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TORONTO \u2014 Ontario is investing $1.1 billion more in home health care as it grapples with the reality that it is unlikely to achieve its goal of building 58,000 new long-term care beds by 2028.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The funding boost for home care is part of Finance Minister Peter\u00a0Bethlenfalvy\u2019s\u00a02026 budget that projects a $13.8 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the budget released Thursday also lays out the stark reality of the province\u2019s ambitious goal to deliver 58,000 new or upgraded nursing home beds within two years.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As of February, the province said about 26,000 nursing home beds are \u201ceither open, under construction or approved to start construction.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bethlenfalvy\u00a0was asked if the province could still achieve its goal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, we\u2019re going to continue to try,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re ambitious here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The finance minister said the province is not deterred.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going keep building, and we\u2019ll get as far as we can because it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The money toward home care will roll out over the next three years. The province is investing about $6 billion total into home care in the next few years,\u00a0Bethlenfalvy\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA part of our strategy for health care is to help people where they want to be taken care of,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know many, many people who would prefer to age at home \u2026 so we\u2019re transitioning to providing that home care.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The money will go toward hiring more nurses and personal support workers, with the goal of helping thousands more patients receive medical attention at home and providing some relief on overburdened hospitals and long-term care homes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The new funds follow calls from some in the long-term care industry who wanted to see investment in home care and supportive housing for seniors\u00a0as a way to\u00a0help nursing homes, most of which have wait times of months or years.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n AdvantAge\u00a0Ontario, which\u00a0represents\u00a0the vast majority of\u00a0municipal and non-profit nursing homes in Ontario, made the unusual request for more money for other related sectors and asked the government to invest at least $600 million into home care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Long-term care operators have said the best way for people to get into care homes now is by going through the hospital first. That allows patients to be\u00a0designated\u00a0as in crisis, which gives them higher priority over others seeking a long-term care bed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information shows more than 50 per cent of long-term care admissions are people coming from a hospital, a 67 per cent jump from pre-pandemic levels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The situation is particularly problematic in Toronto, which is down about 700 beds due to nursing home closures.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2019, the province said it would build 30,000 new long-term care beds within the next decade.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then COVID-19 hit in early 2020, and the virus ripped through Ontario\u2019s long-term care homes, leaving\u00a0thousands\u00a0dead. Some homes were so badly hit they needed help from Canada\u2019s military to\u00a0operate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The stalled progress on the Progressive Conservatives\u2019 $6.4-billion long-term care plan leaves seniors in a bad spot, said Liberal interim Leader John Fraser.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0a lot of \u201cbig talk\u201d from Ford with little action, Fraser said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re pretending, they are not protecting,\u201d Fraser said, referring to the Ford government\u2019s \u201cprotecting Ontario\u201d slogan that it has used since last year\u2019s election win.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Conservative government is behind on building the number of long-term care beds it said that it would build and that\u2019s really concerning,\u201d said NDP finance critic Jessica Bell.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got an aging population in Ontario, loved ones need a good home for their parents to go into.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a92026 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n