Dear CALTC Members,

I hope you are enjoying the summer. While the season is passing quickly, preparations are well underway for what promises to be a busy and productive fall.

The pre-budget consultation from the Federal Department of Finance is now open, and I will have a draft to share next week for CALTC member review and feedback, so watch for that email next week. 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 will be distributed to all CALTC members on Monday. 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 well. Last week, I met with our research team to review an initial analysis of the data. I was pleased to learn that participation exceeded my original understanding, as several respondents completed the survey on behalf of multiple long-term care homes. In total, the survey data now represents 383 long-term care homes, encompassing 45,994 long-term care spaces across Canada. This strong level of participation will help ensure the findings provide a meaningful and representative picture of the sector.

Next week, I will be meeting with the new Policy Advisor for Health in the Prime Minister's Office. I am optimistic that this will be a productive discussion and an important opportunity to further elevate the profile of long-term care within the federal government's policy agenda.

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 October 19–21, 2026  If you have any dietary restrictions or special meal requirements, please let me know at your earliest convenience.

I hope you can join us in Ottawa this October.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

I hope you are enjoying the summer and finding opportunities to recharge.

As many of you have likely observed, the U.S. government continues to introduce new tariffs, with trade issues dominating discussions at this week's Council of the Federation meeting in Prince Edward Island.  While healthcare remained on the agenda, media reports that discussions focused primarily on federal healthcare funding transfers. This included a call from the Premiers to renew the Aging with Dignity Bilateral Agreement, and an agreement to direct the Minister of Finance and Health to discuss longer-term funding solutions for the healthcare sector. A memo from Santis with more information can be found here.

Last year, CALTC prepared a briefing outlining the potential implications of tariffs for the long-term care sector. At that time, we noted that the pricing of generic pharmaceuticals in Canada is currently protected through an agreement between the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, which is in place until 2028. While it remains too early to determine whether proposed tariffs on generic pharmaceuticals will ultimately be implemented—or what their impact on long-term care homes may be—I have connected with stakeholders who are closely monitoring these developments. CALTC will continue to keep members informed as more information becomes available and any emerging risks are better understood.

Over the past few weeks, work has focused on preparations for fall meetings. An updated sponsorship framework has been developed, including new event sponsorship opportunities, and a comprehensive review of CALTC's HST/GST treatment of membership dues has been completed. A briefing note has also been prepared to support Board and Finance Committee discussions. We are continuing to refine these materials and look forward to sharing them with members in the coming weeks.

Planning is also well underway for our fall meetings in Ottawa. This includes the breakfast event where we will officially release the findings of the National Long-Term Care Survey, as well as our strategic planning session. Later this summer, members will be invited to provide feedback on CALTC's current strategic plan and its status. Your feedback will help inform our discussions and priorities during the Ottawa meeting. As a reminder, hotel arrangements have been finalized with the Alt Hotel Ottawa Downtown. CALTC has secured a preferred rate of $234 per night for attendees, with the room block available until September 18. Reservations can be made using the CALTC Booking Link for October 19, 20 and 21, 2026. If you have special dietary requirements, please let me know.

We have also completed an update of several CALTC distribution lists, including this bi-weekly CEO email, the Santis daily health news distribution, and our general member communications email list. While some member organizations have a single contact on file, others have multiple recipients. If there are additional colleagues within your organization who should be receiving CALTC communications, please send me their contact information so we can ensure they remain informed.

Finally, I will be taking a few vacation days next week. I will continue to monitor my email periodically and will respond to any urgent matters as needed.

Thank you, as always, for your continued engagement and support.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

Since the CALTC Annual General Meeting and Quarterly Meeting, our focus has been strengthening existing sponsor relationships while advancing discussions with prospective new partners. These conversations have been productive, and I am encouraged by the level of engagement. I look forward to sharing updates on these efforts later this month.

Planning is also well underway for our Fall Meeting, taking place this October in Ottawa. Hotel arrangements have been finalized, and we are partnering once again with the Alt Hotel in Ottawa Downtown. A preferred room rate of $234 per night has been secured for CALTC attendees, with the room block available until September 18th. Reservations can be made using the CALTC Booking Link.

The federal government has also launched its 2026 Pre-Budget Consultations, with submissions due by September 8th. CALTC will prepare a submission on behalf of the long-term care sector and, as always, I will circulate a draft to members later this summer for review and feedback before finalizing it. For those interested in learning more about the consultation process, additional information is available here.

Finally, I would like to remind members of the upcoming Council of the Federation Premiers' Meeting, taking place July 21–23 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. This meeting represents an important opportunity to reinforce the long-term care sector's priorities with Canada's Premiers. To support these advocacy efforts, CALTC has prepared a template letter that members can personalize and send to their respective Premier. CALTC has already sent correspondence to the Prime Minister. If your organization has not yet sent a letter to your jurisdiction's Premier, I encourage you to do so. Looking ahead, we are also preparing for the anticipated Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health Meeting expected this October, which will provide another important opportunity to advance national long-term care priorities. A copy of the template letter for members is available here.

Sincerely,
Jodi