Months after window visits and phone or video calls became the only method of contact between many residents in care homes and their families, Premier Doug Ford announced "a cautious restart of visits" beginning June 18.
"We need families to be able to see their loved ones," said Ford on Thursday afternoon.
The ability to visit residents in care settings has long been called for by advocates and families concerned about the health of their loved ones living in long-term care and retirement homes or other congregate settings.
"I know this [is a] day we have all been desperately waiting for, but we can’t take this progress for granted," said Ford. "We can’t forget that these settings are still vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks, we must remain vigilant, we must move forward, but we must do it so carefully."
The provincial government announced on March 16 that Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams had asked long-term care homes to allow only essential visitors — those visiting residents needing end-of-life care or who were very ill — to enter. A few days later, a similar recommendation was issued for retirement homes.
On Thursday Ford called that decision to restrict visitors a difficult one, but the right one.
"I know how hard this was on families, trust me," said Ford, whose mother-in-law lives in a long-term care home and tested positive for the virus in April.
"I know the tremendous toll this has taken on people, not being able to see your loved one, and for many families not being able to be by the side of their loved ones in the final or most difficult moments is heartbreaking," said Ford. "It’s hard to imagine anything worse."
Homes will need to meet certain conditions before they can permit visitors, including not being in an active COVID-19 outbreak, establishing a way to clearly communicate the visitor protocol and maintaining the "highest infection prevention and control standards."
Visitors must be screened before entering the home, confirm that they've tested negative for COVID-19 within the past two weeks and wear a face-covering during the visit.
One person per resident will be allowed into long-term care settings, but for outdoor visits only. Retirement homes can allow indoor or outdoor visits in designated areas or in suites if the spaces allow for physical distancing. The government said the number of visitors will vary between different retirement homes depending on their circumstances. Other care settings like homes for people with disabilities or children and shelters for survivors of gender-based violence can permit outdoor visits of two people.
Military to stay on
The government was asked for an update on the military's support in long-term care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks after the initial mission was extended until June 12.
"Clearly the military is not leaving the homes tomorrow," Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton said.
Ford said he'd like the military to stay "as long as possible," with Fullerton adding that discussions were ongoing to ensure the military could stay "for as long as necessary."
She said homes are working on "stabilization plans" that include clarity on staffing.
Fullerton's office said the military is currently in five long-term care homes: Altamont Care Community, Hawthorne Place, Woodbridge Vista Care Community, Downsview Long-term Care Centre and Eatonville Care Centre.
The ministry is investigating after a resident in the Woodbridge home reportedly died of malnutrition on May 29. The government asked the William Osler Health System to take over the home on June 4 and was asked on Thursday why they didn't step in sooner.
Fullerton said before the government takes a management role "every effort is made to collaborate with these homes." She also noted inspectors are investigating the circumstances around the man's death.
Ford said his "heart breaks" for those who lost a loved one.
When asked if the government failed to react quickly enough to protect long-term care residents, Ford said "No, we didn't fail, we've thrown everything we can, every tool we had at these long-term care homes."
COVID-19 tests
Both Ford and Elliott were back at Queen's Park on Thursday after their COVID-19 test results came back negative.
The two were tested after Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who appeared with them at a press conference on Tuesday, learned that he had been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The news came shortly before a scheduled press conference on Wednesday, leaving Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano to hold a solo media availability.
"To be clear, both Premier Ford and Minister Elliott have had no known contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, there is no need for either of them to self-isolate," said Ford's spokesperson Ivana Yelich in a statement on Thursday morning. "They will continue to follow public health guidelines."
Lecce said on Wednesday afternoon that his test had come back negative.
Ford described the test as "quick," saying that it didn't hurt and just caused his eyes to water. It also wasn't his first test, with the premier saying he was tested for COVID-19 after attending the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada conference in March. A few attendees tested positive.
Elliott, meanwhile, was asked about a photo that was circulating of her shopping at an LCBO while awaiting her test results.
Ontario's health minister shopped at Toronto LCBO while awaiting COVID-19 test results https://t.co/08olHI8cVY pic.twitter.com/yp9pQB7iYe
— CP24 (@CP24) June 11, 2020
Elliott said Lecce's test results came back negative before she went to get tested. The health minister added that when she did so, she was advised that it wasn't necessary to self-isolate because she hadn't been in direct contact with someone with COVID-19.
New patient ombudsman appointed
More than two years after Ontario's patient ombudsman role was vacated, the province has moved to fill the role.
In a press release on Thursday morning, Elliott announced that the government had appointed Cathy Fooks to take on the role that she once held — the only person to do so since the office was established by the previous Liberal government.
Fooks has served since 2007 as president and CEO of The Change Foundation, a health policy think-tank "dedicated to evolving Ontario’s health care system by enhancing patient and caregiver experiences and exploring contemporary health care issues."
Fooks, who was also the first executive director of the now-defunct Health Council of Canada, will wrap up her term with the foundation on June 26 and take on her new role with the government on July 13.
The patient ombudsman's office, led by executive director Craig Thompson, announced on June 2 that it would launch an investigation into the resident and caregiver experience in long-term care homes that had COVID-19 outbreaks. In her role as the new head of the office, Fooks will lead the investigation.
"Patient and caregiver voices matter now more than ever and need to continue to be heard," said Fooks in a statement included in the government's press release. "They will help us to make the right changes that need to be done. I am here to ensure that happens, so we can continue to ensure Ontarians receive the quality of care they need and deserve."
Elliott praised Fooks' three decades of advocacy work and said she's confident the new appointee will ensure "all voices are heard and concerns are brought to our attention."
"Having served as Ontario's first Patient Ombudsman, I know how this role can directly help people by shining a spotlight on how we can improve the quality of care for all Ontarians," said Elliott.
Elliott left the position in February 2018 when she ran for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Her office told QP Briefing last September that the government would begin the search for a new patient ombudsman "shortly."
The office was set up to support Ontarians with concerns about their experiences with the health care system and to investigate unresolved complaints in different settings such as hospitals, long-term care homes or home and community care.
Child-care centres
After child-care sector advocates voiced concerns about getting only a few days of advance notice on being allowed to reopen on June 12, Ford's message to child-care centres was: "If you aren't ready, any child-care centres, don't open."
"There's not an emergency. You don't have to rush. Just don't open," he said.
Businesses get help to move online
The federal and provincial governments are partnering to help small businesses boost their online presence.
Ottawa will cover most of the $57-million tab with a $50-million investment. Three programs are being offered through the Digital Main Street platform, which connects businesses to digital providers. One of the programs will hire students to build and help launch online stores for businesses, while another will provide $2,500 grants for new technologies and digital marketing.
Another portion of the joint funding will go to the Toronto Region Board of Trade for the Recovery Activation Program, which gives businesses access to workshops focused on providing training and advice digitizing their operations.
The programs, announced by Ontario's Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Prabmeet Sarkaria and federal Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly, are expected to help up to 22,900 businesses and create jobs for more than 1,400 students.
According to the provincial government, "Canadian businesses are estimated to be two years behind their U.S. counterparts," with around 60 per cent of Ontario's small businesses having a website and only 7 per cent providing customers with a way to pay online.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner welcomed the announcement, calling the Digital Main Street programs "invaluable during the pandemic and pre-pandemic to help small businesses stay competitive as more services and customer interactions move online."
Schreiner did, however, add that he had hoped the province would have contributed more funding so that more businesses could receive support.
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