“Almost 4000 COVID related deaths in Long Term Care Homes in Ontario”
If this story has not caused you serious discomfort, then those of us who do care, who have acted, who have done something in regard to the story, feel very badly.
It is shameful how the Ontario provincial government allows the number of deaths in Ontario Long Term Care Homes to continue growing. Absolutely shameful.
Maltreatment stories
These are our people, old, ill and ageing alone, isolated and abandoned in what are supposed to be safe, secure and caring sanctuaries. The news stories about the treatment they are receiving are shameful. We treat abandoned dogs better. Old people banging on sidetables to draw attention to their needs; residents clanging on bed rails to ask for water and food; patients knocking on walls to ask for linen, bed clothing changes; inhabitants crying for caregivers to clean the beds of feces and urine.
Human rights violations
If these news stories have any truth to them, then maybe instead of feeling ashamed, we should be charged with human rights violations in the international court in the Hague.
But we may be guilty of other human rights violations nationally:
- de-culturalization of Indigenous peoples,
- permitting unsanitary and uninhabitable living conditions in Indigenous,
- unsatisfactory investigations into missing Indigenous women,
- inadequate medical assistance to drug addicted street people,
- pathetic policies relating to the homeless,
- systemic racialism,
- improper and poor response to the needs of the mentally ill
- poverty and continual growth of food bank use
just some areas of social concern
Placing blame on governments at any level is merely blowing in the wind. Often one level of government passes the blame buck to another with nothing constructive being done. Waiting for an election to bring politicians to account is buck passing again. The problems and deaths continue, in LTC homes, on our streets everywhere.
Some positive results have happened
The City of Pickering notified the Government of Ontario of the concerns their councillors had about Long Term Care in the province; previous Long Term Care ministers such as George Smitherman launched changes but these initiatives seem to have faded away. As to the councillors’ notification…the Ontario premier’s response, “Meh?”
Are you going to accept that response?
As important as what can ordinary citizens do is the question “Do you care enough to act at all?” If you do, there are actions you can take.
- Call or write to your MPP
- Call or write to your MP
- Call or write to the Office of the Prime Minister
- Call or write to the Office of the Premier
- Call or write to the Office of the Mayor in your city
How to contact politicians
With a little effort, contact links to politicians can be found on the Internet or even phone numbers to your City Hall:
Links that will help you contact politicians
Members of Parliament: CONTACT INFORMATION
Members of Ontario Legislature: CONTACT INFORMATION
Council office of City of Pickering: Ph 905 420 4605
Council office of City of Toronto: Ph 416 397 2489
Email the Mayor of Toronto: mayor_tory@toronto.ca
Email the Mayor of Pickering: mayor@pickering.ca
Is this you?
or this?
