Niagara MPP Gates raises alarm over incident at Orillia LTC home

QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie), NDP Critic for long-term care, retirement homes, and home care, received no answers from the Ford government after grilling them on an incident that occurred at Leacock Care Centre in Orillia, where a resident was forced to sit overnight in his own waste due to a staffing shortage at the long-term care home.   

“Last week at a private, for-profit long-term care home in Orillia, a resident who lives with a disability was forced to sit in their own waste for an entire night due to staffing shortages at the home,” said Gates in a news release Monday. “Staff were unable to assist the resident due to a dire lack of personnel. And according to the resident - it’s not the first time that happened.”  

This incident is part of a troubling pattern of staffing shortages and lack of attention to resident care and concerns in for-profit long-term care homes across the province of Ontario.  

“We know, during COVID, the majority of deaths tragically occurred in private, for-profit homes. When is this government going to stand up to private long-term care companies and say enough is enough? This kind of operation cannot be acceptable”.