Brigadier-General C.J.J. Mialkowski talking with soldiers of during a 2019 change of command ceremony
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is formally asking for help from the federal government in fighting COVID-19 outbreaks in the province’s long-term care homes. As of today (April 22nd), there have been at least 448 deaths amid outbreaks at 127 facilities, and Ford says when you are in a fight like this, you leave nothing on the table. Ford says the request is for aid from Canadian Forces members and the Public Health Agency of Canada. He says the personnel will be deployed to five priority homes, where they will provide operational and logistical assistance so long-term care staff can focus on the care of residents.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he has only been able to fill half the two-thousand positions needed to overcome a staffing shortfall. He says he is asking the federal government for 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members to fill the gap. The Canadian Armed Forces have already committed about 130 medically-trained staff to help in care homes, but Legault says the additional personnel won’t necessarily have medical qualifications but can help with general tasks.