20 www.canadianlawyermag.com
FEATURE
LONG-TERM CARE
IN MID-APRIL, Canada's Chief Public Health
Officer Dr. Theresa Tam announced that half
of Canada's COVID-19 deaths had stemmed
from outbreaks in long-term care facilities and
retirement homes. By May 6, a total of 3,436
long-term care residents and six staff members
had died of COVID-19, representing 82 per
cent of Canada's deaths. In Ontario, 300
homes have seen outbreaks. Quebec reported
273 separate facilities with outbreaks before
they stopped releasing lists of affected homes
on April 30. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has
declared that, in his province, "the system is
absolutely broken."
A "broken system" comes as no surprise to
Collin May. In 2017, the Calgary-based estates
and corporate lawyer's father died in a nursing
home. As his father was dying, May says he
Pushing for change
in a crisis
A group of lawyers is using the COVID-19 pandemic to advocate
for systemic changes in Canada's long-term care facilities and
retirement homes, writes David Kitai
saw the failings of a single facility and a wider
system firsthand.
In August of 2017, May's father became
unresponsive, aspirated and developed a
pneumonia that eventually took his life. May
says he and his siblings were only contacted
seven days into their father's unresponsive state.
When he arrived at the home, May says,
he observed routine acts of substandard
