For Immediate Release
Feb. 24, 2010

New legislation will not address the real needs of seniors

Queen’s Park, Toronto - The McGuinty government’s plan to regulate retirement homes does not go far enough to meet the real needs of Ontario’s seniors, Cambridge MPP Gerry Martiniuk said today.

Reacting to news the government will introduce legislation this spring to regulate private retirement homes, Martiniuk said what Ontario seniors really need is long-term care beds.

“This government has frozen the construction of long-term care facilities for six years,” said Martiniuk. “My fear is that by regulating retirement homes, seniors will be moved from hospitals to these homes where the level of care they require is not available.”

Martiniuk, Seniors’ Critic for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, said the province is in desperate need of new long-term care beds to accommodate the many senior citizens who are being cared for in hospitals. At Cambridge Memorial Hospital, an estimated 35 beds are occupied by patients waiting for a bed at a long-term care facility.

“Regulating retirement homes might be a good idea, but it totally ignores the real problem and is a cheap way of getting patients out of hospitals,” Martiniuk said. “This creates a dangerous situation and puts the safety and well-being of seniors at risk.”

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Contact:
Carol-Ann Nugent
519-623-5852
carol-ann.nugent@pc.ola.org