Steph Paquette

Why is LifeLabs Allowed to Continually Fail Ontario’s Patients?

December 6, 2022

During question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health, whether LifeLabs is providing good service to Ontario’s patients?

“Linda Luyt from Sudbury is an endometrial cancer survivor. She requires annual PAP tests by her oncology team. She had her test done on October 18. Usually, it takes 3 sometimes up to 6 weeks for the results to come in, but last week, when she called her doctor, she was told results are now taking 6 months to come in.

Minister is 6 months an acceptable amount of time to wait for a cancer diagnostic test result?’’

A recent report from the CBC shows that women across Ontario are waiting months for results from PAP tests. The Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario confirms that private for profit laboratories are short-staffed.

“When cancer patients must wait six months for test results it often means much more intensive and expensive treatments as well as increased risk of harm. Ontario laboratory services are now dominated by LifeLabs, a private for-profit company. In my riding LifeLabs offers terrible customer service. They let frail elderly people wait outside in minus 20 weather, they have minimum staffing, minimum hours of operation and huge delays for test results.

Does the Minister agree that privatization, of our lab services, has made services worst?”

In her 2017 report Ontario’s Auditor General stated there was no provincial target, data collection or monitoring of wait times for laboratory services. She also stated that laboratory service providers set their own wait-time targets.

December 1, 2022

Minister Jones Must Protect Our Blood Supply

MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) rose in the legislature to make a statement on World AIDS Day, reminding the government of the Krever Commission and the importance of protecting Ontario and Canada’s blood supply.

“Speaker, today, December 1st is World AIDS Day. The most important message AIDS taught Canadians is the importance of protecting our blood supply. The AIDS virus in our blood supply unknowingly infected hundreds of Canadians who received blood transfusions in the 1980s, leading to the “Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada” better known as the Krever Inquiry. The report concluded “that blood is a public resource, that donors should not be paid, that Canada must increase self-sufficiency in all blood and blood products and that no part of the national blood operator’s duties should be contracted out.”

In 2014 a private company was preparing to open paid plasma collection centres in Toronto and Hamilton. Recognizing the threat, the previous government passed the Voluntary Blood Donations Act. I was proud to vote in favour of that bill, along with our current Minister of Health, Minister Jones and eight members of the current government, to shut these clinics down.

Now, 8 years later, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) has signed a deal with Grifols Pharmaceuticals that contracts out plasma collection to that for-profit company. We must remember the Canadians who got sick, all those who died and the recommendations of the Krever Inquiry. The Ontario Minister of Health is the lead supervisor of Canadian Blood Services. She has a duty to act right now to protect Ontarians and Canadians by shutting down this deal. For profit plasma collection put people’s lives at risk, will the Minister act now before it is too late.

It was announced in September that CBS had signed an agreement with Grifols, a company headquartered in Spain, to meet national targets for plasma supply by collecting paid-for plasma. In 2014, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, Minister of Housing Steve Clarke, Minister of Energy Todd Smith, Minister of Agriculture Lisa Thompson, Speaker of the House Ted Arnott, MPPs Bailey, Hardeman, Scott and Yakabuski all voted in favour of the Voluntary Blood Donations Act.

November 29, 2022

Ford Government’s Stalling on Emergency Services Leaves Ontarians Waiting

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Premier what Ontario was doing to improve emergency services across Ontario.

“Lately in the City of Greater Sudbury, 40% of a paramedic’s time is spent waiting to offload patients to Health Sciences North overcrowded emergency department. The City of Greater Sudbury is huge, if an ambulance and the paramedics are stuck at the hospital, that leaves the good people of Beaver Lake, Wahnapitae First Nation or Levack up to one hour away from emergency services.

Does the Premier think it is OK to leave the people of my riding waiting up to one hour for paramedical emergency care to arrive?’’ Gélinas asked.

Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services is responsible for seamless coverage of approximately 9,221 square kilometres and respond to about 32,000 calls per year. They provide pre-hospital care for illness and injury, community Paramedicine, medical assistance at large events and gatherings, community outreach and education.

“Paramedic effectiveness is directly linked to the quality of the dispatch system which sends them to the call. Did you know that Ontario is the only province that doesn’t have 911 everywhere? Every year in my riding people in distress find that out 911 is not available. The paramedics are there but you need to dial a 1-800 number that nobody knows.

When is the premier going to modernize our province’s emergency dispatch system to ensure 911 service is available everywhere in Ontario?”

A 2018 Coroner’s Jury Inquest recommended modernization of Ontario’s 9-1-1 system in the interest of saving lives; many areas in Ontario still require the dialing of a different 10-digit number to access fire, police or paramedic services.

November 28, 2022

$290 For a Child to Gain Access to a Physician is Wrong!

During question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health her rational for letting private enterprises charge high fees to people in order to gain access to physician’s phone consultations as emergency rooms are backlogged and overwhelmed?

“On November 21st, the government sent a letter directing Primary Care Organizations to offer clinical services 7 days a week, including evenings due to “high-volume pressures across our health system”. But starting this Thursday people with sick children will have to pay. Here is what Gail Kirk had to say: “I guess my Christmas presents to my 4-year-old granddaughter and my 4-month-old grandson will be a $290 annual subscription to KixCare. Gramma who lives on CPP and OAS will have to do the government’s job of ensuring access to health care. If this is your idea of improving access, then get out of politics.” What would the minister like to say to Mrs. Gail Kirk?”

Last week CBC Toronto reported a virtual pediatric clinic which had previously provided services without charge was changing their business model to a subscription-based service.

“Mrs. Gail Kirk is not the only one worried about the change coming on December 1st. Sara from Nickel Belt lives with a disability she wrote to me concerned with these changes. She writes “my kids are away at school, my parents are elderly and live in a rural area with no wifi; I can’t emphasize enough how much we depended on phone GP appointments. I’m really concerned my very ill parents will contract COVID at their doctor’s office, and that seems unnecessary and ludicrous.”

Speaker, is decreasing access to telephone consultations during a time of “urgent system pressures” ludicrous, or is it another proof that the Minister is trying to push patients to private services where they pay out of pocket to gain access to the care they need?”

On November 28, the Ford government voted down a bill sponsored by MPP Gélinas which would have increased oversight of clinics who charge unfair fees for access to healthcare services.

November 24, 2022

Will the Minister Listen to Our Province’s Healthcare Workers?

During question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health, when will she listen to our province’s overworked health care workers?

“The Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences is here today. They represent radiation therapists, sonographers, and radiological, nuclear medicine and MRI technologists. They are the health care professionals who perform critical diagnostic tests and therapy on the front lines of our health care system.

They recently polled their members who said.. they are overworked, burned out, and facing the same staffing shortages as all professionals working in health care right now. This is a message that all health care workers are trying to get the government to acknowledge and respond to. Minister, how long before the government takes action to deal with this health human resources crisis in medical radiation sciences?’’

The Ford government continues to ignore calls for the withdrawal of Bill 124, a bill which froze the wages of all public sector workers and has been cited as one of the main causes of the human resources crisis in Ontario’s health services.

“The Association of Medical Radiation Sciences is just the latest group of health professionals raising concerns about understaffing. The backlog of diagnostic MRIs and CAT scans will not improve without them.

Today, representatives from 295,000 health care workers are here to try to get the government to pay attention to this crisis, to listen to their solutions. Will the minister agree to listen to health representatives from OCHU, CUPE, ONA, OPSEU/SEFPO, Unifor and SEIU who are here today at Queen’s Park? They have solutions. Will you meet with them?”

Leaders from five major healthcare unions along with front-line care staff held a media conference today. They did so as all sectors of Ontario’s health care system are buckling under the weight of staff shortages. And to tell the Ford government that privatization is not the answer.

November 21, 2022

Treat Seniors with Respect, Withdraw Bill 7

During question period this morning MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Premier Doug Ford to withdraw Bill 7, a bill which allows alternate level of care patients to be send to long term care homes not of their choosing, hundreds of kilometers away.

This morning the Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly announced a charter challenge against Bill 7. Bill 7 takes away the rights of frail elderly people to give consent and to keep their personal health information private. All week-end health care workers have been reaching out to me, social workers, nurses, physicians; they do not want to have to tell their patients that they have to pay $400 a day or move to a LTC home hundreds of kilometres away from their home. Many of them will quit their job, rather than do something that goes completely against their ethical and moral values. You see speaker, contrary to this government health care workers do not discriminate against frail elderly people, they care for them!

‘Will this government do the right thing and repeal bill 7’’ Gélinas asked. In September Gélinas wrote to Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Patricia DeGuire asking for recommendations regarding the rights seniors lost under this legislation (Bill 7).

This morning the Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mehra was joined by the Executive Director of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, Graham Webb, to announce the two groups will be co-applicants to an Ontario Superior Court of Justice Charter Challenge. They are seeking the court to strike down Bill 7, as a violation of the fundamental rights of patients under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They were joined by their legal representative Benjamin Piper from the law firm Goldblatt Partners LLP.

November 18, 2022

Fixing Homecare Means Compensating Workers Properly

During question period Tuesday morning MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, whether she is satisfied with our home care system.

“Minister, every single week my office receives multiple calls regarding the failures in our home care system. Elizabeth is a senior in my riding who ends up sleeping in her chair at least once a week, because Bayshore doesn’t send a PSW to help get her into bed” Gélinas stated.

“Homecare reliability is so bad, patients who want to, who should be and could be at home, are stuck in hospital, leading your government to pass a law overriding frail elderly patient rights to consent and push them in a LTC home far away from home. Can the Minister please tell me if she thinks that our homecare system is meeting the needs of Ontarians?’’

The Ford government’s Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act became law in September 2022; it allows hospitals to send alternate level of care patients to long term care homes not of their choosing up to 150 kilometers away.

“Minister, our home care system is broken, it fails thousands of people every single day. Since this government was elected 5 years ago, nothing has changed. There is a huge human resources crisis in home care because this government does not fund home care adequately. Solving the home care health resources crisis means providing permanent full-time, well-paid jobs, with benefits, sick days and a pension plan. Then many PSWs not working in health care will come back to work in home care.

When will this government admit that home care is an integral part of our health care system and provide directives and funding to support it as such.”

Average PSW wage in Ontario currently sits at approximately $18 according to multiple employment and staffing websites with negligible or no benefits.

November 17, 2022

Government’s Health Care Priorities Are Suspect

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Premier Ford why his government continues to ignore the crisis is our province’s hospitals.

“We all know the Premier will use the long wait times, the overcrowding and the ER closures to justify bringing in US-style healthcare to Ontario. He will say we need to “innovate” just like Mike Harris did when he privatized home care. The private home care providers were going to do things better: faster, and cheaper, but today we all know that never happened.

Why is this government so determined to dismantle our publicly funded and publicly delivered healthcare system?’’ Gélinas asked.

The Ford government continues to ignore the severe shortage of health human resources in Ontario’s health care system. Yesterday, an NDP Motion focussed on health care worker recruitment and retention was roundly rejected by the government majority in the legislature.

October 31, 2022

Allow Nurse Practitioners to Offer More Solutions

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Health Minister Sylvia Jones why the Ford government continues to ignore the solutions Nurse Practitioners (NP) have to offer.

“Minister, the Nurse Practitioners Association is at Queen’s Park today, they have a very simple ask; lift the cap on the number of Nurse Practitioner Led Clinics (NPLC). The 25 NPLC across the province are all success stories. Every one of them provide access to top quality interdisciplinary primary care to over a hundred thousand Ontarians who used to go to one of our overcrowded emergency departments for care.

Minister, will you lift the cap on the number of Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic so unattached patients in community across Ontario, including Coniston in my riding, can gain access to primary care.’’ Gélinas asked.

According to the Globe and Mail, nearly 1.8 million patients in the country’s most populous province did not have a regular primary-care provider as of March 2020 and another 1.7 million Ontarians had a family doctor who was nearing retirement age.

“Another step the Minister can take to help the over 1.3 million Ontarians who do not have a family physician and who need access to primary care, by simply adding more Nurse Practitioner positions to the existing clinics. It is a very cost effective and immediate step the government can take. These nurse practitioners will help patients, help the health care system, and save money. It is a win-win-win solution.

Every NPLC has a wait list. In Capreol where the NPLC is the only health care service available, there are thousands of people who need access to primary care and there are NPs available to fill these roles; but they have no funding to hire them. Their funding proposals sit unanswered.

Minister why are those affordable, effective, and immediate solutions being ignored?”

Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses with advanced university education who provide a full range of health care services to individuals, families, and communities. Regulated by the College of Nurses of Ontario, NPs must meet rigorous requirements to maintain ongoing registration.

November 14, 2022

Why are we ignoring Nurse Practitioners?

France Gélinas MPP for Nickel Belt and NDP Health Critic rose in the legislature this morning to draw the attention of the Ford government to the important work that is done and can be done by Ontario’s Nurse Practitioners.

“I rise today to speak to the important work Nurse Practitioners do serving patients in every corner of this province and why we need this government to fund more NP positions. At a time when many family physicians are retiring, patients across Ontario lose access to primary care leaving them dependant on walk in clinics or emergency rooms. Meanwhile Aboriginal Health access centres, Community Health centres and Nurse practitioner led clinics all have NP they could hire but the government will not fund them. These Nurse Practitioners can assess, treat or advise patients with complex medical conditions who otherwise end up in our overcrowded emergency rooms.

Unfortunately, this government refuses to modernize their antiquated funding models so NP can be hired to provide their excellent services to more patients. For example, the executive director of a nurse practitioner clinic, usually a nurse practitioner themselves; is required to have 800 patients on their individual roster, while still being responsible for administrative duties required to run a medical facility. In fact, these funding models are so rigid that the government claims they are still working on the paperwork to provide nurse working in these clinics with the retention bonuses that was promised 9 months ago.

If this government really wants to improve access to health services to thousands of people in Ontario a small investment in Nurse practitioners’ positions will pay off in every sector of our health care system.”

During this morning’s meeting of the Social Policy Committee at the legislature it was noted Nurse Practitioner led clinics have not received a base budget increase in 12 years.