Ontario bill will protect bad actors in long-term care homes, advocates say [Video]

The Ontario government is proposing restricting public access to long-term care (LTC) home inspection reports — a move advocates say will protect bad actors in the sector. 

Currently, all LTC home inspection reports are posted online. But under the proposal, contained within a bill tabled last week by Minister of Red Tape Reduction Andrea Khanjin, the reports would be published for three years before being removed from the website. 

“It’s very clear here that it’s to shield the bad reputations of repeated bad actors in long-term care from having their records of non-compliance being made visible,” said Vivian Stamatopoulos, a professor at Ontario Tech University and long-term care advocate, in an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday. 

Over 30,000 reports are currently available online, dating back over 15 years, including for homes that are no longer operational, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

The ministry will continue maintaining reports outside the three-year time period, and reports will …