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Political Advocacy Committee (PAC)

Political Advocacy Committee

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Our Mission

Our mission is to inform you, our members, about political issues that are crucial to you and your future. We do this by collecting and sharing information about concerns that are vital to retired teachers and all seniors. Central to our mandate is to advocate on your behalf by bringing our concerns to the attention of our elected representatives, and to encourage you to do the same. The COVID-19 pandemic has made long-term care in Ontario and across Canada our special focus at this time.

Our PAC Terms of Reference

  1. To identify and monitor external organizations and issues related to retirees, seniors and pensioners and to recommend initiatives to the District 27 Council or Executive.
  2. To monitor the provincial education system as it relates to RTOERO Policies and to recommend initiatives to the District 27 Council or Executive.
  3. To identify and provide issues, strategies and resources related to District 27 advocacy including federal, provincial and municipal elections.
  4. To cooperate with the provincial Political Advocacy Committee and other District Political Advocacy Committees.
  5. To monitor legislative agenda related to defined benefit pension plans that may affect any pension plans of our current or prospective members and to make recommendations to the District 27 Council or Executive.
To see our Provincial PAC terms of reference click on this link


The Issues - Most Recent Postings


The Report of the Auditor General of Ontario
December 1, 2021

The Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
Annual Report

“Our work holds the organizations we audit accountable for their operations, helping to ensure that Ontarians receive the most benefit possible from Ontario’s public programs and services.”

Bonnie Lysyk (MBA, FCPA, FCA, LPA), Auditor General.
You can reach us by telephone at (416) 327-2381, or call our public inquiry line at (416) 314-5772. You can also email us at comments@auditor.on.ca.

Posted on January 19, 2022

This report makes excellent reading. It is not a dry document for specialists! All citizens of Ontario, especially seniors, should at least browse through it.

Explore the report at:
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arbyyear/ar2021.html

Below are some highlights from the report:

News Release: Ontario Has Programs To Help People Who Need Assisted Living Services, But It Doesn’t Know If They Work: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_newsreleases/2021_news_AR_AssistedLiving.pdf

Audit at a Glance: Assisted Living Services
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_summaries/2021_summary_AR_AssistedLiving.pdf

The Report in Detail: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en21/AR_AssistedLiving_en21.pdf

News Release: Stroke and Cardiac Emergency Treatment in Ontario Should be Faster and Better: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_newsreleases/2021_news_AR_Cardiac.pdf

Audit at a Glance: Cardiac Disease and Stroke Treatment
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_summaries/2021_summary_AR_Cardiac.pdf

The Report in Detail: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en21/AR_Cardiac_en21.pdf

News Release: Ontarians are Still Waiting Too Long for Outpatient Surgery: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_newsreleases/2021_news_AR_Outpatient.pdf

Audit at a Glance: Outpatient Surgeries
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/news/21_summaries/2021_summary_AR_Outpatient.pdf

The Report in Detail: Auditor General
https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en21/AR_Outpatient_en21.pdf


Final Report of the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission

Posted on May 10, 2021

Some official reports are boring to read, but there is nothing dull about this one. It is intensely interesting and written in a clear and lively style. The Commission has produced a complete account of the tragedy that occurred in long-term care homes during the pandemic. The report also explains how chronic weaknesses in our long-term care system caused this tragedy and tells us what we need to do about it. All of its pages will fascinate you. Others will leave you saddened, touched or angry, but with a much better understanding of long-term care in Ontario. Everyone should read it.

The full report is still being translated into French, but the Executive summary of the report and its recommendations are at the links below.

Executive Summary
http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/fr/report/pdf/Sommaire.pdf

Recommendations
http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/fr/report/pdf/Chapitre_5-Recommandations.pdf

The English version of the full report is available on the Commission website at:
http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/fr/report/pdf/Commission_ontarienne_d_enquete_sur_la_COVID-19_dans_l.pdf


Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
COVID-19 Preparedness and Management

Special Report on Pandemic Readiness and Response in Long-Term Care, April 2021

https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/specialreports/specialreports/COVID-19_ch5readinessresponseLTC_en202104.pdf


Canadian Medical Association (CMA)


French Health Network

The French Health Network of Central Southwestern Ontario, known as Réseau franco-santé du Sud de l’Ontario (RFSSO), is a non-profit organization. As a leader in networking and analysis, the Réseau creates opportunities for collaboration to help develop more accessible French health services and respond to the needs of Francophones in tangible ways.

https://francosantesud.ca/en/best-practices/a-guide-for-planning-and-providing-francophone-long-term-care-services/


Safe Restart Agreement

The Safe Restart Agreement (SRA) is a federal investment of more than $19 billion to help provinces and territories safely restart their economies and make our country more resilient to possible future surges in cases of COVID-19. This investment will help address the key priorities, agreed to by Canada’s First Ministers, for the safe restart of Canada’s economy over the next six to eight months.

https://www.canada.ca/en/intergovernmental-affairs/services/safe-restart-agreement.html


Long-Term Care
Looking beyond COVID-19

Posted on April 12, 2021

Experts in long-term care, Dr. Paula Rochon, Dr. Nathan Stall and Barbara Miszkiel urge the following building standards for LTC homes.

1. Private rooms to lower anxiety, improve sleep and reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
2. Smaller groupings of only 10 to 12 residents per floor. Residents with dementia do better in smaller social groupings.
3. Spaces that increase social interaction and stimulation.

Long-term care homes designed on these principles were far more effective in controlling COVID-19.

Read their article, ‘Rebuilding long-term care from the ground up" at the link below.
> rtoero.ca/rebuilding-long-term-care-from-the-ground-up/


Seniors in Long-Term Care
Vibrant Voices asks you to send a message

The tragedy in long-term care is an issue we care deeply about. A personal email to your elected representative can be a powerful tool for change.

We urge you to complete the form at the link below to send a message today to your Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The message form is at the bottom of the website.

> rtoero.ca/vibrant-voices/


Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission

The Commission will submit its final report on April 30, 2021. The link below is to the Commission’s website, which has links to its two interim reports. They are concise, packed with information, and essential reading for all of us.

> ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/index.html


A Comprehensive Overview of Long-Term Care in Ottawa

The Council on Aging of Ottawa calls for improvement in four important areas of care. Contains great links to further information. “…the COA’s Health Issues Committee recently reviewed the state of long-term care in Ottawa and concluded that long-term care was not working well for anyone – seniors, their families, and the staff who work in this sector. More visible than ever these days, the COVID-19 pandemic has tragically laid bare the many serious weaknesses in long-term care.”

> coaottawa.ca/committees/health/long-term-care-in-ottawa/


“We need change now”

The Council on Aging of Ottawa’s 2nd Open Letter to Premier Ford. October 28, 2020. “While COVID-19 forced everyone into crisis mode, the weaknesses in the LTC sector have been known for many years. The most critical need is for more staff. We need a strong recruitment and retention strategy bolstered by safe and supportive workplaces for LTC health workers.”

> coaottawa.ca/2nd-open-letter-to-premier-ford-re-government-of-ontarios-fall-preparedness-plans-for-health-and-long-term-care/


Long-term care homes in Canada: How many and who owns them?

“Overall, 54% of LTC homes in Canada are privately owned and 46% are publicly owned.”

This Canadian Institute for Health Information site is regularly updated and contains a huge amount of data on all aspects of health care in Canada.

> cihi.ca/en/long-term-care-homes-in-canada-how-many-and-who-owns-them


Ready to Act? Contact your elected official

A helpful guide to making your views known to our political representatives from The Council on Aging of Ottawa. This site is packed with information.

> coaottawa.ca/we-need-change-now/#ContactOfficial


How Does Canada Compare with Other Countries?

Pandemic Experience in the Long-Term Care Sector. How Does Canada Compare with Other Countries? Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information. June 2020.

> cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/covid-19-rapid-response-long-term-care-snapshot-en.pdf


PADD – Prevention, Awareness, Deterrence, and Detection

Public Inquiry into the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term Care Homes System. The Honourable Eileen E. Gillese Commissioner. July 31, 2019. This report, with its 91 recommendations is a response to the killings of residents in LTC homes by one healthcare worker between 2007 and 2016. The report addresses a range of issues in long-term care.

> longtermcareinquiry.ca/en/final-report/


Facing Up to Canada’s Long-Term Care Policy Crisis

This site from the Institute for Research on Public Policy contains links to several articles about issues in long-term care in Canada. One of these articles addresses the need for greater federal/provincial co-operation, and calls for a system of national long-term care insurance.

> policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2020/facing-up-to-canadas-long-term-care-policy-crisis/


“Staffing is essential to meet the needs of all long-term care residents across Ontario”

Although long and detailed, this 2020 report is a great read. It gives a full picture of staffing issues in long-term care homes based on surveys and interviews with workers. Well worth the time it takes to read it.

> ontario.ca/page/long-term-care-staffing-study


Long-Term Care Homes Act 2007

This is the legislation that governs all aspects of the operation of long-term care homes in Ontario.

> ontario.ca/laws/regulation/100079