Premier Ford’s mother-in-law tests positive for coronavirus in long-term home

Apr 23 2020, 7:51 pm

Doug Ford’s mother in law has tested positive for COVID-19 at a long-term care home, according to the Premier’s Office.

Ford appeared visibly emotional hours earlier during his daily briefings as he spoke about long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I think of long term care, my heart breaks for the people and the families,” he said on Thursday. “I relate to it in our own family with my wife Karla.”

Ford said the system is broken, adding “it needs to be better,” as over 100 homes face significant impacts from the virus.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the “tragedies” in long-term care facilities.

“This is unacceptable,” he said. “If you’re angry, you have the right to feel this way. We are failing the generation that helped build this country. We must care for them properly.”

Ontario and Quebec have both requested assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces for their long-term care outbreaks, but Trudeau said that this is not a long-term solution — the Armed Forces will be focused on five priority homes in Ontario.

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care daily report, there have been 132 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes, an increase of seven from Monday’s report. And, they report 516 resident deaths.

With files from Clarrie Feinstein

DH Toronto StaffDH Toronto Staff

+ News
+ Coronavirus
ADVERTISEMENT