About 1,200 of those signatures came from the Almonte community where homes teamed up to deliver a message to local MPP Norm Sterling.

“There has been such a demand for (the postcards) here,” says Sue Burnell-Jones, director of care at Almonte Country Haven.

The home had to photocopy extras. Family members, volunteers and staff took the campaign out into the community “and came back with handfuls of signed affidavits.”

The Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) took issue with the proposed Act and asked for its member homes to participate in a postcard and petition campaign aimed at their local MPPs.

The Act contains proposed licensing limitations that would give the government greater powers to close older B and C classified homes. OMNI has 13 C-class homes, one B, and two A-class homes.

A ray of hope however came in the form of a Private Member’s motion Nov. 23. All three provincial political parties voted unanimously in the legislature in favour of the motion by Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer calling on government to commit to a plan of action to invest in the upgrading of older B and C classified long-term care homes.

Throughout the campaign, staff at OMNI’s 16 homes engaged staff, residents and family members.

Willows Estate in Aurora teamed up with three area nursing homes on campaign efforts.

“We went as a group (to our MPP),” says Teddy Mazucca, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

“Between the four of us there were 400 cards delivered.”

Kentwood Park in Picton collected about 150 cards, says administrator Tina Cole, while Pleasant Meadow Manor in Norwood rounded up about 250 and Streamway Villa in Cobourg delivered about 60. Meanwhile, Rosebridge Manor in Jasper collected about 150 cards.

Frost Manor, in conjunction with another area nursing home, presented about 300 postcards to Victoria-Haliburton-Brock MPP Laurie Scott on Nov. 10. Six residents, three family members, one of Frost’s attending physicians and Candace Chartier from OMNI’s home office were among those who attended the meeting. Following the meeting, the MPP presented the petition in the legislature. A family meeting held earlier in the campaign at Frost in Lindsay drew close to 100 people.

In Northumberland County, Burnbrae Gardens Administrator Mary Anne Greco served as the captain for area homes and attended a meeting with the assistants of Northumberland MPP Lou Rinaldi.

“We presented approximately 300 cards, several pages of signed advocacy sheets and letters,” says Mary Anne.