Citizens taking action to get additional long-term care beds 

Tim Brody - Editor

Community members in Sioux Lookout are looking to send Premier Doug Ford and his government a message – honour the promise they say he made to make additional long-term care beds a reality in Sioux Lookout.
Aileen Urquhart recently met with provincial Liberal Party leader candidate Nate Erskine -Smith while he was visiting the community.
“We were discussing all the things that Sioux Lookout needs, including housing, healthcare, services for addictions treatment and mental health and I happened to say one of the things that really ticked me off about Doug Ford was this promise of coming to dig the first hole for the long-term care beds. I had thought about making a sign and sticking it on a shovel and photographing it and sending it to Doug Ford.”
She decided to do just that and posted a photo of herself holding a shovel with a message for Premier Doug Ford on social media, which she said received a lot of support.
She spoke with friends about this and found support to put pressure on the Premier and his government to make the long-term care beds a reality.
The average wait for a long-term care (LTC) bed at the William “Bill” George facility is approximately 6-7 years. For Alternative Level of Care (ALC) patients who are designated in crisis that are hospitalized, the average wait is 3-4 years. 
The William “Bill” George facility currently has 20 beds. 
The provincial government has allocated an additional 76 long-term care beds.
Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa shared with The Sioux Lookout Bulletin in September of 2022, “I know they keep promising we’ll get the additional 76 beds whereby we’ll have 96 beds, but I know the last time I asked that question, probably a few months ago, the response was, yes, we’ve allocated it. Allocation does not mean it is being funded. They’ve allocated but they’ve haven’t put any resources towards it.”
SLMHC continues to advocate for the LTC beds that were allocated and say they are ready to hit the ground running when approval comes. SLMHC was designed to have the expanded long-term care unit built onto the health centre.  
ALC patients currently take up more than 50% of the health centre’s beds.
Last week, Urquhart and some friends of hers met at the Legion in Sioux Lookout to discuss how to get the message to the provincial government that Sioux Lookout’s need for long-term care beds is dire.
Garnet Angeconeb, a Lac Seul band member who currently resides at SLMHC, was one of the people in attendance.
Angeconeb lives with the neuromuscular disorder Kennedy’s disease, and as a result, requires 24-7 assistance.
He said Sioux Lookout needs the additional long-term care beds, however he said he feels there needs to be a re-think of the long-term care situation in the north, as he said Elders living in First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario should have the option to get the care they need in their own communities. He also said homecare services need to be improved in Sioux Lookout and in the northern communities to help people stay in their homes. He and his wife Margaret, who resides at Sioux Towers, have not been able to live together full time for 16 months. Angeconeb said that would not be the case if there were improved homecare services available in the community.
Urquhart and friend Reece Van Breda, who also attended the meeting at the Legion, said Urquhart’s shovel and sign will be on display around town during the Blueberry Festival. They plan to send the shovel to Doug Ford after the festival.
Van Breda shared, “This was just the start. It got people talking… this photo was the start of the conversation, now that the ball is slowly rolling, how do we get that snowball to accumulate and grow bigger and bigger?”
Urquhart and her friends and planning a mail-in postcard campaign and plan to put out a petition, all of which will be sent to Queen’s Park.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the group’s efforts can email: [email protected] or [email protected].