QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement after the report on staffing shortages in long-term care was released:
“We cannot wait for the inquiry to fix the staffing crisis in long-term care.
This report makes clear that our system is hanging by a thread, with frontline staff who are underpaid and burning out.
Ontario will simply move from one preventable tragedy to the next if the government maintains skeleton staffing ratios and inadequate standards of care.
The Government should put care over cost cutting and immediately invest the $1.6 billion needed to increase direct care to 4 hours per resident per day.
If the Premier continues to ignore the staffing problem that is central to the 1800 COVID-19 deaths, then the care and dignity of our elders will continue to be in peril.”