TVO: “In Ontario group homes, who counts as an essential visitor — and who should?”
September 21, 2021
Pandemic restrictions cut off group-home residents from family and friends, and the psychological effects have advocates calling for change
Press Progress: “Disability Groups Say Ontario Government Did Not Consult Them on Life and Death COVID-19 ‘Triage’ Decisions”
May 6, 2021
Ontario Human Rights Commission Chief Commissioner says vulnerable groups deserve certainty on ’life and death triage decisions’
First merits decision on role of human rights in COVID pandemic: Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
April 12, 2021
Tribunal found care home discriminated against resident with visitor restrictions
Toronto Star: “Vaccine rollout is excluding people with disabilities”
March 29, 2021
Groups currently being vaccinated includes seniors, First Nations, and those who receive ongoing home-care from personal support workers (PSWs) and other health professionals. Community-based PSW care is offered in a few ways. One is congregate settings, in which people share common areas, and includes retirement homes and group homes. Staff at these locations have been getting vaccinated since early March and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is planning to send mobile vaccine clinics to each location to vaccinate residents.
Toronto Sun: “LEVY: Trailblazing mom wins ‘landmark’ ruling regarding visits to loved ones in congregate care”
March 27, 2021
HRTO adjudicator says ‘Human rights protections do not go away in a pandemic’
Press Release – NDP Disabilities critic calls for prioritization of people with disabilities for COVID-19 vaccination
March 15, 2021
OTTAWA — NDP MPP Joel Harden, the Official Opposition critic for Accessibility & Persons with Disabilities, is calling on the Ford government to include people with disabilities in Phase 2 of Ontario’s vaccine rollout.
Toronto Star: “Could Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act be suspended?”
March 5, 2021
There’s a reason why some people refer to COVID-19 variants as “scariants.” If widespread, some of the modelling numbers are quite scary and eventual cases could overwhelm our health care system. If that happens some are worried the Health Care Consent Act of Ontario, a law that states a person has the right to consent to or refuse treatment, could potentially be suspended.
Is Ontario’s Crisis Triage Discriminatory?
January 13, 2021
There’s a reason why some people refer to COVID-19 variants as “scariants.” If widespread, As COVID-19 rates grow in the province, decisions about medical supplies may have to be made that go against every instinct a doctor has: deciding who lives and who dies. Ontario’s bioethics table has released its triage guidelines for these decisions, raising red flags for people with disabilities. The Agenda discusses the triage protocols and the concerns they discriminate against people with disabilities.
The Pointer: “Already in ‘crisis mode’: Ontario hospitals have no protocol for who gets priority treatment, human rights advocates say”
January 8, 2021
As ICU beds continue to fill up, a crisis is looming. Doctors in Ontario could soon be forced to undergo the harrowing process their peers in Italy and New York experienced in the spring – choosing who lives and dies when intensive care reaches its maximum capacity
The Pointer: “Already in ‘crisis mode’: Ontario hospitals have no protocol for who gets priority treatment, human rights advocates say”
January 8, 2021
As ICU beds continue to fill up, a crisis is looming. Doctors in Ontario could soon be forced to undergo the harrowing process their peers in Italy and New York experienced in the spring – choosing who lives and dies when intensive care reaches its maximum capacity
Toronto Star: “Advocates Demand Release of Triage Protocol”
October 5, 2020
Draft version criticized for discriminating against people with disabilities
Some people with disabilities have been The government’s school-reopening plan ignores kids with disabilities, say critics
September 2, 2020
The government’s school-reopening plan ignores kids with disabilities, say critics
‘People are really scared’: Ontarians with disabilities worry they’ll be denied care
April 15, 2020
The government’s draft triage protocol has advocates calling for confirmation that patients with disabilities will have access to critical hospital care during COVID-19
Federal government names group to ensure disabled Canadians included in COVID-19 response
April 10, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic takes a particularly heavy toll on Canadians with disabilities and more efforts are needed to ensure they’re included in national efforts to respond to the crisis, the minister overseeing accessibility issues said Friday as she appointed an advisory group to take on the task.
Disabled to be denied COVID-19 care?
April 7, 2020
A document that has left people with disabilities “scared” they’ll be denied an intensive care bed or ventilator during the COVID-19 pandemic is just a “draft,” Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says.