HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GET MAD

We get governments to take concrete, specific, urgent action. And we have big plans for 2022! Here’s just one example:

When covid devastated Ontario’s woefully unprepared nursing homes, C.A.R.P. demanded that the Premier replace the Minister of

Long-Term Care and the highly paid bureaucrats presiding over the mess.

Over 8,000 people signed our online petition.

We produced a booklet summarizing our petition results and making specific demands for future action.

We presented it to the Premier and all MPPS. You can download a digital copy at CARP.ca/MinisterPhillips.

The government responded. In a cabinet shuffle, the Minister was replaced. So was the Deputy Minister. Then the new Minister announced a doubling of nursing home inspectors and increased fines for homes that failed inspections – two actions we had specifically demanded. There were also commitments to increasing staff and guaranteeing more hours of personal care for residents.

Here’s what’s next for 2022:

• Fixing the healthcare system

Covid ruthlessly exposed the weaknesses in our overall healthcare system – hallway medicine, long wait times, uneven access to best-in-class medicines, lack of full funding of the most effective vaccines. Enough is enough. No provincial government should feel safe from the dissatisfaction of C.A.R.P. and our members!

• Making home care a priority component of long-term care

It’s time to get serious about home care. We want to see more financial support for caregivers (like a Caregiver Tax Credit or rebates to ensure all caregivers are treated equally), plus more investment in “living in place” technology and telehealth.

• Improving financial security

Even without the terrible effects of inflation, there are weaknesses all over the financial landscape. We want increased protection for defined benefit pensioners, enhanced pension protection to reduce the risk of pensions failing, and more attention to housing affordability.