The motion was made Thursday in the House by Elizabeth Witmer, MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo. The motion was made in the wake left by the controversial Bill 140, The Long Term Care Homes Act, first announced Oct. 3rd. The Act contains proposed licensing limitations that would give the government greater powers to close older B and C class homes.

OMNI participated in an OLTCA campaign asking the government to make changes to the proposed Act and provide funding assurances for older homes.

“This is a significant ray of light,” says Wilson. “It’s rare that you would get unanimous support for a motion. But nobody in good conscience is going to allow residents to stay in older homes [that need upgrading] while paying the same amount as in new homes.”

The proposed Act presents an “unpleasant reality” for OMNI, adds Wilson, who have 13 C-class homes, one B, and two A-class homes.

The OLTCA campaigned by reaching out to all MPPs in the province and sending thousands of postcards signed by residents, staff, and family members.

The campaign showed all MPPs, regardless of political affiliation, that “there is a need for equity in the province and physical plant renewal,” says Fraser.

Yesterday’s motion, however, will need to acted on. Wilson.

“This government has been known to make multiple changes – they do listen. Our hope is that they will make the necessary changes to allow for the predictability and sustainability of the long term care sector.”

Continued advocacy while the Act goes to public hearings in early 2007 is the key to realizing these changes.

“There continues to be uncertainty,” says Wilson, “until the legislation is amended. They need to ensure that existing homes have access to funding. We’ll follow it through the process, but we have really raised the profile of the issue.”