“Despite the Premier’s promise to build an iron ring around long-term care, more seniors are making complaints about the system than at any other point in Ontario’s history – these are the same seniors that built our province and they deserve dignity, safety, and respect.” – Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
News from the Constituency Office of Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates, whose riding includes Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake
Posted November 18th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) is sounding the alarm after the Patient Ombudsman’s newest annual report (https://patientombudsman.ca/Portals/0/documents/patient-ombudsman-annual-report-2024-25.pdf) revealed a record number of complaints about long-term care and healthcare, the highest in the office’s history.
Gates pressed the Premier (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bf39uYV6-QlssrMgi_rUHKow0Pf3_o3S/view) in Question Period this November 18th, 2025, demanding immediate action to fix a system that is “clearly breaking under this government’s push toward privatization.
“Quality of care is now the number one complaint in long-term care,” said Gates. “The Ombudsman had to file 25 mandatory reports because residents faced harm or risk of harm. Four out of five seniors who complained about hospital discharge said it was unsafe or premature. This should be setting off alarm bells for every single person in this Legislature.”
Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates
Gates said the Ford government’s choices are directly making conditions worse, pointing to the Premier’s push to expand for-profit long-term care, privatize more of the health system, and force seniors out of hospitals faster under Bill 7.
“Despite the Premier’s promise to build an iron ring around long-term care, more seniors are making complaints about the system than at any other point in Ontario’s history – these are the same seniors that built our province and they deserve dignity, safety, and respect,” said Gates.
“This report is a wake-up call: the Premier needs to listen, reverse his privatization agenda, and take urgent action to fix long-term care before more seniors are put at risk.”
Gates says the government must immediately commit to real accountability, stronger staffing supports, and a shift away from the for-profit model that continues to fail residents, caregivers, and workers.
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