The Ministry of Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the long-term care system and providing related services in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Services and programs Long-term care homes and placement
History In the early years of Canadian Confederation, health was still considered primarily a municipal rather than provincial matter. The Public Health Act of 1873 permitted the Lieutenant Governor to establish, by proclamation, a temporary "Central Board of Health" to deal with disease if it reached epidemic proportions. However, no proclamations were ever made, and a Central Board was never established.
The Provincial Board of Health was established on March 10, 1882, and it was charged with overseeing the many local health boards. It also assumed the responsibility of dealing with an epidemic, if one should arise. The board reported to the Lieutenant Governor (1882-1903), to the Provincial Secretary (1904-1918), then to the Department of Labour (1919-1924).
In 1924, the Provincial Board of Health was replaced by the Department of Health. In 1930, the department accepted from the Department of the Provincial Secretary the responsibilities for administering Ontario's psychiatric hospitals and inspecting the province's public and private hospitals. Also in 1930, the Department of Hospitals was established under the direction of the first Minister of Health; that department became a division of the Department of Health in 1934. In 1952, cancer research and the operation of cancer clinics was added to the department's responsibilities. Insured hospital services and insured physicians' services, introduced in 1959 and 1966 respectively, were combined under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) in 1972. The department also had responsibility over areas that are no longer associated with health, such as water and sewage functions (prior to 1957), mental retardation facilities and children's services (transferred to the Ministry of Community and Social Services in 1974), and occupational health (transferred to the Ministry of Labour in 1976).
In 1961, the Royal Commission on Health Services, chaired by Justice Emmett Matthew Hall, was appointed, which served as a catalyst for a major overhaul of the department.
In 1972, the Department of Health was renamed the Ministry of Health in a government-wide restructuring. In 1999, the Ministry of Health was renamed the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. On June 20, 2019, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was split into the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
List of ministers NameTerm of office Tenure Political party(Premier) Note Ministers of Health Dr. Forbes GodfreyConservative(Ferguson) John Robb Conservative(Henry) Dr. James Faulkner Liberal(Hepburn) Harold KirbyConcurrently Minister of Public Welfare (October 27, 1942 – May 18, 1943) Liberal(Conant) Liberal(Nixon) Dr. Percy VivianPC(Drew) Concurrently Minister of Public Welfare Russell Kelley PC(Kennedy) PC(Frost) Dr. Mac Phillips Dr. Matthew Dymond PC(Robarts) Tom Wells Albert Lawrence PC(Davis) Dr. Richard Potter Frank Miller Dennis Timbrell Larry Grossman Keith NortonIntergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Wells served as acting minister while Norton was on sick leave (October 11 to December 5, 1983) Alan Pope PC(Miller) Philip Andrewes Murray ElstonLiberal(Peterson) Elinor CaplanMother of later minister David Caplan (2008–09) Evelyn GigantesNDP(Rae) Resigned after inadvertently revealing the name of a Toronto man who had been sent to the United States for drug treatment that wasn't offered in the province. Frances Lankin Ruth Grier Jim Wilson(first instance)PC(Harris) Resigned for ministerial responsibility (his aide improperly disclosed confidential health information to a reporter), reinstated after conclusion of investigation. David JohnsonInterim Minister, while Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet Jim Wilson(second instance)2 years, 32 days in total Elizabeth WitmerCam Jackson served as Minister of Long-Term Care (July 27, 1998 to June 17, 1999) Ministers of Health and Long-Term Care Elizabeth Witmer Tony ClementHelen Johns (February 8, 2001 – April 14, 2002) & Dan Newman (April 15, 2002 – October 22, 2003) served as Associate Ministers PC(Eves) George Smitherman Liberal(McGuinty) While Deputy Premier (September 22, 2006 - November 9, 2009)Jim Watson (June 29, 2005 – October 30, 2007) & Margarett Best (October 30, 2007 – October 20, 2011) served as Ministers of Health Promotion David CaplanSon of previous minister Elinor Caplan (1987–90) Deb MatthewsWhile Deputy Premier (February 11, 2013 - January 17, 2018) Liberal(Wynne) Dr. Eric HoskinsDipika Damerla served as Associate Minister (Long-Term Care and Wellness) (June 24, 2014 – June 13, 2016) Dr. Helena JaczekWhile Chair of Cabinet Christine ElliottPC(Ford) While Deputy Premier Ministers of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton June 18, 2021Rod PhilipsJune 18, 2021January 14, 2022214 daysPaul CalandraJanuary 14, 2022September 4, 2023While Government House LeaderStan ChoSeptember 4, 2023June 6, 2024
References
External links
Health Quality Ontario website Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care organizational structure