“While the McGuinty government maintains we have a 148 bed surplus that isn't what I've been hearing from the people I've spoken to over the last six months. And it isn't just about the number of beds, said Savard. “Dalton McGuinty’s failure to address capital renewal in Ontario’s older long-term care facilities means more than half of the elderly in long term care in the Three United Counties are in homes which do not meet provincial standards.”

The medical community is telling us that the Champlain LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) has the longest wait times in Ontario. With the population in SDG growing quicker than the provincial average that's more than unacceptable, said Savard. “That's the recipe for a long-term care crisis. The number of seniors needing long-term care is growing at an alarming rate. We don't need stop-gap measures. We need a plan that provides for care in the decades ahead.”

Dalton McGuinty has not allocated one single bed to this riding since forming a majority government in 2003 and the study indicates it will take 3 to 4 years for new beds to be available once allocations are made. “By then demand will have increased, the current facilities will be in even greater need of upgrade and the options to applicants further diminished,” Savard pointed out.

Leadership matters to the future of Ontario, added Savard. John Tory made long- term care, including sufficient home support to prevent the elderly from moving into long term care facilities prematurely, a corner stone of PC policy in April of this year.

“Seniors and their families deserve better.”