Provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the province was caught off guard — but shouldn't have been — when the pandemic hit almost a year ago.
Horwath held a Facebook virtual town hall last night to discuss long-term care in Barrie and across the province.
Before the meeting, BarrieToday spoke with the leader of the Official Opposition, who said she was surprised by what she sees as Premier Doug Ford’s mishandling of the situation.
“The biggest shock is the complete lack of preparedness,” said Horwath. “It's not like the government wasn’t told about these issues. They were.
"There are lessons to be learned here and for the sake of the people of Roberta Place and all long-term care homes, we can’t wait any longer," she added.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the COVID-19 numbers at Roberta Place on Essa Road in Barrie have remained steady, which has been the case for the last six days. There are no current resident cases and no new deaths since Feb. 4.
Roberta Place community relations co-ordinator Stephanie Barber told BarrieToday this morning there are still 13 active cases among staff/team members at the facility.
Since the outbreak was declared Jan. 8 by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, there have been 70 deaths attributed to the home, including 66 residents, three probable deaths linked to the virus, and one essential caregiver.
Amidst the grief and mourning for those who have died, there's also the frustration some have that the provincial government did not act quick enough to help those inside the home.
The Red Cross, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH) have all been in the Roberta Place assisting for the past few weeks, but it's believed more staffing was needed to help curb the effects of the virus once it infiltrated the facility.
On last night's virtual town hall meeting, a Barrie resident named Sydney, who identified herself as a nursing student and part-time personal support worker (PSW) in a private long-term care home, said she was concerned with the lack of pay for PSWs.
Sydney said she made $16 an hour at a private home, while she was offered $27.68 at a municipally run home in York Region.
Horwath addressed the staffing issue. She said making a PSW's job more attractive to people was needed through better pay.
“Getting the wages up is one of the most important things to ensure it is a job that is seen as a career, not just something to try to pay the bills,” said Horwath. “You can’t pay the bills on a PSW salary.”
