As soldiers swoop in to help, Premier Doug Ford wants federal aid for long-term-care homes that have emerged as the scene of three-quarters of Ontario’s COVID-19 deaths.

Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault are pleading with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for financial assistance for nursing homes, which are now the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Canada’s two largest provinces.

“Premier Legault and myself will ask the prime minister for support in long-term care,” Ford said Friday.

With 250 Canadian Armed Forces personnel descending on five long-term-care homes in the Toronto area — including the Scarborough facility where a caregiver died of COVID-19 last week — Ford stressed it “shouldn’t be their full-time job on this end.”

“We need funding of the federal government. prime minister, if you’re listening, I need your help on long-term care. If you can provide funding, that will help us get through this and have a better, more sustainable long-term-care facilities,” the premier said.

In Ottawa, Trudeau said the situation in long-term care across the country is “extremely troubling.”

“It’s unacceptable and our government will be there to help the provinces,” he said. “We’re deploying the military to provide emergency support to help provinces regain control of the situation, but we all know that this is only a short-term solution.”

Ford announced Friday that Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, which was rocked by the death of personal support worker Christine Mandegarian, 54, will receive aid from army personnel. Mandegarian had worked in the sector for 31 years.

Also getting assistance are Orchard Villa in Pickering, Etobicoke’s Eatonville, Hawthorne Place in North York, and Holland Christian Homes’ Grace Manor in Brampton.

The three nursing homes in Toronto have had almost 300 residents come down with COVID-19, according to the city’s public health department. At Altamont, 28 residents have died, while 86 residents and five staff have become infected since the outbreak began there March 25.

There have been 30 deaths of residents at Eatonville, where the virus began racing through on March 29 and has infected 156 residents and seven staff. Four residents have been hospitalized.

Hawthorne has had no deaths reported to date, but 55 residents and seven staff have tested positive for the new coronavirus and two have been hospitalized since the first case was detected March 31.

At Grace Manor in Brampton, there have been two deaths and 20 residents sent to hospital as 43 have tested positive for the virus, along with 21 workers self-isolating at home, creating a staff shortage as officials try to stop the spread.

Pickering’s Orchard Villa, which has 233 beds, has seen 40 residents die, with 131 testing positive. Another 66 staff have also contracted COVID-19. “They need people in there,” said Pickering deputy mayor Kevin Ashe. “They need infection control.”

Ashe said a small group of the soldiers was expected to visit Orchard Villa on Friday with staff from Lakeridge Health.

“They will do a site visit to ascertain needs and objectives and then the military would have boots on the ground I would think in the next 24 hours,” he said.

Eatonville’s executive director, Evelyn MacDonald said the home was “pleased to learn,” on Friday afternoon, that military assistance is coming.

MacDonald said the military will bolster support the home is getting from the Central Local Health Integrated Network.

Eatonville is focusing on infection control through the “isolation of residents to their rooms, in-room tray service (and) screening residents and staff at least twice daily.” It is also doing “enhanced cleaning” and offers personal protective equipment for its staff “at all times,” MacDonald’s statement said.

Gale Coburn, executive director of Hawthorne Place, said the North York home is in daily discussions with Toronto Public Health and welcomed the armed forces.

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“I am very pleased that we will be getting this extra support from CAF medical personnel,” Colebo said.

Eatonville and Hawthorne Place are owned by Rykka Care Centre and managed by Responsive Group.

Meanwhile, Ford’s office appealed for “everyone to respect the privacy of these long-term-care homes.”

As of Friday, 573 nursing-home deaths now account for 75 per cent of Ontario’s official tally of 763. On Thursday, long term care homes had accounted for 70 per cent of coronavirus deaths.

Peter and Micky Green share a room in Eatonville. Both have COVID-19, and are experiencing extreme dehydration and upset stomachs.

Their daughter, Jane Bayly, told the Star earlier this week about the desperate need for extra staff. When she spoke about the plan to send military into Eatonville, her voice cracked with emotion.

“I’m shaking right now. My feeling of relief is generalized, not specific to my parents but to the home itself, because people who desperately needed help are going to now get a little more attention and a little more care,” Bayly said.

“Even if they are ill and they are fighting (COVID-19), they will have a little more attention because the caregivers will have a little more time now, instead of tearing from one person to the next.”

Pamela Smith’s 90-year-old mother, who is blind, lives in Eatonville and has COVID-19. Smith said her mother’s roommate went to the hospital with coronavirus and has not returned.

Smith said sending in the army “sounds powerful, but I don’t really know what are they going to do.”

Still, the extra help will make a huge difference for staff. “As far as I can tell they are all working like maniacs,” she said.

Also Friday, Ford said he would unveil a “framework” next week for gradually reopening the economy.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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