We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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The COVID-19 Long-Term Care Crisis

The first wave of the pandemic saw unspeakable devastation as the COVID-19 wildfire spread across our long-term care sector. With a second wave upon us and outbreaks beginning to spread again in long-term care homes, this talk will focus on where we went wrong in the spring and how we may better protect our seniors in care during this second and subsequent waves.

This event was held on November 16, 2020

Speaker bios

Dr. Vivian Stamatopoulos is an Associate Teaching Professor at Ontario Tech University whose research specializes in family caregiving. Over the course of the pandemic, Dr. Stamatopoulos has become a leading advocate for long-term care residents and their families, with a particular focus on the dangers of prolonged and restrictive visitation bans. She has also collaborated with Ontario NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky to table Bill 203, the More Than a Visitor Act.

First elected in June 2014, Jennifer French is the MPP representing Oshawa. She advocates for equity and social justice, and is invested in community theatre and the arts in Oshawa. Jennifer also has a committed record fighting for workers’ rights. She has been a member of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in Durham, and has been actively involved with the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Durham Region Labour Council.

Melissa Miller is an advocate for the most vulnerable members of our population: the elderly. Being certified in Elder Law, she concentrates on nursing home negligence, long-term care cases and elder abuse. Her practice is also committed to all areas of personal injury litigation, including product liability, hospital negligence, car accidents, slips and falls, and long-term disability claims. Melissa is an experienced trial advocate and is prepared to take her cases all the way.

In April 2020 Cathy Parkes lost her father in a long-term care home. The events surrounding his death prompted Cathy to advocate for those suffering the same fate, and she now advocates for municipal and provincial governments to make substantial changes in long-term care. She hopes that by continuing to share her personal experience, it will encourage others to speak out and effect change across the province and the country.