November 2020
Long term care
London-Fanshawe MPP Teresa Armstrong is one of the Ontario Legislature’s most effective and respected Members. She brings a thoughtful and practical approach into the House, and her principled voice recently initiated an extraordinary debate on the future of long-term care.
Ms. Armstrong’s Bill 13 proposes to strengthen long-term care in Ontario by mandating and requiring a minimum of four hours of direct care per resident per day in our nursing homes. After she moved Second Reading of her bill on October 28, MPPs from all parties rose in succession, each of them expressing support for the idea. The momentum generated by the constructive debate that took place led to a unanimous vote in favour of Bill 13 the next day. The bill has been referred to an all-party Standing Committee of the Legislature for further consideration.
Staff at our nursing homes are among our healthcare heroes, but the Provincial Government has acknowledged that our long-term care system is broken. The pandemic has laid bare many of the problems that have been overlooked or ignored for years. There are no acceptable excuses. Our seniors deserved better, and in some instances we have failed them.
Let this consensus for change be transformed into a catalyst for compassion for all our seniors in long-term care. Let us work together, across party lines, and do better for our parents and grandparents.
We remember
By necessity, the Remembrance Day services in our communities across Canada will be much smaller this year. But whether we are present in solemn observance at a Cenotaph or not, we can still wear a poppy, and we should all pause on November 11 to reflect and remember.
The Royal Canadian Legion branches in Wellington-Halton Hills ensure that we will never forget the sacrifices of everyone who served in a Canadian armed forces uniform in defense of our country, our democracy, and our freedoms.
We are reminded of their courage and resilience, and it inspires in us the resolve to overcome this challenge we face, the crucible of our time.
And to honour them, we will.