Dear CALTC Members,

Work undertaken over the summer is coming together to support a productive fall for CALTC.

First, planning for our Ottawa meeting is progressing well, including the Parliamentary Breakfast and our strategic plan review session. Yesterday, I circulated the final draft of the National Survey on Long-Term Care report, and invitations to the Parliamentary Breakfast are now being distributed across government with the support of MP Ernie Klasson, who is sponsoring the event. I am also working with Santis to identify other allied organizations that would be appropriate to invite.

The Parliamentary Breakfast will provide an important opportunity to share the findings of the National Survey on Long-Term Care with parliamentarians and government stakeholders, while also providing an important advocacy opportunity during our Ottawa meeting.

Thank you as well to everyone who completed the survey regarding CALTC’s current strategic plan. Your feedback will help inform our strategic plan review session in Ottawa and will be an important part of our discussions about CALTC’s priorities for the coming years.

We continue to monitor developments related to tariffs and any potential impacts on the long-term care sector. Parliament returns for the fall session on September 21, and we have seen caucus meetings taking place over the past few weeks in advance of the return.

Immigration will also remain an important area of focus. The federal Immigration Levels Plan must be tabled in Parliament no later than November 1. CALTC participated in the federal consultation surveys over the summer and used our existing policy position on immigration to inform our submissions. We will continue to monitor developments and assess their potential implications for the LTC sector.

We will also be watching for the federal budget, which is expected during the fall session. CALTC submitted a pre-budget submission, which was circulated to members for feedback, and we will continue to engage with government as the budget process moves forward.

Thank you to CALTC members for participating in our latest advocacy initiative in getting out the advocacy toolkit to LTC homes and sending out the template letter to your provincial Minister for the upcoming October FPT Health Ministers meeting. The last recommended date to send out these letters is September 25th.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Ottawa soon and to a productive fall for CALTC.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

The past few weeks have been marked by significant political activity, particularly as negotiations toward a tariff agreement with the United States unfolded and ultimately broke down, leading to the Government of Canada’s announcement regarding the implementation of counter-tariffs. I have made inquiries with several organizations regarding the potential impact of tariffs on long-term care homes. At this stage, concerns have been raised about anticipated cost increases for dairy products and certain packaging materials. In addition, Santis attended a tariff forum hosted by the Department of Finance, where participants highlighted the potential risk of escalating costs for healthcare infrastructure development. CALTC will continue to monitor these developments closely and engage with government on any healthcare-related tariff relief programs to ensure that long-term care homes are eligible for appropriate support. Santis has prepared a memo summarizing key discussions from the tariff forum, click here to view.

Political activity continued this week with three by-elections, with an additional six expected in the near future. Santis has also prepared a memo outlining the outcomes of the recent by-elections, click here to review the document for your reference.

The report from CALTC’s National Survey on Long-Term Care, conducted this past spring, is taking shape. I have now reviewed an early draft with the research team, and additional revisions are underway. I anticipate having a final draft to share with CALTC members by mid-September at the latest. The report will remain under embargo until CALTC’s breakfast event on October 20, which will take place as part of our face-to-face meeting in Ottawa. The breakfast will be held in the Valour Building and requires the sponsorship of a Member of Parliament. MP Ernie Klassen (South Surrey—White Rock, British Columbia), Co-Chair of the Liberal Seniors Caucus and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, has kindly agreed to sponsor the event. Planning is continuing, and I hope to share a final detailed agenda with members soon.

I would also like to remind members that the deadline to reserve a hotel room at CALTC’s group rate for the Ottawa meeting is September 18th. Only a limited number of reservations have been made, so I encourage all members planning to attend to book their accommodations as soon as possible. The booking link can be found here.

Finally, I would like to encourage all CALTC members to complete the survey on progress toward CALTC’s Strategic Plan as we prepare for a strategic review session during our Ottawa meeting. The survey is open to all CALTC members, and responses are anonymous. To date, six surveys have been completed. To provide additional time for participation, the deadline has been extended to September 11. The survey can be found here. Your feedback will be valuable in helping inform our discussion and future priorities.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. I look forward to seeing many of you in Ottawa next month.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

It is hard to believe that we are already at mid-August, with the summer continuing to pass quickly. It has been a very busy summer for CALTC as we prepare for an active fall, including a number of important advocacy and member engagement initiatives.

One of the key items under development is CALTC’s advocacy toolkit in preparation for the Health Ministers’ Meeting in October. The package includes an overview of the key issues, explains why this advocacy is important, and includes template letters for frontline LTC homes to send to their provincial Minister of Health and, where applicable, Minister responsible for Long-Term Care. There is also a template letter for provincial association members to send to their respective Ministers and I will send a similar letter to the Federal Minister of Health. The complete advocacy package will be circulated to all CALTC members in a separate email today. We are asking provincial association members to share the materials with their own membership and to customize the association template letter as appropriate for their jurisdiction.

We are hopeful this coordinated advocacy will raise the profile of long-term care as issues are discussed at the federal-provincial-territorial table, particularly our support for the renewal of the Aging with Dignity Agreements and the urgent need to address the retention of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) currently working in long-term care. I also had a productive discussion with the Prime Minister’s Office last week regarding the TFW issue and shared new survey data from OLTCA demonstrating the urgency of supporting TFWs already employed in LTC homes. Thank you to OLTCA for sharing their member survey data on this topic, which can be found here. I will meet with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) this coming week, as the department responsible for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, to continue this discussion. I will continue to share updates with members as this advocacy work progresses.

The CALTC member consultation on the federal pre-budget submission has now concluded, with no requested changes received. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the submission. The submission will now be posted on the consultation website.

CALTC has also been invited to participate in the United Nations technical and public consultation on the Zero Draft of a new Regional Implementation Strategy for the International Plan of Action on Ageing. Canada is a signatory to this plan and participates in its implementation and reporting process. The current consultation focuses on developing a new regional implementation strategy that will guide participating countries in addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with population ageing. I believe this consultation is relevant to CALTC’s federal advocacy work, particularly since long-term care and the Aging with Dignity bilateral agreements, among other initiatives, are part of Canada’s report to the UN on how they are implementing the action plan in Canada. More information on Canada’s work in this area can be found here. The deadline for the consultation is September 30, 2026. I will review the consultation materials over the coming month to determine where CALTC can provide meaningful input.

As part of CALTC’s October Ottawa meeting, members will participate in a strategic planning session facilitated by a consultant from Santis. To help inform this discussion, a confidential member survey has been developed to gather your perspectives on CALTC’s progress in achieving the objectives outlined in our current Strategic Plan, as well as your thoughts on priorities and potential adjustments for the coming year. The survey link was circulated last week and thank you to those who have already participated. I encourage all members once again to complete the survey, as your feedback will be important in informing our strategic planning discussion. The survey can be found here. To encourage candid feedback, responses will remain confidential and will be identified only by a unique ID number.

Work on the National Survey on Long-Term Care is also progressing, with the first draft report expected in early September. I look forward to sharing the draft report with CALTC members and discussing the findings as we consider their implications for our advocacy work.

I am very pleased to share that CALTC has welcomed a new Silver-level sponsor, Gordon Food Services, who shares CALTC’s commitment to advancing long-term care in Canada. I look forward to sharing more information about Gordon Food Service with members as we complete the onboarding process.

Finally, a reminder that hotel arrangements have been finalized for our October meeting. CALTC has secured a preferred rate of $234 per night at the Alt Hotel Ottawa Downtown, with the room block available until September 18, 2026. Reservations can be made using the CALTC booking link for the October 19–21, 2026 meeting. If you have any dietary restrictions or special meal requirements, please let me know at your earliest convenience. The detailed agenda is still in draft form, but I have attached it here for members reference for scheduling.

I will be taking a few vacation days next week but will continue to monitor email for any urgent matters.

I look forward to a productive and engaging fall.

Sincerely,
Jodi