The NDP says, not only has the province not operationalized the vague and unenforceable Program Guidelines for Special Care Homes, they still do not publicly report how they are being met on a facility-by-facility basis.
Official Opposition Critic for Seniors, Matt Love says, “Premier Moe and his government’s policy on seniors’ care in this province has been ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’.” He says, “Their treatment is nothing short of inhumane.”
Love says Saskatchewan is one of the only provinces in Canada that does not conduct unannounced inspections, and the province has no provincial care standards in place to protect residents.
By comparison, Newfoundland and Labrador conducted 1,400 visits of their long-term care facilities over a six-month period.
Love says the problem didn’t start this year. He says the Sask. Party government has been ignoring reports about this issue for over a decade. “Unfortunately,” Love says, “The consequences of those decisions were made fatal by this pandemic.”
The Saskatchewan NDP says it has been calling for years for changes to seniors’ care and for the implementation of recommendations provided by reports submitted by both the Provincial Auditor and Provincial Ombudsman. Some examples given by the party include:
• March 2014 – Tabled seniors bill of rights
• May 2020: – Call for minimum care standards to be implemented
• July 2020 – Call to appoint a seniors advocate
• October 2020 – Call for stay-at-home care
• November 2020 – Call to protect seniors in LTC from second wave
• February 2021 – Calls to end for-profit long-term care
Love and the Official Opposition are calling on Premier Moe and his government to immediately:
• Implement all outstanding recommendation from independent officers, including inspections of all LTC homes and publicly report conditions in each home
• Agree to the full implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations from her upcoming report within the year
• Provide the necessary funding to the sector to protect those most at risk in the pandemic
• Introduce legislation to reinstate minimum standards of care
• Act now to eliminate for-profit care in Saskatchewan
