The next Ontario government must stop repeating the current mistake of funding new long-term care homes built by companies with bad records.

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I believe December 2024 took the prize for the most demoralizing reports to-date of neglect, abuse and reprisal in the Ontario long-term care sector. All made me wonder: What is it going to take to sort it all out?

Some argue that resolving this mess would require a massive investment of money the Ontario government doesn’t have. The reality, though, is that millions of taxpayer dollars have been awarded to private, for-profit, long-term care corporations, without any evidence of a corresponding improvement in the quality of care.

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It may be commendable to provide funding for the construction of new, more modern homes to resolve capacity issues, but it’s far from a complete solution. If the level of care within these new homes is no better than what we’ve seen in the older facilities, are we really making progress?

One example of misplaced taxpayer dollars is Extendicare, a Canadian corporation that offers housing and care to seniors. Extendicare has been one of the main beneficiaries of Ontario government funding in recent years, and in May of 2024, the minister of Long-Term Care and Extendicare executives proudly announced the opening of the newly built Extendicare Countryside care home in Sudbury.

The new facility was described as a modernized and comfortable home that would provide residents with an improved quality of life. The positive vibes didn’t last long, however. In the months following the opening, numerous complaints were made by residents and family members about the substandard level of care offered at the facility.

These concerns were supported by multiple citations for non-compliance issued to the home from September to December 2024, by the........

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