Provincial government refuses to answer more questions on controversial long-term care law

As the NDP pushes back on the province's controversial long-term care legislation — which they say "penalizes" some of the most vulnerable — the government has refused to answer further questions about the policy. 

Earlier this week, CBC News exclusively reported that seven people have been charged fees under Ontario's long-term care law — Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act. The policy, which fully came into effect November 2022, allows hospitals to charge patients $400 a day if they refuse to go to a long-term care bed chosen on their behalf. 

The Ministry of Health told CBC News Tuesday that seven people have been billed since the legislation came into effect. But the government only came forward with this information after CBC News told the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care that it had seen an invoice paid by a Chatham resident last year for $5,200. 

At a news conference Friday about classroom additions made to a Leamington school, Chatham-Kent-Leamington PC MPP Trevor Jones did not want to speak with CBC News about the issue. 

Jones said CBC News should refer to the statement that the Ministry of Health had provided it earlier in the week, and said that the event wasn't the place to answer more questions about this. 

CBC News also asked the Ministry of Health about where in the province people had received charges, how much people had paid and what hospitals do with the revenue — but it did not respond to our questions.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Minister of Health spokesperson Hannah Jensen said, "Due to personal health information and privacy, the Ministry cannot comment on who has been charged by a hospital under Bill 7." 

Following an unrelated press conference in Windsor Friday, Windsor West NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky said her government never agreed with Bill 7 "for the very reasons we are seeing come to fruition." 

She said it's "really hard to believe" that the government didn't know people were being charged thousands of dollars under the legislation. 

"We have great concerns that that particular bill, that particular legislation, will be abused and that people will be deeply impacted, not just financially, but mentally or potentially medically, physically in some of these homes," Gretzky said. 

"And if the province isn't tracking that, then how can they correct it? How can they correct it if there is a problem?" 

Gretzky added that she would like to see the government invest in hospital staff, so that there are more available to oversee beds. She also said that many people want to be able to grow old at home, but that the government also isn't investing in home care. 

"These are some of the things that the government really could be taking care of, rather than bringing forward legislation that really penalizes the people that need support the most," she said. 

Last month, the Ministry of Long-Term Care confirmed that 293 alternate level of care patients were admitted to homes that they didn't choose between September 2022 and January of this year.