A new poll from the Canadian Union of Public Employees suggests nearly 60 per cent of residents in Peterborough and Lindsay feel the province didn’t properly plan to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Released on Monday, the poll, conducted in early May for CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and CUPE Ontario, shows 59 per cent of nearly 600 people polled in Peterborough and Lindsay say the provincial government is underperforming in how it is dealing with the pandemic response.
When asked whether the government should move long-term care residents ill with COVID-19 symptoms to hospital to protect the other residents, the poll shows 47 per cent of people were in favour while 27 per cent were against the idea. Another 26 per cent did not provide an answer.
The entire poll can be found here: OCHU Peterborough results.
The telephone poll sampled 590 adults (18 years or older) between May 4-5. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 4.03% at the 95% confidence level.
CUPE notes the poll was conducted before the Canadian military released a report on the status of five long-term care homes in Ontario, four of which are for-profit and privately owned and have since been taken over by the province.
“This government cancelled inspections of long-term care facilities last year at the request of the long-term care industry and has effectively prevented long-term care residents with COVID-19 from being transferred to hospital,” stated Michael Hurley, president of the OCHU/CUPE.
“This government has turned a blind eye and has a lot to answer for. But all of us owe so much more to this generation in our care and it is time to face that squarely.”
Hurley noted since the end of May, more than 1,580 long-term care residents have died from COVID-19 and thousands of frontline staff have been infected. Thirteen healthcare workers in Ontario have died due to COVID-19 complications, CUPE notes.
“Long-term care staff have loudly told the premier and his ministers that they are often denied personal protective equipment or told to ration and reuse masks and gowns,” stated Hurley. “The same military report supports what healthcare workers have been telling the government, that the PPE they need to protect themselves and residents, simply is not being made available to them.”
Nearly 80 per cent of those polled agreed the province needs to “toughen its standards” for protecting healthcare staff.
Nearly 85 per cent of those polled also believe all hospital staff and patients should be tested for the virus.
Global News Peterborough has reached out to Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith for comment.
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