Political Advocacy Committee | RTO/ERO District 27

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.

THE ISSUES - MOST RECENT POSTINGS

Solving the Municipal Housing Problem Means Providing Affordable and Accessible Options for Older Adults

Jun 2, 2022
Source: The Council on Aging of Ottawa

> DETAILS HERE

This long-term care home radically changed the way it operates. Residents say it's working

2022 11 23
Source: CBC News

> DETAILS HERE

RTOERO signs joint letter expressing concern over Bill 7 in Ontario

Bill 7 amends the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, to authorize the admission and transfer of patients currently occupying an Alternative Level of Care (ALC) bed in a hospital to a long-term care home without their consent. This means individuals can be moved to a long-term care home they haven’t chosen and may be moved a greater distance from their family and social supports.

Source: RTOERO Vibrant Voices

> DETAILS HERE

Ottawa hospitals need to hire 3000 more staff each year to deal with record turnover and resignations, increased patient needs and rising paramedic offload delays

From The Canadian Union of Public Employees, Sep 13, 2022

> DETAILS HERE

“Rife with discrimination against the elderly,” Bill 7 prompts advocates to escalate call for Human Rights Commission investigation into systemic ageism in Ontario health policy

From The Canadian Union of Public Employees, August 31, 2022

> DETAILS HERE

RTOERO Provincial Advocacy Page

We speak up on issues that affect Canadians – at any age

> DETAILS HERE

How to advocate for issues that matter to you

> DETAILS HERE

Find your Mayor and City Councillors

Mayor and City Councillors
Find your ward and Councillor
Source: The City of Ottawa

> DETAILS HERE

Find your Member of the Provincial Legislature

Find your MPP on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario website.
Source: Government of Ontario

> FIND YOUR MPP

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

> See the April, 2021 Special Newsletter entirely devoted to Long Term Care

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.

> Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission: final report and progress on interim recommendations

> Ontario's COVID-19 Final Report - Download PDF copy

> National Standards for Long-Term Care Discussion Paper

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)

National Standards for Long-Term Care Discussion Paper

https://policybase.cma.ca/en/viewer?file=%2fdocuments%2fPolicyPDF%2fPD21-02.pdf#phrase=false

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

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/

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

Our PAC Terms of Reference

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.
To monitor the provincial education system as it relates to RTOERO Policies and to recommend initiatives to the District 27 Council or Executive.
To identify and provide issues, strategies and resources related to District 27 advocacy including federal, provincial and municipal elections.
To cooperate with the provincial Political Advocacy Committee and other District Political Advocacy Committees.
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

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