May 14th, 2021

Merrilee Fullerton needs to answer when she learned seniors were dying of neglect

QUEEN’S PARK — Minister Merrilee Fullerton, who will hold a media event Friday morning after hiding for a week, needs to explain when she first learned that seniors were being neglected to death, dying in long-term care homes in Ontario because they weren’t given food or water.

“When did the Minister learn that seniors died of dehydration and neglect in the long-term care homes she’s responsible for?” asked NDP Long-Term Care critic Sara Singh. “If Dr. Fullerton knew, why didn’t she take action to save people? If she didn’t know until April 30, when the Long Term Care Commission Report was released, what does that say about her neglect of her job, as minister?”

The Long-Term Care Commission found, through military reports filed last summer, “Twenty-six residents died due to dehydration prior to the arrival of the CAF team due to the lack of staff to care for them. They died when all they [needed] was ‘water and a wipe down.” Fullerton has repeatedly avoided answering questions about when she first learned about these deaths.

The NDP has referred that report to the Ontario Provincial Police.