Mantha’s News from the Park
Algoma-Manitoulin NDP MPP Michael Mantha
This week, Ontario’s Auditor General issued a report detailing the failings of the Wynne Liberals when it comes to home care across the province.
An audit was conducted of 14 Community Care Access Centres (CCAC’s) across the province. It concluded that of the $2.4 billion in tax dollars that is spent each year on CCAC’s, over $900 million never finds its ways to patient’s homes to provide the care that is so desperately needed.
In Algoma-Manitoulin, a number or rural communities rely on homecare because larger centres are not as available as they are in urban areas.
The Auditor General made it clear that there are no standards to guarantee access, guarantee quality of care or service levels. None of the work that is the responsibility of the government has been done. Yet we see private contractor CEOs making over $1 million a year while PSWs take home about $20,000 a year.
The report also indicated that the Ministry of Health never looked at the value for the money spent in home care. The Ministry doesn’t have best practices for homecare and it is clear that the system is broken and the government is failing patients across this province.
In other news, this Thursday the OPP laid criminal charges against senior Liberal operative Gerry Lougheed Jr. in the Sudbury bribery scandal. The NDP called on the Premier to be honest with Ontarians about who gave Mr. Lougheed the order to make the job offer that resulted in these serious charges.
Mr. Lougheed is accused of offering a bribe to the former Sudbury Liberal candidate so that he would step aside and allow Glenn Thibeault to run uncontested. The Premier has so far refused to accept any responsibility for her role or the role of the Liberal Party of Ontario.
It’s clear on the recordings of Mr. Lougheed that he says he was acting “on behalf of the Premier.” So who gave him the order? Who told him to make that job offer? Ontarians want answers.
The Premier has done everything she can to protect her Liberal friends, but she has a responsibility to the people of Ontario to be honest about what role she played in this scandal. It shouldn’t take a judge for her to do what’s right.
As always, please feel free to contact my office about this issue, or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at 705-461-9710/1-800-831-1899.
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
