and Chartwell.<\/p>\n
Crawford, elected MPP for Oakville in 2018, reported holding shares in Sienna Senior Living and Chartwell Real Estate Investment Trust in his September 2020 filing. The filing also indicates lists shares in Loblaws, Telus, Enbridge, Fiera Capital, SunLife Financial, Brookfield Infrastructure Corp. and others.<\/p>\n
The disclosure statement does not indicate that the shares are held in a blind trust.<\/p>\n
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Office of the Integrity Commissioner<\/em><\/p>\n Sienna and Chartwell have both been subjects of controversy owing to their treatment of long-term care residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. They\u2019re among the top private care companies\u00a0linked to elevated resident deaths<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n While long-term care homes are overseen by Ontario\u2019s Ministry of Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Infrastructure is runs initiatives such as the\u00a0<\/span>Long-Term Care Development Program<\/span>,<\/a>\u00a0launched in late 2020 to offer surplus government land to care providers \u2014 including at\u00a0one site in Oakville<\/a><\/span>. It is open to\u00a0for-profit, non-profit and public facilities<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Sienna, one of the long-term care companies Crawford listed on his filing, later noted in a November 18\u00a0earnings call<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that the Ministry of Infrastructure program could \u201cbenefit Sienna\u2019s properties\u201d:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have started to evaluate how the government of Ontario\u2019s new long-term care development program would benefit Sienna\u2019s properties, and we have submitted our applications for the program. In our view, the new long-term care development program would make many projects financially feasible.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Coalition said the Ford government\u2019s \u201cdeep interlinkages between the for-profit long-term care home industry and ministers, assistant ministers, key ministerial staff, political and strategic advisors\u201d is a \u201ccesspool of conflicts of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt stinks to high heaven,\u201d Mehra told\u00a0PressProgress<\/em>. \u201cThis is so clearly entirely unacceptable that whether or not it is technically legal is irrelevant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt underlines the fact that our system needs to fundamentally change.\u201d<\/p>\n Crawford promoted the program in a November 5, 2020\u00a0Oakville Beaver<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>column.<\/p>\n \u201cEstablishing more capacity in Oakville will alleviate the wait time for seniors who need to access the care provided by long-term-care homes,\u201d Crawford wrote. \u201cOur town will benefit for many decades with these two homes, as our population ages.\u201d<\/p>\n Our government is cutting red tape, and creating more affordable housing and long-term care spaces by implementing a more efficient process for selling surplus government properties, and we expect to earn roughly $105 to $135 million in revenues over a four-year period. #Oakville<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DctWyTbutr<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Stephen Crawford (@stcrawford2) December 4, 2018<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n