Ontario poised to boost fines for long-term care homes without air conditioning

Thegovernment of Premier Doug Ford is looking to change some of the rules governing long-term care homes, including slapping higher fines on facilities that don't have air conditioning in place by this summer, CBC News has learned.

Homes that are not complying with the province's requirements for air conditioning in all resident rooms could face fines of up to $25,000 starting in mid-May, according to proposed new regulationsfrom the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

Until now, the biggest finehanded out against a non-compliant homehas been $1,100. Two homes were fined that amount last August: McCormick Home in London and Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia.

Other proposed changes would remove or loosenthe educational or training requirements for certain staff.

The proposalsare to be posted online starting Friday for 30 days of consultation. Ministry officials provided CBC News an advance copy.

The posting says the proposed changes respond to recommendations from "a range of stakeholders, including the voices of residents and families."

The posting says changing the job qualification ruleswould give homes more flexibility in hiring without compromising residents' safety or quality of life.

For instance, the current regulations require cooks and other food service workers to hold minimum levels of educationand training. The changes would allow homes to hire food service staff who don't have those qualifications but have relevant work experience.

Another change would eliminate the current rule that each home's lead staff member for laundry, housekeeping or maintenance must have post-secondary education.

Ford firstpromisedto mandate air conditioning in all long-term care homes back in the summer of 2020, inresponseto CBC News reporting of sweltering conditions in some homes.

This came soon after long-term care residents were battered by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was two years later before the requirement that all resident rooms have air conditioning took effect, in June of 2022.

Last summer, 90 homes were still failingto comply with the mandate.

Ministry officials now saythat 94 per cent of the province's long-term care homes meet the air conditioning standards, and that the 30 homes that don't are working toward compliance.