NDP Seniors and Housing Critic Lori Sigurdson issued the following statement in response to the UCP recently released report on continuing care:

“Tyler Shandro and the UCP failed to protect residents and staff in Alberta’s continuing care facilities during the deadliest parts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today, while Tyler Shandro is stripping Alberta families of the right to sue continuing care operators, he releases a report that will do almost nothing to improve the lives of Albertans in these facilities. 

“The recommendations in this report are totally disconnected from the UCP’s budget for continuing care, which increases at less than one per cent over the next two years, which is a real-world cut when considering inflation and population growth.

“He failed to bring in a workforce strategy to keep residents and staff safe. He continues to ignore calls for paid sick leave, which is an obvious and immediate step that would keep people safe.

“Many of the worst recommendations of the Ernst and Young AHS review, including privatization of Carewest and CapitalCare facilities, and nickel-and-diming of residents for basics like Tylenol, were on pause pending the release of this review. I am deeply concerned that we did not hear Shandro permanently reject these plans today.”