The Ford government has shot down an NDP bill that would have created an advocate position for seniors.
Bill 101 — An Act to Establish the Advocate for Older Adults — was proposed by Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois but was defeated in the legislature.
In a release, Vaugeois stated she was extremely disappointed
"Creating an Advocate for Older Adults would have helped countless seniors in our province. Unfortunately, there are several systemic failures in our province that don’t serve our elders well," Vaugeois said.
Kitchener NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo, who co-sponsored the bill, said she's bewildered by the decision.
There were several outside supporters for Bill 101, including The Alzheimer Society of Ontario, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, Care Watch Ontario, RTOERO and Accessible Housing Network Access to Seniors and Disabled Advocacy Group.
The founder of Access to Seniors and Disabled Group, Maria Sardelis, provided a statement in the NDP news release.
"Time and time again, the Ford Government can be counted on to demonstrate that the lives of seniors and persons with disabilities do not matter. The opposition shamefully accused MPP Lise Vaugeois of not knowing seniors are concerned about social isolation. And yet, Bill 7 isolates seniors by placing them in homes far away from their social and cultural connections," Sardelis said.
The bill had set out to create an advocate position that would've made recommendations to the province, as well as service providers regarding healthcare, housing, income support, personal support, and accessibility support for older adults and seniors.