Health care advocates are criticizing the Ontario government for not providing any funding details in its budget for a key pledge to improve long-term care standards.
Both the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario and the Canadian Union of Public Employees say the promised four hours of care per day standard for long-term care residents will require serious investment.
But they point out that the key fiscal document – unveiled by Ford’s government Thursday – contains no spending estimates or detailed funding commitment.
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They say the government must show how it plans to pay for the measure and provide a detailed implementation strategy.
The government has promised the new standards as a way to address problems in long-term care homes, which have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Ford has said it will take until 2024-2025 to implement the measure because it will require the province to hire thousands of workers.
Long-term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton’s office could not immediately provide comment.
