To reply, the Minister of Long-Term Care.

The supplementary question.

I appreciate the question from the member. The member will know, in particular with respect to Bill 7, we had had acute-care facilities across this country for many, many, many years asking that in particular long-term care become a partner in helping to address ALC issues. For many years we could not do that because the investments were not made in long-term care. But that changed in 2018 when the government made significant investments—over $13 billion—in long-term care. We’re doing them across the province, in urban, rural and remote communities.

I was up in Kenora with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. We were reviewing the potential allocation of a new long-term-care home there.

But at the same time, Bill 7 helps ensure better care for people closer to home. I think that the honourable member would agree that it is in our best interest to work to ensure that people who are in hospital get the best quality of care possible—

To reply, the Minister of Long-Term Care.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite. The member will know, of course, that the licence extension was up for review. Consultations and community input closed—I believe it was on October 18. The ministry is currently undertaking a review of those comments, and we will come back to the House when a decision has been made.

Ultimately, what we’re doing is building a long-term-care system in the province of Ontario that we can be proud of. That is why we have North America-leading levels of care, four hours of care per resident per day, the highest number of inspectors-per-home ratio in the country and over 58,000 new and upgraded beds across the province, so that we can be proud of our long-term-care system. We’re getting it done.

The ultimate goal of our systems, whether it is in long-term care, whether it is in community and congregate care settings, is to provide the utmost level of care to ensure that people who are committed into our care are treated respectfully. When that is not the case, like we do in long-term care, we take action, and we will do that. Again, I thank the honourable member for that very important question.

The long-term-care sector is facing increased capacity pressures. As of April 2022, there were approximately 39,000 people on the wait-list for a long-term-care bed. While seniors wait to be placed in a long-term-care home, their health care needs often fall to their spouses, children and other loved ones.

Speaker, families and friends are excellent at providing love and support, but most are not health care practitioners, and they cannot provide the same level of care as one.

Speaker, what is the Minister of Long-Term care doing to ensure our seniors receive the care they need right now?