The Province has asked the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to extend their mission at five GTA Long Term Care (LTC) homes by 30 days after “heartbreaking” and “horrific” reports of conditions at the homes.
Premier Doug Ford says the Province’s Chief Coroner and others will also be investigating and sharing their reports – potentially with police – with the possibility criminal charges may be laid.
“I was up all night thinking of this,” said Ford at his press conference today. “The families – the families that go in there and they see their loved ones and they see this report? I get it – it’s heart-wrenching – you want to go in there and get your loved one and take them out and protect them.”
The affected homes were some of the hardest hit early on during the Covid-19 pandemic.
CAF personnel reportedly found infection prevention controls lacking and personal protective equipment (ppe) protocols going unfollowed by staff at some of the facilities, as well as situations such as no turning of bed-ridden patients and cockroaches and ants being present, amongst other issues.
Ford says conditions at the homes are starting to stabilize now thanks to the CAF personnel deployed at the locations.
Premier Ford says this tragedy needs to serve as a wake-up call for the country as it’s exposed the deep cracks in the LTC system which have been ignored for decades.
The Province will also be launching an independent commission into LTC’s in Ontario.
The report, prepared by the armed forces is to be released by the Province in the near future.
To watch the Premier’s full May 26th address, see below.
https://www.facebook.com/FordNationDougFord/videos/172946840821317/