People in Ontario want to age at home. They do not want to move into a long-term-care home. We know how to support people in their own homes, where they want to be. We have the knowledge, we have the skills, but frail, elderly Ontarians face a broken home care system. In Ontario, for-profit home care companies are more interested in making a profit than in providing people the care they need in order to stay home safely and respectfully.

A personal support worker was in my office a few days ago asking how he can continue to service the clients in Dowling and Onaping, two northern rural areas of my riding, after Canadian Shield cut his mileage in half, to 25 cents a kilometre. Most home care workers do not get paid between clients. In my riding, they will drive for 30 or 45 minutes between clients, all on their own time, for 25 cents a kilometre. It doesn’t matter how hard they work; it is impossible to make enough money to survive.

Many PSWs love their clients. They are good at what they do, but they have no choice but to leave the home care system in order to feed their kids and pay their rent. Right now, ParaMed, a for-profit home care company, is withholding money that the government sent for PSWs in order to gain concessions from their PSWs. This is happening under this government’s watch. It is a shame.