December 15th, 2020
December 15th, 2020
QUEEN’S PARK – The Ford government has assigned temporary management of Revera Westside long-term care home in Etobicoke to the for-profit company UniversalCare, which has a history of negligent care, and deep ties to the PC Party.
UniversalCare Canada Inc. is named in at least one lawsuit, which alleges “negligent and deficient” care which resulted in the illness and death of many residents.
“Families with loved ones in long-term care are worried sick with more outbreaks reported and more lives lost every day. They will be horrified to learn that Doug Ford has replaced one for-profit corporation, Revera, which has failed to protect residents with another, UniversalCare, with a track record of neglecting seniors and leaving them exposed to this virus,” said Horwath.
“We’ve seen evidence throughout the pandemic that for-profit homes are more dangerous, and their residents who contract COVID-19 are more likely to die. We need to be taking the profit out of long term care, not allowing more private corporations to be trusted with the care of our parents and grandparents, at a time when they are more vulnerable than ever during this second wave.”
UniversalCare’s founder and CEO Joseph Gulizia and his family have donated over $5,000 to the PC Party since 2015. They are represented by Quinto Annibale, the development lawyer behind the Vaughan Working Family attack ads. The secretive front group was found to be in violation of the Election Finance Act for running attack ads which defended the Ford Government. Ford appointed Annibale vice-chair of the LCBO in 2019.
** This press release has been edited because there are two Villa Colombo locations, and only one is operated by UniversalCare Canada Inc. Villa Colombo’s North York location was put under hospital management due to a severe COVID-19 outbreak during the first wave, not UniversalCare’s Villa Colombo in Vaughan, as was originally stated.