Ontario Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton speaks during a news conference at Queen's Park, in Toronto, on May 27, 2020.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
The Ontario government says it won’t extend an inquiry into COVID-19’s deadly spread in long-term care homes after those leading the probe appealed for more time.
Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton says the inquiry’s final report and recommendations are still expected by April 30.
The commissioners heading the inquiry had written to Fullerton last month asking for an extension until Dec. 31, 2021 to complete their work.
Their letter, dated Dec. 9, 2020, noted delays in receiving government information relevant to the inquiry and the large amounts of data being collected.
top 15 hardest-hit Long-term Care Homes In
Ontario During The Second Wave Of The Virus
Deaths between mid-Sept. 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021
Long-term care home
Deaths
Tendercare Living Centre,
Scarborough
52*
Westside,
Etobicoke
41
Kennedy Lodge,
Scarborough
39
Grace Villa Nursing Home,
Hamilton
38
Sunnycrest Nursing Home,
Whitby
34
Tyndall Nursing Home,
Mississauga
34
Oakwood Park Lodge,
Niagara Falls
28
Craiglee Nursing Home,
Scarborough
26
Extendicare Laurier Manor,
Ottawa
26
Extendicare Starwood,
Ottawa
26
The Village at St. Clair,
Windsor
24
Faith Manor Nursing Home,
Brampton
23
Hawthorn Woods Care
Community, Brampton
23
Rockcliffe Care Community,
Scarborough
23
Thorntonview,
Ottawa
23
*While the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care released the figure
of 52 on Monday, North York General Hospital, which took over
management of Tendercare on Dec. 23, said 62 residents
have died as of Jan. 3.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SOURCE: Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care
top 15 hardest-hit Long-term Care Homes In
Ontario During The Second Wave Of The Virus
Deaths between mid-Sept. 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021
Long-term care home
Deaths
Tendercare Living Centre,
Scarborough
52*
Westside,
Etobicoke
41
Kennedy Lodge,
Scarborough
39
Grace Villa Nursing Home,
Hamilton
38
Sunnycrest Nursing Home,
Whitby
34
Tyndall Nursing Home,
Mississauga
34
Oakwood Park Lodge,
Niagara Falls
28
Craiglee Nursing Home,
Scarborough
26
Extendicare Laurier Manor,
Ottawa
26
Extendicare Starwood,
Ottawa
26
The Village at St. Clair,
Windsor
24
Faith Manor Nursing Home,
Brampton
23
Hawthorn Woods Care
Community, Brampton
23
Rockcliffe Care Community,
Scarborough
23
Thorntonview,
Ottawa
23
*While the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care released the figure of 52 on
Monday, North York General Hospital, which took over management of
Tendercare on Dec. 23, said 62 residents have died as of Jan. 3.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SOURCE: Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care
top 15 hardest-hit Long-term Care Homes In Ontario
During The Second Wave Of The Virus
Deaths between mid-Sept. 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021
Long-term care home
Deaths
Tendercare Living Centre,
Scarborough
52*
Westside,
Etobicoke
41
Kennedy Lodge,
Scarborough
39
Grace Villa Nursing Home,
Hamilton
38
Sunnycrest Nursing Home,
Whitby
34
Tyndall Nursing Home,
Mississauga
34
Oakwood Park Lodge,
Niagara Falls
28
Craiglee Nursing Home,
Scarborough
26
Extendicare Laurier Manor,
Ottawa
26
Extendicare Starwood,
Ottawa
26
The Village at St. Clair,
Windsor
24
Faith Manor Nursing Home,
Brampton
23
Hawthorn Woods Care
Community, Brampton
23
Rockcliffe Care Community,
Scarborough
23
Thorntonview,
Ottawa
23
*While the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care released the figure of 52 on Monday, North York
General Hospital, which took over management of Tendercare on Dec. 23, said 62 residents
have died as of Jan. 3.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care
But Fullerton – in a letter dated Dec. 23 and posted on the inquiry’s website Monday – replied that there is still a great need for timely information to inform decisions as the pandemic continues.
“The urgency of our situation has not changed,” she wrote. “The need for timely and focused advice is even more acute.”
Fullerton said the commissioners should focus on areas that require immediate action and highlight issues that warrant further government examination in their report.
Both letters were posted to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission’s website on Monday as the province reported 219 long-term care homes with active outbreaks.
That represents 35 per cent of all care homes in Ontario, with 1,160 residents and 1,140 staff members currently infected with the virus, according to provincial data.
The province says 11,369 long-term care residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.
The virus has killed 2,795 people living in long-term care homes, the province says, with 14 deaths reported on Sunday.
The commission flagged lack of provincial oversight and uneven management standards in an interim report on the grim situation last month.
The report pointed to a provincial decision in the fall of 2018 to end comprehensive inspections and a lack of enforcement when issues are found.
It found that fines and prosecutions are rarely applied on home operators, leaving a lack of urgency to address violations.
Dr. Kanna Vela has been treating COVID-19 patients in emergency departments in Ajax and Scarborough, Ontario for nearly 10 months. She lived apart from her family at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Receiving her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in late December has given Dr. Vela some hope for the months ahead as hospitals struggle to care for the rise in COVID-19 cases.
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