LONG TERM CARE IN ONTARIO BEING PRIVATIZED

TORONTO (May 22, 2001) -- Long term care in Ontario is increasingly being turned over to private, for-profit companies.

Today the provincial government announced the final round of new bed allocations -- with 63 per cent of the 5,700 new beds going to for-profit operators. Of the total 20,000 beds awarded since the launch of the program, almost two thirds have gone to for-profit companies. 

“Traditionally, there has been a rough balance between the number of not-for-profit and for-profit beds in this province. But with the bulk of new beds now being allocated to the for-profit sector, this is no longer the case,” says Donna Rubin, CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS). 

"Premier Mike Harris has said that he wants more private-sector involvement in the delivery of health care. But what he didn't say, and what today's announcement shows, is that increased private-sector ownership of health care is also being encouraged," Rubin notes. 

Today's announcement runs counter to public opinion. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid, more than half of Ontario voters (56 per cent) want a balance of not-for-profit and for-profit long term care. Another 39 per cent prefer to have all facilities operated solely by not-for-profit organizations. Only 3 per cent are in favour of a purely for-profit system. 

“The public should be aware that with this shift in balance, choice is slowly being eroded,” says Rubin. 

In addition to concerns about the privatization of long term care, Rubin warns that the provincial government is also "slowly starving" the sector through inadequate funding support. Currently, the province pays only about $60 a day for each resident – one of the lowest rates in the country and one which does not provide for adequate levels of care to residents. 

The recent provincial budget did not provide any real operating funding relief. “Even when the new beds are added, the problem of under-staffing and inadequate levels of care will continue to plague the system as long as the province fails to provide the necessary operating funds,” Rubin explains.  

"Taxpayers should sit up and take notice," says Rubin. "Not only is this government failing to provide adequate support for the care of long term care residents, but it also seems intent on handing over ownership of this sector to corporate interests which take public money out of the system for private gain."

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For further information, contact:
Debbie Humphreys 905-851-8821 ext 233 or
Robert Stephens 416-777-0368