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Vol. 28, Issue 21, February 1, 2024
Ésc Trillium Students Visit The Borden Gold Mine And Discover The Mining Sector
O
n January 24, grade 12 students at École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau) registered in the technology course and interested in pursuing a career in the mining sector enjoyed a great field trip. The students were offered a visit of the Borden Gold Mine near Chapleau. As part of this tour of Goldcorp's operations, the students had the chance to ask questions and observe experts at work both above and below surface. They met the head of underground operations, who, from his office and in front of 12 screens, manages the ventilation system, pumps and heavy machinery, among other things. Afterwards, the ÉSC Trillium group was able to watch an operator remotely operate a huge
underground scooptram, visit the garage and talk to several surface mechanics. A captain, a supervisor and the chief mechanic then drove the students and their teacher in a mining truck to the underground installations, where they stopped at a sub station and questioned electricians. Once 580 metres underground, the captain allowed each student, one at a time and with the support of an operator, to use a drill and a bolter to install a rock bolt. Before returning to the surface, the students visited the underground garage where they observed the operation of a scooptram. The students were delighted with the outing, which gave them an insight into the mining sector.
Les élèves de l'ÉSC Trillium visitent la mine d'or Borden et découvre le secteur minier
L
e 24 janvier, des élèves de 12e année de l'École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau) inscrits dans le cours de technologie et intéressés à poursuivre une carrière dans le secteur minier ont profité d'une superbe sortie scolaire. En effet, les élèves ont Long Term eu droit à une tournée Forecast Thursday de la mine d'or Borden High -3 située près de Low -9 Chapleau. Dans le Friday cadre de cette visite des High -2 opérations de la comLow -3 pagnie minière Saturday High Low
2 0
Sunday High 1 Low 1 Monday High -1 Low -1 Tuesday High 1 Low -3
Goldcorp, les élèves ont eu la chance de questionner et de voir les experts à l'œuvre aussi bien à la surface que sous terre. Durant la journée, ils ont rencontré le chef des opérations. Installé dans son bureau devant 12 écrans, il gère, entre autres, le système de ventilation, les pompes et la machinerie lourde. Par la suite, le groupe de l'ÉSC Trillium a pu observer un opérateur contrôler à distance une immense chargeuse souterraine (scooptram), visiter le garage et s'entretenir avec plusieurs mécaniciens. Un capitaine, un superviseur et le chef mécanicien ont par la suite conduit les élèves et
leur enseignant dans un camion minier dans les installations souterraines où ils ont fait un arrêt à un poste de contrôle et questionné des électriciens. Une fois rendu à 580 mètres sous terre, le capitaine a permis à chaque élève, à tour de rôle et avec l'appui du responsable, d'opérer foreuse et boulonneuse afin de percer et installer un boulon dans la surface rocheuse. Avant de remonter à la surface, les élèves sont passés par le garage souterrain afin d'observer l'opération d'une chargeuse souterraine. Les élèves étaient épatés de cette sortie qui leur a permis de découvrir le secteur minier.
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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 2
NDP: Survey finds Conservatives failing Ontario truckers, the North on highway safety calling our office every week to tell us that there cut in half when truck drivers can't complete their needs to be better training and increased routes. Failing to make these common-sense oversight. Those training the drivers must also be solutions the law is not just negligence - it's worse; trained and licensed to train other drivers. Schools lives are on the line. Our solutions are backed with are receiving thousands of dollars to train data, supported by advocates, and bolstered by commercial drivers, but many are providing poor c o m m u n i t y s u p p o r t . T h e t i m e f o r t h e Conservatives to make Northern Ontario training.” "Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP have highways safer is now.” The top five concerns the respondents been sounding the alarm for years, advocating for crucial measures like Chad's Law and quicker have about driving in Northern Ontario include: snow clearing to prevent countless deaths on Unsafe passing by other vehicles northern highways. This survey proves that the (84.32%) Minister of Transportation's claims of Ontario Lack of truck rest areas (83.84%) having the safest roads couldn't be further from Poorly trained truck drivers (80.00%) the truth. If they continuously Lack of safe passing areas for trucks ignore senseless deaths and road (79.84%) and unsafe trucking fleets (65.12%) OBITUARY closures, I have a hard time The top five solutions respondents gave to Theresa Julia Mary “Terri” O'Hearn believing they will listen to this address concerns: survey and make our roads safer," More truck passing and climbing lanes stated Bourgouin. (78.75%) "The survey results It is with heavy hearts that the More truck rest areas (78.57%) family of Terri O'Hearn inform her highlight what we've been Better-trained truck drivers (78.57%) many friends of her passing on advocating for for years,” said More oversight of unsafe trucking fleets Thursday January 4, 2024. Terri Vanthof. “When our highways are (70.21%) was called to eternal life with our unsafe and poorly maintained, More heated washroom access for Lord Jesus where she is reunited lives are lost, and our province is professional drivers (59.06%) with her parents Bob and Margaret OBITUARY (nee Leclair), her sister Ann, and Roy Lindquist her brother Pat. Her love, kind and gentle Roy passed away in his sleep on Sunday January 28, nature, beautiful smile, her sense 2024, shortly after his 86th birthday. Born in Dryden of humour and her love of her Irish Ontario on December 30, 1937, Roy lived in Dryden ancestry and Ireland, are cherished memories for her until 1973 when he moved to Ignace, Ontario with his sister Rita (Richard), brother Bob (Andree), sister Betty family. Roy worked 50 years in the grocery business, and sister-in-law Ludie. Her craftiness, creativity, joy of life making his way to manager of the Harley's Dryden and love of everything green will be remembered by her store, and then owner of the Ignace Harley's store until nieces and nephews, Erin, Chris, Paula, Kevin, Derek, his retirement. Roy and Vi moved to Chapleau, Ontario Melissa, Pamela, Lani, and Tara, as well as her great in 2020 to be with family. nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and seniors or Roy will be missed by his wife of 62 years, Violet, son our community. Kevin (Susan), daughter Marcia Jacob (Ralph), Terri was a member of the Catholic Women's granddaughter Brenda Bernier (Clayton), grandsons League and Chapleau Senior Citizens Club. She was a Nels Lindquist (Emily) and Colin Lindquist (Tammy), and his great fan of Soccer, the Canadian Women's and Men's national grandchildren Rowan, Charlotte and Lyra. He is survived by siblings Vera hockey teams, especially the Vancouver Canucks and Kielback (late Al), Inez Hall (late Ken), Cliff Lindquist (Sylvia), Ron Curtis loved watching curling. (Heidi), Swen Lindquist (Penny), sister in laws Lynda Lindquist (late The family extends their appreciation to the wonderful brother Bert), Vina Lindquist (late brother Everett), brother in law Rolly staff at the Bignucolo Residence including nurses, Rousseau (late sister Sonja), and step sisters Ruth Bolt, Maureen Par. doctors, PSW's, activation, housekeeping, laundry and Roy enjoyed visiting with friends and family and spent many years dietary for their excellent care and support for Terri and her travelling with Vi. He enjoyed golfing with his Ignace buddies, fishing in family. We also thank Father Herve Sauve for the support, Dryden, Ignace and Chapleau, and was an avid reader. As per Roy's time and prayers for Terri and her family. request, cremation has taken place at River's Edge Cremation Centre, A visitation will be held at Sacred Heart Church on Sault Ste. Marie and there will be no funeral services. The family would like Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a to thank Dr. Stephen Saari, home care nurses Nicole, Hillary, Diana, Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Herve Sauve Melissa and Marcia for their kindness and compassion over the past few officiating. years. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Northern Cancer Foundation Memorial donations to the Bignucolo Residence (Sudbury), or the Chapleau Hospital Foundation would be greatly Long Term Care, Sacred Heart Church or to a charity of appreciated. (Arrangements entrusted to Kerry Funeral Home, Wawa, your choice are greatly appreciated by the family. ON 1-800-439-4937). (Arrangements entrusted to Kerry Funeral Home Ltd., www.kerryfuneralhome.com Wawa, 1-800-439-4937). www.kerryfuneralhome.ca
Official Opposition NDP MPPs Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk—James Bay), Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay—Superior North), and John Vanthof (Timiskaming—Cochrane) issued a joint statement after a recent survey of 600 Ontario truck drivers found 96 per cent believe there is an urgent need for enhanced safety measures: “Northern truckers have spoken loud and clear., Now it' is time for the government to listen to those who travel these routes daily," emphasized Vaugeois, who has worked alongside highway safety advocates Truckers for Safer Highways for over a year. "Truck drivers are
CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 3
Chapleau Moments by
Michael J. Morris
Earle Freeborn, Leo Vezina, Andre (Zenon) Rioux leave CPR ranks to retire as last 'firemen' to leave railway in Chapleau in 1993 showed no demerit marks over all his 41 years of service. Earle was also quite involved with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers as vice chair of the local as well as service on the EAP committee. Earle was written up as an engineer in 1961 became permanent locomotive engineer in 1974. On his last day of work trip into Chapleau, the article notes that his wife Nancy, daughter Shelley and son David met the train at Esher and drove the rest of the way into Chapleau on it with Earle. Earle has been very involved in Chapleau community life including service on the Chapleau Board of Education and as mayor of the Township of Chapleau. During layoffs which were quite frequent during his early years on the CPR, Leo worked in the icehouse, on the lake and on snow gangs. For many years he was chair of the locomotive engineers local. The article says, "His knowledge and wisdom will certainly be missed."
keeping track of the children -- Darryl, Deborah, Jen, and Chris. Andre, (known best perhaps as Zenon) started with the CPR as a mechanic's helper in 1954 before joining the running trades as a fireman in 1954.
First passenger diesel in 1949 Three locomotive engineers with many years of service on the Canadian Pacific Railway "all left the ranks to enjoy retirement", in 1993 which was also an historic moment as they were also the last three "firemen" to leave the railway at Chapleau. They were Earle Freeborn, Leo Vezina and Andre (Zenon) Rioux. An article about them notes that Earle had something to boast about as he was never involved in a derailment, runoff or mishap and his record
André Rioux
Leo Vezina
Earle and grandson Jordan
As Leo retired, he and his wife Joyce also celebrated 27 years of marriage on April 23 plus their eldest son Chris received his master's degree in biology as Leo made his last trip on April 30 May 1. He added that fishing, computers, and photography would keep him busy as well as
He became a full-time engineer in 1974 and "kept the throttle moving until his retirement.” On April 15, 1993, he had his last day of work on the CPR and also celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife Jeannine. Golfing would be his favourite summer pastime and in due course, they moved to North Bay. I recall the involvement of Earle, Leo, and Zenon in Chapleau hockey. Earle played and coached the Junior "B" Huskies of the International Junior "B'" Hockey League while Zenon played and was the first trainer of the Junior "B" Huskies when the team was established in 1966-67 by Keith 'Buddy' Swanson, Lorne Riley, and Tom Welch. Leo played and was great supporter of Chapleau minor hockey. His son Chris played on the Chapleau Midget team I coached in 1982-83. This threesome are also members of not only Chapleau pioneer families but of CPR families in the community. I only recently came across the article about them in Algoma/Hi - Rail Edition No 22, CP Rail System, May/June 1993. My email is mikejmorris41@outlook.com
CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 4
REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa by/par
Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
Over the years, the Federal government has increasingly relied on outsourcing to private companies to get work done. While there will always be outsourcing of services that the government is ill-equipped to do themselves, the rate in which they, and by extension taxpayers, are using private firms to do government work has swelled in recent years. So much, in fact, that the Treasury Board has issued guidelines on reducing outsourcing and expensive consultancy work in recent months. It's therefore a little frustrating, but certainly not shocking, to see Canada Post start to quietly strip out parts of their business and sell to non-governmental firms that will likely result in higher cost and poorer service in the long run. Canada Post is a Crown Corporation, owned by the Federal government, designed to operate as our primary postal service. They operate three subsidiary companies: Innovapost Inc., responsible for their IT services; Purolator, their courier service; and SCI Group, their thirdparty logistics business, which includes warehousing, distribution, and transportation. Two of these subsidiaries have been sold recently. SCI Group has recently been sold to Montrealbased Metro Supply Chain Inc., and Innovapost has been sold to Deloitte Canada. As of right now, we don't have specific details of what these deals look like, but it's hard to imagine that taxpayers, postal workers, and service users are going to be the primary beneficiaries. Canada Post will, in the near future, need to rely on private company outsourcing to do the work they already do. The government's own plan in Budget 2023 proposed reducing spending on outsourcing by 15 percent, with the expectation of saving $7.1 billion over the next four years. It's difficult to see how the government will reduce outsourcing costs when a Crown corporation sells off essential parts of its business. Spending on professional and special services are hitting record levels, $21.6 billion in 2023-2024, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. But it's not a new issue, and often, the problems with outsourcing don't become apparent until the government is stuck with those they outsource to. The Harper-era contract with IBM for the disaster known as Phoenix is perhaps the most well-known, but in the last eight years, this government has outsourced almost a billion to PricewaterhouseCoopers, and hundreds of millions of dollars to firms like McKinsey, Accenture and KPMG. However, Deloitte seems to be the biggest beneficiary,
Sale of Canada Post IT Services Goes Against Government's Outsourcing Claims earning about $1 billion in government contracts, which only stands to grow with their purchase of Innovapost. For its part, Canada Post has been losing money for a number of years, including half a billion dollars in 2022. Acting as if they aren't facing financial challenges, particularly from large e-commerce giants like Amazon, serves no one. While Canada Post's move to sell off parts of its business model may help their financial situation in the shorter term, and become more agile in the future, it also demonstrates a serious gap in this government's push to reduce outsourcing costs. Some have argued that Canada Post must pivot quickly into e-commerce, providing that “last mile” service for packages, given the Crown corporation's ability to reach some 16 million households. The U.S. Postal Service has made this last mile pivot to some success. The Canadian
Union of Postal Workers has proposed expanding into areas such as postal banking, which could provide more financial options for people in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Canada Post does provide a critical service to Canadians, and as such, should remain a Crown corporation designed to serve them, first and foremost. It's vital that the government stop selling off these services, because, in the long run, another contract with a private company for a lower standard of service will continue to be the norm. In recent years, we've seen it with the privatization of veteran's mental health services with the $560million Loblaws-owned contract with Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services (PCVRS). We've seen it with Phoenix. We must stop this cycle of taxpayers flipping the bill for increasingly worse services through outsourced contracts.
La vente des services de TI de Postes Canada va à l'encontre des réclamations du gouvernement relatives à l'externalisation Au fil des années, le gouvernement fédéral s'est de plus en plus appuyé sur l'externalisation vers des entreprises privées pour faire son travail. Il est bien vrai que la soustraitance doit toujours exister afin que soient fournies les prestations que le gouvernement n'est pas suffisamment outillé pour effectuer luimême, mais le taux auquel le gouvernement (et par extension les contribuables) utilise les entreprises privées pour faire son travail a tellement augmenté ces dernières années que le Conseil du Trésor a, depuis quelques mois, publié des lignes directrices sur la réduction de l'externalisation et du dispendieux travail de consultation. Il est donc un peu frustrant, mais certainement pas surprenant, de voir Postes Canada commencer à retirer discrètement certaines de ses activités commerciales et à les vendre à des entreprises non gouvernementales, ce qui à la longue est susceptible d'entraîner une augmentation des coûts et une mauvaise qualité des services. Postes Canada est une société d'État, qui relève du gouvernement fédéral et qui est conçue pour fonctionner en tant que principal service postal du pays. Elle exploite trois filiales : Innovaposte, responsable de ses services informatiques; Purolator, son service de messagerie; et SCI, son entreprise de logistique tierce, qui fait dans l'entreposage, la distribution et le transport. Deux de ces filiales ont été vendues récemment. SCI a récemment été vendue à Chaîne d'Approvisionnement Metro basée à Montréal, et Innovaposte a été vendue à Deloitte Canada. Pour l'instant, nous n'avons pas de détails précis sur la nature de ces transactions, mais il est difficile d'imaginer que les contribuables, les employés des postes et les
usagers en seront les principaux bénéficiaires. Dans un proche avenir, Postes Canada devra passer par les entreprises privées pour réaliser le travail qu'il fait déjà. Le plan du gouvernement dans le budget 2023 proposait de réduire de 15 % les dépenses liées à l'externalisation, ce qui permettrait d'économiser 7,1 milliards de dollars au cours des quatre prochaines années. Il est difficile de comprendre comment le gouvernement entend réduire ces coûts d'externalisation lorsqu'une société d'État vend l'essentiel de ses activités commerciales. Selon le directeur parlementaire du budget, les dépenses consacrées aux services professionnels et spéciaux ont atteint des niveaux record, soit 21,6 milliards de dollars en 20232024. Toutefois, cela n'est pas un problème nouveau et, souvent, les problèmes liés à l'externalisation ne deviennent apparents que lorsque le gouvernement est coincé avec ses partenaires d'externalisation. Le contrat signé sous Harper avec IBM dans le cadre de la catastrophe connue sous le nom de Phénix est peut-être le plus connu des contrats, mais, au cours des huit dernières années, le gouvernement a sous-traité près d'un milliard de dollars à PricewaterhouseCoopers et des centaines de millions de dollars à des entreprises comme McKinsey, Accenture et KPMG. Toutefois, Deloitte semble être le plus grand bénéficiaire, qui gagne environ 1 milliard de dollars en contrats gouvernementaux, ce qui ne fera qu'augmenter avec l'achat d'Innovaposte. Pour sa part, Postes Canada perd de l'argent depuis un certain nombre d'années; elle a notamment perdu un demi-milliard de dollars en 2022. Cela ne sert à rien à Postes Canada d'agir Suite P.7
CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 5
Making a difference at ÉSC Trillium as co-Prime Minister Since the start of the school year in September, Emmanuel Boucher has held the position of co-Prime Minister of the Student Parliament at École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau). As part of his role, this grade 12 student also sits on the Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon Student Senate. This political committee, which serves as a forum for the Prime Ministers of CSC Nouvelon's nine secondary schools, provides a space for exchanges and engaging students in their success as part of efforts to promote French-language Catholic education. "I am happy to be a member of the Student Senate because I enjoy creating activities for the students at École secondaire catholique Trillium and having fun. I also enjoy representing my school at the school board level and in the community. Together with my Student Parliament team, I want to help develop my school for years to come," stated Emmanuel Boucher.
Faire une différence à l'ÉSC Trillium en tant que co-Premier ministre Depuis le mois de septembre, Emmanuel Boucher occupe le poste co-Premier ministre du Parlement des élèves de l'École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau). Dans le cadre de ses fonctions, cet élève de la 12e année joue un rôle très actif au sein du Parlement des élèves de son école et participe au Sénat des élèves du Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon. Ce comité politique, qui sert de forum pour les Premiers ministres des neuf écoles secondaires du CSC Nouvelon, favorise les échanges et engage les élèves dans leur réussite de façon à promouvoir l'éducation catholique de langue française. « Je suis heureux d'être membre du Sénat des élèves parce que j'aime créer des activités pour les élèves de l'École secondaire catholique Trillium et m'amuser. J'aime aussi bien représenter mon école dans le Conseil et dans la communauté. Avec mon équipe du Parlement des élèves, j'aime contribuer à développer mon école pour les années à venir, » affirme Emmanuel Boucher
MPP Michael Mantha calls on Ontario government to address worsening healthcare crisis in Northern Ontario Michael Mantha, MPP for AlgomaManitoulin, released the following statement in light of the news that the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie will need to cut loose 10,000 patients at the end of May. “I am extremely troubled to hear that the Group Health Centre has been forced to explore last resort options to cope with the ongoing healthcare crisis in Northern Ontario. This is a worrying development for residents across Algoma who rely on the service for primary care. For years, everyone from frontline workers to the Auditor General have been ringing alarm bells about the state of Northern healthcare, but the Conservative government has refused to listen. Now, we are seeing the effects of
negligence and privatization play out in our communities, and Northerners will be the ones to suffer worse quality of care as a result. The government of Ontario cannot be on the sidelines any longer. We urgently need significant increases in funding to stabilize primary care across our region and a dedicated Northern Ontario health strategy that acknowledges the reality of providing services in our region. I will continue fighting to ensure that Algoma-Manitoulin and Northern Ontario are not left behind by this government. Any residents with concerns or questions can always contact my office for assistance at Mmantha-co@ola.org or 1-800-831-1899.”
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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 6
Last weeks solutions MOMENTS IN TIME On Feb. 15, 1965, the maple leaf officially became Canada's official national flag symbol. It had already served in that capacity for more than a century, but the matter was only settled in the House of Commons the previous December, and approved by England's Queen Elizabeth II shortly afterward.est-selling consumer magazine in the country.
CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 7
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La vente des services de TI de Postes Canada va à l'encontre des réclamations du gouvernement relatives à l'externalisation Suite de la P.4 comme si elle n'était pas confrontée à des défis financiers, notamment de la part de géants du commerce électronique comme Amazon. Certes, la décision de vendre certaines parties de son modèle d'affaires allège la situation financière de Postes Canada à court terme et devient plus agile à l'avenir, mais cela démontre également un sérieux manque de volonté de la part du gouvernement de réduire les coûts d'externalisation. Certains ont fait valoir que Postes Canada doit rapidement se tourner vers le commerce électronique et fournir ce service de « dernier kilomètre » pour les courriers, compte tenu de la capacité de la société d'État d'atteindre quelque 16 millions de ménages. Le service postal des États-Unis a connu un relatif succès dans le cadre de cette adaptation de dernier kilomètre. Le Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses des postes a proposé que Postes Canada s'étende à des secteurs comme les services bancaires postaux, qui peuvent offrir plus d'options financières aux populations des communautés rurales, éloignées et autochtones. Postes Canada offre un service essentiel aux Canadiens et, à ce titre, doit demeurer une société d'État conçue pour les servir, d'abord et avant tout. Il est indispensable que le gouvernement cesse de vendre ce service, car, à long terme, un autre contrat avec une entreprise privée pour un niveau de service inférieur sera la norme. C'est ce à quoi nous avons assisté ces dernières années avec la privatisation des services de santé men-
BERRY’S FREIGHT SERVICES
tale des anciens combattants dans le cadre du contrat de 560 millions de dollars que Loblaws a signé avec Partenaires des services de réadaptation aux vétérans canadiens (PSRVC). Nous devons mettre fin à ce cycle où le contribuable paie la facture pour des services de plus en plus médiocres qu'il reçoit par l'entremise de contrats externalisés; Phénix en est l'illustration.
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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotional support, and information for women and their children who are in crisis situations. We have a Toll Free Crisis Line which is staffed 24 hours a day. We can arrange for free transportation to the Centre for women who live in the Algoma/Chapleau area. We also offer support to women who live in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and Hornepayne through our Outreach Program. Our Outreach Worker travels to those communities to meet with women who need emotional support as well as information about their rights and options. If you need to speak with the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment. You do not need to be a resident of the Centre in order to use our services. If you need someone to talk to or if you just need someone to listen, call our Toll Free Crisis line at 1800-461-2242 or you can drop in at the Centre. We are here for you.
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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 1, 2024- Page 8
Long-term Care Oversight: It's a matter of trust
The most recent editions of News from the Park have focused on Ontario's catastrophic hospital wait times, staffing and funding issues for hospitals and increasing funding for our ailing healthcare system. Similarly, the columns discussed the need to promote training and education and increase funding to support senior in-home care programs better. Knowing that these two issues rank among the higher priorities for Northerners, they seemed like obvious choices to begin the New Year. Another issue of concern to the people of Algoma-Manitoulin is the Ford government's policies and practices regarding the care and protection of seniors who live in long-term care facilities. It seems like it was just yesterday that Ontarians were horrified by daily reports of deaths in long-term care homes across the province. According to CBC News, during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 2020 and April 2022, 4,335 residents and 13 staff members in Ontario's long-term care facilities died. A CBC article published September 7, 2023, reported, “For a seven-week period from mid-March into May, inspections stopped in the province, the [Ombudsman's] report states — with many senior government officials totally unaware that on-site investigations were not happening. There were 720 COVID-related deaths in long-term care during this period alone.” It is also important to note that private for-profit facilities had a significantly higher percentage of said deaths. The Ombudsman's report stated that there were no government inspections of long-term care facilities for at least seven weeks in the spring of 2020 and that no inspection reports were filed for two months. This means there was no oversite of hundreds of long-term care facilities across the province. In the words of the Ombudsman, the government's negligence was “unreasonable, unjust and wrong.” There can be no argument that part of any government's job is to protect the people, especially those who are most vulnerable or helpless. Citizens need to have confidence that someone with knowledge, experience and authority is looking out for them and their families. While the above statistics are beyond shocking to most Ontarians, the news worsens. According to Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé's report released this fall, government officials were in a position to prevent or at least reduce the number of deaths in this catastrophe. The government simply sat on its hands and watched this play out before their eyes – not for days but weeks! This is nothing short of callous, shameful negligence by the Ontario
government. A few days ago, the Ford government announced it is launching a newly formed team of long-term care investigators. According to the news release, the team will have the power to investigate allegations of neglect or abuse reported in any LTC home in Ontario. Further, it could investigate homes repeatedly cited for noncompliance with regulations, ministry orders, or falsifying information in mandatory reports. O n J a n u a r y 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 , ElliotLakeToday.com quoted Stan Cho, Minister of Long-Term Care, saying that Ontario has “the toughest inspection and enforcement program in Canada.” I can't help but think, if the standards and enforcement are so rigorous, how did so many vulnerable Ontarians die? The statement and reality don't seem to jive. So, according to Minister Cho, the Province has recognized problems and believes they have developed a plan to improve matters. That's a good thing. Right? Well, forgive me if I feel somewhat suspicious of their plans. I say this because the Ford government's performance record does nothing to bolster my confidence. Minister Cho's news release on his own website states, “The work of the Investigations Unit will complement Ontario's existing robust inspections program.” What greatly concerns me is that if the Ministry already had such a “robust inspection program,” how effective is it if 720 people died under those regulations? It seems that the problem is twofold. First, the Ministry stopped conducting unannounced inspections of LTC homes to save money. Management had prior knowledge of when to expect a visit from an inspector. Well, of course, everything was just fine when the inspection occurred. Then, according to the above CBC article, when the pandemic struck, inspections were not conducted for two whole months. However, when the prescheduled inspections resumed, “inspectors often gave homes reduced penalties for non-compliance, or let them have months to remedy issues that were causing residents' serious harm.” Ombudsman Dubé's report noted, “We saw many examples where inspectors used their considerable discretion to lower the default enforcement action that would otherwise apply, even in very serious situations and with little to no explanation.” Even though ministry policy was to revoke the license of offending homes, and despite the fact that residents were literally dying, the homes were let off with a slap on the wrist. So, the Ministry provided the means and the tools for the inspectors to ensure the safety and well-being of residents of LTC homes in the province. But the Ministry knowingly ordered leniency for the offending homes, all of which
resulted in avoidable anxiety, suffering, sorrow and death. And now, Premier Ford and Minister Cho expect their confident smiles and his government's fanfare of news releases touting improvements will instill renewed confidence in the minds of our seniors and their families. As I said above, it is still not too late to alter course and make things better for everyone. Ontario is one of the few remaining places that continues to build big long-term care facilities, which can feel more like hospitals or institutions and less like home. Ontario would be better off to focus on building and funding small community based LTC facilities that house perhaps ten residents. Other nations are far ahead of us as they no longer approve or fund of private for-profit institutional hospital-like facilities. Home-like settings reduce the risk of infection, and studies show that home-like settings help keep seniors safe and healthy because smaller spaces are better for people living with dementia who rely on familiar surroundings. Home-like settings also tend to have better working conditions for staff, which translates to better care for residents. As well, rather than having a Ministry that can be influenced by political agendas, appoint a Seniors' Advocate to act as an independent officer of the Legislature to monitor, inspect and enforce LTC home regulations. Steps must be taken to reel in privately operated nursing companies who charge exorbitant rates to nursing homes and hospitals. The government must do much better at recruiting and retaining full-time. Establish wage rates that reflect the respect and importance of the work staff at public, non-profit facilities. Is it just me, or do other Ontarians find Doug Ford's priorities out of whack? It is most perplexing that our Premier has prioritized access to beer over health care and senior care. Since he was first elected in 2018 with his Buck-a Beer campaign, he has been a dog-with-a-bone on reducing beer prices and making it more convenient to purchase beer by putting it in corner stores and gas stations. It seems clear that Premier Ford puts a lower priority on shortening emergency department, and surgical wait times, as well as moving seniors out of hallway medicine limbo, waiting for a space in a long-term care facility. This is just plain wrong. Ontarians have good reason to reduce their confidence and trust in the Ford government's leadership and governing. To be blunt, the government has a long row to hoe to restore public confidence. As always, please feel free to contact my office about these issues or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or by phone Tollfree at 1-800-831-1899.