Ontario funding for local retirement homes for infection prevention

Fourteen retirement homes in Bay of Quinte will share $477,309 in provincial funding for infection prevention and containment as part of a $30-million program, announced Todd Smith, MPP for Bay of Quinte.

The investment is to help the retirement home sector cover continuing COVID-19-related costs such as hiring, training and testing additional staff, and sanitizing residences and purchasing supplies to prevent and contain the spread of infection. This funding is in addition to $30.9 million the province provided retirement homes earlier in the pandemic.

“Seniors are relying on us to keep them safe in their homes during this pandemic. With today’s announcement, retirement home operators can take additional precautions to ensure their safety without passing on the related costs,” said Smith. “That’s an added comfort for these residents and their families as we push to complete their vaccinations over the coming weeks.”

The specific allocations for Bay of Quinte are as follows:
Arabella Retirement Living $49,396.04; Carriage House Retirement Residence $19,565.82; Chartwell Bayview Retirement Residence $30,955.54; Eden Place Retirement $24,989.50; Fraser House Retirement Home $18,209.90; Maple Manor Residence $27,972.52; MLP Residence $31,769.09; Quinte Gardens Retirement Residence $79,226.27; Seasons Dufferin Centre $49,396.04; The Bridge Street Retirement Residence $32,040.28; The Carrington Retirement $25,531.86;
The Crown Ridge Retirement Residence $32,582.64; The Maples of Picton$17,938.71;
The Richmond Retirement Residence $37,735.14.

Ontario has more than 770 licensed retirement homes, with 66,000 residents, many run by small operators.

To date, more than 56,000 residents and 23,000 workers in retirement homes have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and of them over 35,000 residents and 15,000 staff have received both doses.

On March 24, the government will release its 2021 Ontario Budget. It will focus on protecting people’s health, with a plan to defeat COVID-19, and support for people and jobs.