Seniors’ Advisory Group Highlights

Ontario Government Initiatives

1 . Seniors Health

Home Care Support

Caregiver support

Lack of Doctors and Nurses

Community Care

Assistive Devices

The recent 2004 Budget outlined the government’s plan to invest an additional $88 million in home care this year - rising to $448 million over the next four years. This means an additional 95,700 Ontarians will recieve care in their homes by 2007-08.

The government has proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act, which provide for a leave of absence for caregivers to provide care or support to family members. Bill 56 has passed second reading in the Legislature and is currently under debate.

The 2004 Budget provides for the creation of 150 new Family Health Teams of doctors, nurse practitioners and other health care providers across Ontario over the next four years to deliver around-the-clock primary care.

The provincial government has also committed to:

• double the number of training positions for international medical graduates to 200 from 90, at an additional cost of $12 million in 2004-05, growing to $25 million in 2007-08.

• double the number of clinical education spaces for nurse practitioners to 150 from 75 spaces in three years, through an investment of $2 million annually starting in 2005-06;

• provide $2 million, starting this year, to support experienced nurses who mentor nursing trainees completing their clinical practice training.

The government has signed three new agreements with the regional geriatric programs at the academic health science centres in London, Hamilton and Ottawa. The agreements provide funding stability and a single source of payment to the physicians - whether they are providing patient care, teaching future doctors or working on new medical innovations through research.The McGuinty government is providing $5.3 million for the three funding agreements. The government is also providing a recruitment fund to assist the three centres in attracting new geriatricians to their programs.

Community health centres are to receive an additional $14 million in 2004-05 to enhance primary care delivery at 54 existing centres throughout the province.

The 2004 Budget allows for the purchase 12,000 bed lifts for hospitals and long-term care facilities to improve working conditions for nurses and help prevent on-the-job injuries at a cost of $60 million in 2004-05. Michael Gravelle M.P.P. has recently proposed Bill 55 which has recived unanimous approval after first reading in the Legislature. The Bill amends the Health Insurance Act by making the provision of insulin pumps and supplies for them an insured service under the Act.

2. Transportation

Increased service

The province is investing $103.9 million in 2003 to improve and renew public transit in 47 municipalities (Hamilton = $3.5 million). This includes incentive funding for municipalities who have been successful in increasing transit ridership and incorporating alternatively fuelled/low emission vehicles into their transit fleets.

The government has committed to make two cents of the existing provincial gas tax available to municipalities for public transit over three years, beginning in October 2004.

These investments build on $96.8 million invested by the Province in 2002 to help renew municipal transit fleets through: purchasing 174 new transit replacement buses and 75 new specialized replacement buses; refurbishing 223 buses and, in many cases, helping to improve access to transit for the elderly and people with disabilities.

3. Housing

Housing Assistance

Changes to the Tenant Protection Act

Affordable housing

Effective for the 2004 and subsequent taxation years, the underlying “basic” property tax credit amount will be increased by $125. The maximum benefit available for the property and sales tax credits for seniors will be increased to $1,125. The government has also announced a land transfer tax exemption for those seniors whose primary residence was acquired through a life lease in a development owned by a non-profit organization or registered charity.

The government will be introducing legislation to suspend the automatic two per cent base portion of annual rent increases for tenants in 2005. If passed, the legislation will provide a “time out” while government consults with tenants and landlords on replacing the “Tenant Protection Act.”

In a joint announcement with the federal minister of state for Infrastructure, the province announced that more than 2,300 new affordable housing units would be created in municipalities in Ontario thanks to $56 million in funding under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program. The Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat has also created a Seniors’ Advisory Committee on Housing to begin meetings in summer 2004 to examine the housing concerns of seniors.

4. Long term Care and Retirement Homes

George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-term Care appointed Parliamentary Assistant Monique Smith M.P.P. to undertake a top-to-bottom review of the long-term care system and to recommend needed reforms. The government developed a preliminary strategy in response to Monique Smith's report “Commitment to Care: A Plan for Long-term Care in Ontario”.

The government's long-term care reform strategy will:

• Create a community culture in long-term care by mandating Family Councils and Residents Councils and reinstating the policy of allowing couples to live together even if they need different levels of care;

• Toughen Enforcement by mandating reporting of suspected abuse, introducing whistleblower protection and beginning targeted surprise inspections of homes with poor track records throughout the year. The Ministry of Health and Long-term Care has launched a hotline for seniors and their families to register a complaint about a care facility (1-866-434-0144);

• Strengthen Accountability by establishing a third-party advocate as a watchdog for families and residents, and launching a public website to provide more information about individual homes and their record of care;

• Invest $191 million to hire 2000 new staff including at least 600 new nurses and to ensure all residents have access to a registered nurse and,

• Invest $340 million to fund new long-term care beds.

The Budget also proposes to increase the quality of life for residents of long-term care facilities through a three per cent (3%) increase in the comfort allowance for low-income residents of such facilities who do not receive social assistance. The comfort allowance is a residual amount of income that low-income residents are allowed to keep after contributing toward the cost of their care, and is usually used to buy personal items, such as clothes and toiletries.

The report further highlighted a need to examine current funding structures and “best practice” models for care. Currently, the government view the report as a “blueprint for action” and has committed to ensuring all long term care residents live in dignity and have the highest possible quality of life.

5. Ageism and Advocacy

Seniors Advocate

Mandatory Retirement

Public Education

The government’s long-term care reform strategy includes the establishment of a third party advocate for families and residents.

Ted McMeekin M.P.P. has recently asked the Minister of Labour, theHonourable Christopher Bentley, to examine the issue of mandatory retirement with the intent to eliminate the practice. The Minister responded that conversations with Ontarians would occur in summer 2004 with the introduction of legislation to follow.

The Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat continues to promote seniors throughout Ontario. Seniors’ Month and the D-Day celebrations of June 6, 2004 have served to highlight the unique and vital contributions seniors made, and are making, on a local, provincial and national level.