Dear CALTC Members,

Last week, the federal government released updated departmental plans, outlining individual priorities for the coming year. These plans provide valuable insight to help inform and focus CALTC’s advocacy efforts, and can be found here. Our review is ongoing; however, an early and consistent theme across departments is a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI). Santis has prepared a summary of the Department of Health’s plan, which is available here.

Statistics Canada has advised CALTC that the planned update to the Nursing and Residential Care Facility Survey, originally scheduled for release this spring, has been cancelled as part of its expenditure review. While this decision may be revisited in the future, it underscores the importance of CALTC’s national survey of long-term care homes currently under development. An update on this initiative will be provided at next week’s quarterly meeting.

We are also assessing the potential implications of the Federal Plastics Registry for long-term care homes. This multi-phase initiative has faced legal challenges; however, a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling confirmed the federal government’s authority to proceed with the registry. Phase 1 has already been implemented, primarily affecting manufacturers and importers of plastic disposable goods. Phases 2 and 3 have been deferred until the fall. We are seeking clarification on whether long-term care homes will be required to report their use of disposable plastics under Phase 2, as there are concerns regarding the practical application of these requirements within the sector. We will share updates as more information becomes available.

The National AI Strategy is expected to be released in March, and we are monitoring its development closely for relevance to the long-term care sector. In addition, the federal government’s pre-budget consultation process is now open until April 30. CALTC will be preparing a submission and will circulate a draft for member input in due course.

Last week, I had the opportunity to present at the Nursing Homes of Nova Scotia Association conference, which provided a valuable opportunity to connect with CALTC members and partners. I will also be attending the Leadership Dinner at the Together We Care conference next Monday, as well as participating in an invitation-only national forum hosted by Healthcare Excellence Canada focused on AI in healthcare.

I hope you can join us for the CALTC quarterly meeting on March 26.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

The past few weeks have been focused on committee meetings, draft position development, and continued refinement of the draft National Survey. I would like to sincerely thank those members who participated in the consultation process and provided thoughtful feedback. Our goal is to present a final draft for member review at the CALTC Quarterly Meeting on March 26.

I am also pleased to confirm the results of the recent e-vote regarding endorsement of the Arthritis Society Canada’s new action plan. The motion received unanimous support and was officially carried by the CALTC Board Chair.

As part of the 2025 federal budget, the Government of Canada committed to establishing Workforce Alliances to bring together governments, employers, unions, industry groups, and post-secondary institutions. These alliances are intended to identify sector-specific workforce pressures and develop action plans that strengthen workforce development pipelines. It was recently announced that the Care Economy will be among the priority sectors. CALTC has requested additional information regarding this initiative and expressed our interest to see long-term care representation within the alliance. The alliances are expected to be established by late spring. We have also requested a meeting with Employment and Social Development Canada to discuss this initiative further. Additional details are available here.

As mentioned in my last CEO email, the Canadian Drug Agency has now officially launched its call for clinicians to serve on various expert and advisory committees. Expressions of interest are being accepted until March 30. I encourage members who may be interested to review the details on the Agency’s website.

Finally, I look forward to participating next week in the conference hosted by the Nursing Home Association of Nova Scotia, as well as participating in the OnSpark national meeting in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Sincerely,
Jodi

Dear CALTC Members,

Last week, we launched the member consultation phase of the CALTC National Survey. This consultation provides an important opportunity for members to offer feedback on the proposed themes, question focus, and any potential gaps prior to finalization. The consultation will remain open until February 26. Following this period, we will move to finalize question selection and survey formatting. A final draft will be presented at the March CALTC quarterly meeting. For ease of reference, click here to view the operator draft survey and click here to view the association draft survey.

This week, the Minister of Labour and Families, announced the priority focus areas for the federal Workforce Alliance. The Alliance was established to support industries that are most vulnerable to workforce disruption as a result of tariff impacts. Notably, the care economy has been identified as a priority sector. We are seeking further details on the scope of this work and assessing whether there are advocacy opportunities for the long-term care sector. The full announcement is available on the Government of Canada website and can be found here.

Finally, the Canadian Drug Agency is currently preparing to recruit clinical experts to participate in drug reviews, health technology assessments, and advisory committees. CALTC was invited to an information session regarding these opportunities, and application details are expected to be released in early March. This represents a valuable opportunity for long-term care clinicians to contribute their expertise to national discussions that influence medication and technology decisions. I encourage you to share these upcoming opportunities with interested clinicians within your networks. Additional details will be shared once the application process opens.

Thank you for your continued engagement and leadership.

Sincerely,
Jodi