A good example of this role would be the recent "slush fund" scandal that has been widely publicized. Finally, after three weeks of pressure and 286 questions during Question Period, the McGuinty Liberals have agreed with the Opposition's repeated call for a review of this matter by the Auditor General. The circumstances around this year-end $32M spending spree of public dollars must be held to the test of full transparency and accountability.

Ontarians will head to the polls in just under five months and John Tory and the Ontario PC Party are beginning to roll out pieces of the upcoming election platform. While our full policy will be released in June, John Tory has already announced the Progressive Conservative vision on six important policy platforms. In this week's column, I would like to highlight our commitment to providing quality long-term care

The future of reliable, world-class long-term care services for Ontario seniors are at risk as a result of Dalton McGuinty's broken promises. In the space of a generation, the number of people over 75 in Ontario will double.

During the 2003 election, the McGuinty Liberals promised to build a strategy for seniors that would, “guarantee our seniors will be treated with respect and dignity.” Meanwhile 35,000 long-term care residents – close to 50 per cent of the entire resident population - continue to live in homes that meet design standards from 1972.

Ontario's long-term care deficit continues to grow. As of October 2006, there were more than 18,000 people on a waiting list for a long-term care bed. This is an increase of more than 4,000 people from October 2005. Locally, we have seen that patients who are waiting for a long-term care bed are currently occupying 25% of the acute care beds at the Cornwall Community Hospital. I understand that the percentage at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital is even higher.

Investment in long-term care is not a one-time thing. While Dalton McGuinty has refused to continue any investment in long-term care, the first component of a PC Government plan for comprehensive long-term care will:

• Upgrade the remaining 35,000 lower standard long-term care spaces to the highest ‘A’ level standard;
• Eliminate three and four-bed wards;
• Ensure all long-term care residents have the dignity of an en-suite bathroom and wheelchair accessible halls;
• Ensure all long-term care residents have the opportunity to sleep, eat and spend time with their families in a comfortable environment that provides relative privacy and the dignity they deserve.
• Work with the Ontario Medical Association to provide incentives for doctors to work on long-term care teams;
• Ensure Bill 140 does not hinder front-line care by imposing additional administrative regulations; and
• Further address how home care and similar supports can be strengthened.

Additional policy updates on issues such as helping children with autism, protecting homeowners, protecting the environment, reducing toxins and one law for all, can be found on my site at www.ChrisSavard.ca