Good afternoon. Thank all of you, and particularly to Karen Sullivan, executive director of the OLTCA, for inviting me here today.

I'm honoured to be here because I know this Special Recognition Luncheon is the highlight of your Convention… the venue for the presentation of the OLTCA's Lifetime Achievement Award and the ORCA Resident of the Year Award.

To the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and the Resident of the Year awards, I offer not only my congratulations, but also my appreciation of your achievements and your contribution to the long-term-care sector.

And this convention – aptly named "Together We Care" – is an opportunity for as many as 2,000 people representing some 420 private, municipal, charitable, and not-for-profit long-term-care homes in Ontario, as well as more than 350 retirement homes to share experience and expertise and build on the entire sector's achievements.

As you – more so than anyone – know, Ontario's population is growing and ageing. And we're seeing the increased need for retirement living and long-term care, particularly as the first of the Baby Boomers hit 60.

That's why our government's been working hard to achieve the goals of long-term-care reform, namely to improve Ontario's long-term-care system for residents and families… and for front-line health-care workers.

That entails not only improved standards of care, but also a greater culture of community in long-term-care homes, and more accountability and transparency in the system.

It also means strong financial support. This year, for instance, we've increased our commitment to the long-term care sector by $157 million – a 5.9% increase – bringing our total investment to more than $2.8 billion for 2006/2007.

And since taking office, we've increased direct-care funding for Nursing and Personal Care and for Programming and Support Services.

We recognize that long-term care is a crucial priority. That's why we've invested hundreds of millions of additional dollars each year we've been in office.

And today I'm pleased to confirm that we are investing $2.4 million to implement further dementia training for the long-term-care sector.

Training will begin shortly and will be co-ordinated through the Education and Steering Committee Post-Alzheimer Strategy, under the auspices of the Ontario Community Support Association. Training in U-FIRST will reach some 4,900 personal support workers. PIECES training will be available for roughly 300 regulated health professionals.

U-FIRST, for Understanding, Flagging, Interaction, Reflection, Support, and Team, is for unregulated health-care providers who care for people with Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia.

PIECES – for Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Capabilities, Environment, and Social -- is for regulated health professionals working in long-term-care homes or in the community, providing care for people with Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia.

This is one more step in our Long-Term-Care Action Plan.

And that plan derives from the terrific work done by my Parliamentary Assistant, Monique Smith, in her May 2004 report, Commitment to Care : A Plan for Long-Term Care in Ontario.

That plan has since guided our efforts to improve and restore confidence in the province's long-term-care home system. And I'd like to once again take an opportunity to thank Monique for the quality of this work and her extraordinary dedication to this issue.

A principle which guides both Monique and me - and which I know is shared by those of you in this room - is that long-term care homes are just that: homes. They are not facilities.

This is our touchstone as we continue to raise the standards for long-term-care homes throughout the province.

We certainly recognize and appreciate the work done by those of you working in this sector - for example, your co-operation in working to establish family councils and residents councils in long-term-care homes.

And I can assure you that those of us in government are aware of the issues that remain before us, and that we are working diligently to bring about much-needed reforms.

For example, we're working on legislation that will clearly state how homes must provide care for residents. These expectations would be supported by strengthened enforcement and compliance measures to ensure homes quickly correct any problems.

We're also looking at including whistle-blower protection for staff members reporting cases of abuse.

And in the months and years ahead we will continue to work together with you to build a long-term-care system in Ontario that will be a model for the rest of the country.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me also take a moment to tell you about another major reform effort our government is initiating.

We are introducing a package of reforms to change Ontario's drug system… to turn it into a system that puts patients first, and enhances their access to the best drugs… to build a system that gives our province good value for the money we spend.

That hasn't always been the case in the past.

As many of you know, we've been engaged in an extensive consultation process, and as part of this consultation process the Drug System Secretariat met with representatives of the Ontario Long-Term Care Association and carefully reviewed the details of their submission.

I thank you for this valuable input.

We also met with the pharmacies who provide services to the Long-Term Care homes.

We recognize the importance of the pharmacist role and the pharmacy services that are provided to Long-Term Care homes. And we certainly understand some of the unique challenges that are encountered providing these services.

Based on the research we've done, and the information that we've uncovered, I want to tell you that we are considering changes to the reimbursement system of pharmacy services.

I also want to assure you that these changes will not, in any way, affect the level of care provided to homes and to residents.

Specifically, we are considering recommendations that will help reduce the amount of drug wastage in homes by allowing pharmacies to have more control in the provision of drugs.

These changes, like all of the reforms this government has introduced, are designed to preserve and strengthen Ontario's system of public health care.

That's because our government believes passionately that our public health care system is the best system for Ontario patients. And it's the best system for our province, enhancing our economic competitiveness and making us a more desirable place to live, work and invest. Our task is to ensure the system's sustainability.

I'm proud of the work our government has done to build a stronger, more effective and more sustainable health care system for the people of Ontario. A system that helps people stay healthy, delivers good care to people when they need it, and a system that will be there for future generations.

But I'm even more proud of the people on the front lines. The health care professionals and caregivers who deal with patients each and every day.

People like you.

You're the ones who truly make our health care system what it is. And, on behalf of all Ontarians, I thank you.

It's a privilege to be here with you today, and I wish you all an enjoyable and interesting conclusion to this Convention.