In an effort to ensure residents of Ontario in long-term care and retirement homes, get the quality care they deserve, the Ontario government gave Royal Assent to the Providing More Care, Protecting Seniors, and Building More Beds Act, 2021.
Rod Phillips, Minister of Long-Term care, said “Our government has a plan to fix long-term and this new legislation is a key part of our plan. This legislation will help us ensure that residents receive better quality care and enjoy a better quality of life by supporting the three pillars of our plan: improving staffing and care; protecting residents through better accountability, enforcement, and transparency; and building more modern, safe, and comfortable homes for our seniors.”
This legislation will repeal the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and replace it with the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, which according to the Ministry, helps improve long-term care by:
- -establishing in law the commitment to provide an average of four hours of direct care per resident per day by March 31, 2025, with increasing interim goals to increase care
- -establishing new compliance and enforcement tools, including doubling the fines on the conviction of an offense
- - strengthening the Residents’ Bill of Rights to align with the Ontario Human Rights Code and recognizing the important and ongoing role caregivers play in resident health and well-being.
This legislation also includes changes to the Retirement Homes Act, 2010 that will significantly improve health, protection and well-being of residents in retirement homes across Ontario by:
- providing better quality care for residents, and better protection for those in unlicensed homes
- - improving protection for residents against financial abuse
- - strengthening the authority of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), to be a more effective regulatory and administrator of the Retirement Homes Act, 20021
The Ministry of Long-Term Care indicated that in the coming months will propose and publicly consult on regulations to further support and strengthen the new Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 and the Retirement Homes Act, 2010.
“Our government’s improvements to the Retirement Homes Act will create a stronger retirement home system for residents and families across Ontario,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “Seniors deserve to live in dignity. Seniors should get the very best care. Seniors have built this province. These changes will make this possible.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quality of care for seniors and protecting residents through better accountability, enforcement and transparency, has been in question by many residents and their families.