Are you interested in getting more involved with issues around your community? Is there a cause that I or my colleagues in caucus have taken up that you would like to get involved with? Then please consider taking a copy of a petition. Circulate it around your community, collect signatures, and then deliver it to my office. I will gladly pass on any petitions you bring me to Queen’s Park.
If you are interested in drafting your own petition, be sure to ensure it is properly formatted. You can find a guide to writing petitions on the Ontario Legislature’s website at http://www.ontla.on.ca/lao/en/getting-involved/petitions/.
Below, you will also find online versions of the petitions. While physical petitions are needed for presentation in the Ontario Legislature, please feel free to sign online as well to show your support on these issues.
Petition to legislate maximum temperature in long-term care
Support improving the quality care for Ontario long term care homes by legislating a maximum temperature.
Petition to Improve Long Term Care
Support improving the quality care for Ontario long term care homes by increasing minimum standards of care.
Petition to Stop Cuts to OSAP
Reverse the OSAP cuts, protect the existing tuition grants, and reinstate the six-month grace period after graduation.
Support Ontario Families with Autism
Invest in equitable, needs-based autism services for all children who need them.
Stop the Government’s Education Cuts
Stop the government from making cuts to classrooms and demand they invest in public education in Ontario.
Support Urgent Funding for Housing in London Ontario
Petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to invest in a provincial housing strategy, affordable housing, and supportive housing for those experiencing mental health issues; and we ask that the government immediately release emergency funds to London’s homelessness prevention system, including shelters, so that they are able to provide assistance to people in crisis.
Long-term care
On July 31, 2018, I introduced Bill 13, Time to Care Act.
If passed the bill would legislate that every resident should receive at least 4.1 hours of hands on care personal support or nursing services a day, adjusted for acuity.
Currently, residents receive an average of 2.75 hours according to some estimates, but by others, it's much lower. On average, a PSW has only 6-7 minutes to get a resident ready in the morning. This needs to change.
Especially in light of the pandemic, Time to Care would have been life-saving legislation.
The bill has wide-ranging support, including prominent academics, health and advocacy groups, all major unions and long-term care family councils across the province. The current government’s recent Staffing Advisory Report and Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission also endorsed 4.1 hours of care per resident per day.
4.1 hours for every resident would mean:
- Homes would no longer be understaffed
- Staff would have time to engage residents in their hobbies and interests
- Family caregivers could be certain their loved one was was receiving quality care
On October 29, 2020, Time to Care Act passed at Second Reading with unanimous support.
But this is just the first step. There's still a long way to go before 4.1 hours of care becomes enshrined in law.
Sign the petition and pass it around your networks to join the fight for better care. As always, you can stay in the loop by reaching out to my office