Archive for the ‘Child & Family’ Category

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The problem with profits: As Ontario’s long-term-care homes stagger under a COVID death toll of more than 3,000, some say it’s time to shut down for-profit homes for good

Monday, February 1st, 2021

The for-profit sector isn’t one sector. It never has been, really. Instead, it’s a wild mix of large chains, family-run companies and a new breed of equity-backed turnaround projects targeted for hefty returns. The risk now, as Ontario locks in new 30-year deals with private operators for new homes… Ontario could end up creating a system that’s even worse than the one we had before.

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The Ford government needs to treat child care as the essential service it is

Monday, February 1st, 2021

Ontario was one of the first provinces last spring to offer emergency workers free, around-the-clock child care with enhanced safety protocols. But since then, the Ford government has reverted to type… Many have had enough… more than 200 centres across the province have closed since the spring – at least 133 of them permanently… A child care crisis… does not bode well… for the province to “build back better” once the health crisis lifts.

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For-profit or not, there aren’t any shortcuts to decent long-term care

Saturday, January 30th, 2021

Collectively, through our taxes, we’re going to have to commit a lot more to ensure seniors can live in acceptable conditions. And we’re going to have to spend more on inspections to make sure homes live up to those standards — regardless who owns or runs them… there aren’t any shortcuts to the kind of long-term care that we can be proud of.

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It’s time to rethink long-term care for seniors

Monday, January 11th, 2021

To change the status quo requires a reimagined vision transforming “long-term care” into “networks of caring” that support seniors in living meaningful lives… the following ingredients are essential… Maximize each person’s capacities and compensate for deficits, fostering a sense of success and self-respect… emphasize flexible resources tailored for the person… help individuals and small groups develop supports for their LTC needs where they already live… if congregate LTC-type housing is needed, small and dispersed is good.

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A blueprint for action on long-term care

Monday, January 11th, 2021

… commit to vaccinating all long-term-care residents, staff and caregivers by Feb. 15… Ontario and Ottawa each to provide $100 million in emergency funds to hire additional long-term care staff and increase their wages… mandatory weekly inspections of long-term-care facilities and a rapid response task force of specialized health-care workers to respond to emergencies in homes… [and] dedicated provincial and federal ombuds to review all complaints from residents, their families and staff and to oversee strict new long-term-care standards that will ensure humane care for residents.

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Shining a light on the future of seniors’ care

Thursday, January 7th, 2021

… we propose a proactive, co-ordinated, and holistic model that considers the health-care needs of Canada’s rapidly aging population in tandem with seniors’ housing, lifestyle, and social needs… The predominant policy of meeting the needs of seniors continues to be to “warehouse” them in long-term care (LTC) homes… Not only are LTC-homes expensive for the health-care system, many seniors do not want to live there; they want to “age in place” by continuing to exercise their independence by living in the community they love.

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National child-care plan would accelerate post-COVID recovery

Sunday, January 3rd, 2021

… while most of the initiative and fiscal support for national ELCC is coming from Ottawa, provincial governments would benefit enormously from the new system. Provincial GDP would grow, tens of thousands of jobs would be created, and provincial revenues would grow by $8-14 billion per year… In the wake of COVID-19, Canada needs the economic benefits of high-quality, universal ELCC more urgently than ever. Investing in a national plan is an economic “no-brainer” that will pay for itself.

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Supreme Court sends signal to appellate courts on sexual assault rulings

Monday, December 14th, 2020

… the Supreme Court has sent a message to appellate courts that they should listen to lower-court judges who believe the complainant… Assessments of credibility (honesty) and reliability (accuracy) are central to the trial judge’s job. Appeal courts generally defer to these assessments because it is the trial judge who sits in court and hears directly from the witnesses. Witnesses do not testify at appeal courts.

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Liberals set to kick-start talks on new child-care system and funding, Hussen says

Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

… a national system could take years to create, including building new infrastructure to accommodate the more than two million spaces that are estimated to be needed for widespread coverage… The Liberals have promised $420 million to train and retain early childhood educators, the specifics of which will be subject to negotiations with provinces… provincial needs would determine how many staff get retained through wage increases, or students trained through the help of bursaries… current agreements could be used as a platform for a national system

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What if we were as serious about ending violence as ending the pandemic?

Tuesday, December 8th, 2020

At the beginning of the lockdowns, women found it difficult to flee their abusers; as lockdowns eased and they returned to shelters, workers noticed an escalation in the severity of violence they were reporting – more broken bones, more strangulation, more sexual violence… If this year has taught us anything, it’s our ability to work collectively to end a public health crisis. But we have to open our eyes first.

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