From Queen’s Park: Ontario invests in Osgoode Care Centre, local retirement homes

4 min read March 27, 2021

By Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari

The health and well-being of the residents of Carleton, Ottawa & Ontario is my top priority. Please visit my website for the latest information & updates from the Government of Ontario, as well as information regarding upcoming virtual town hall meetings & public consultations.

Recent updates include:

Ontario provides more choice and flexibility for prospective nursing students;
Ontario making it easier to administer rapid Covid-19 testing in the workplace;
Ontario taking further steps to support integrated patient care;
Ontario businesses making workplaces safer; and
Ontario expands financial assistance to include micro-credentials

NEWS FROM QUEEN’S PARK

As of March 18, more than 1.3 million vaccines have been administered in Ontario. Phase one of the vaccination process now includes seniors over the age of 80, who are now able to book appointments to receive the vaccine. Ontario continues to expand capacity and increase efforts for phase two of the rollout, which is expected to begin in April. Ontario’s plan for distribution and administration of the vaccine can be found at Ontario.ca/CovidVaccine, or contact the Covid-19 hotline at 1-833-784-4397. To book an appointment please visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ or call 1-888-999-6488.

ONTARIO MAKES HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN LONG-TERM CARE, INCLUDING THE OSGOODE CARE CENTRE

The Ontario government is making an historic investment in 80 new long-term care projects, including the Osgoode Care Centre. The Osgoode Care Centre, located in Metcalfe, is being allocated 60 new spaces and 70 upgraded spaces. The project will involve renovation and addition and will result in a 160-bed home in Metcalfe.

This is incredible news for the residents of Carleton, and in particular the communities of Metcalfe, Greely, Osgoode, and surrounding areas. Carleton is home to a large population of seniors who have lived and worked in their communities their entire lives. Many have been waiting for accessible long-term care beds that are closer to home, so that they can continue to be active and involved in their communities. This funding will enable the Osgoode Care Centre to build new beds and redevelop its existing beds, which in turn will provide more opportunities for seniors, their caregivers, family and friends, to remain close together.

These spaces are part of the government’s delivery of 30,000 much-needed long-term care spaces over ten years.

In addition to modernizing the long-term care sector, these projects will help reduce waitlists and end hallway medicine. Province-wide, these investments also support key government priorities, including eliminating three and four bed ward rooms, creating campuses of care and providing new spaces for Indigenous, Francophone and other cultural community residents.

ONTARIO PROVIDES ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FOR RETIREMENT HOME RESIDENTS AND STAFF

The Ontario government is investing $30 million to help the retirement home sector cover COVID-19 related costs such as hiring, training and testing additional staff, and sanitizing residences and purchasing supplies to prevent and contain the spread of infection. This funding is in addition to the $30.9 million that the province provided retirement homes earlier in the pandemic.

Seven homes in Carleton will be receiving over $290,000 in funding to help cover Covid-19 related PPE costs to assist with infection prevention and control measures:

Hazeldean Gardens Retirement Residence – $62,412.87
Manotick Place Retirement Community – $46,413.02
Orchard Walk Retirement Living – $48,853.68
Richmond Care Home – $19,837.00
Richmond Lodge – $16,582.80
Stittsville Villa – $35,023.30
Wildpine Residence – $64,039.97

Ontario has more than 770 licensed retirement homes and many are run by small operators who urgently need the government’s support to deal with rising costs related to fighting COVID-19. Ontario’s retirement homes have been working cooperatively with public health officials across the province to ensure best practices are being followed to prevent and control COVID-19 and to help get residents and staff vaccinated.

Under the leadership of General (Ret’d) Rick Hillier, Ontario’s three-phase vaccination plan is making steady progress. To-date over 56,000 residents and over 23,000 workers in retirement homes have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and of them over 35,000 residents and 15,000 staff have received both doses.

OFFICE NOTICE:

In an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus, our Constituency Office went virtual on March 16, 2020. Our location will remain closed until further notice. We are still open & working during regular office hours to answer your calls & emails. If you require assistance on any matter, please contact me at any time. It’s why I’m here. Even if it’s not a provincial issue, I’ll make sure to connect you with the proper office.

– Goldie
Your voice at Queen’s Park