Pickering Deputy Mayor Kevin Ashe said there have been “at least 40” deaths at Orchard Village retirement home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted the deaths impact a lot of people, including relatives, in the city.

“Pickering is leading in the number of lost souls. It’s very, very troubling and very sorrowful,” he said.

He’s also supportive of Canadian Armed Forces personnel being brought in to help at the home. Personnel were assigned there Friday after Premier Doug Ford asked the federal government to have the CAF join the pandemic fight.

“I’ve been calling for additional resources for about a week now,” Ashesaid, adding all three levels of government have been involved in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

He doesn’t know how long the CAF personnel will be at the site.

Earlier this week, Long-Term Care Minister Merrillee Fullerton said the personnel will be moved around to where they are needed.

“As conditions at long-term care homes across the province continue to be monitored and tracked daily, CAF support may be redeployed to other sites, as required,” Ford’s office noted in a press release. “Our top priority is ensuring the staff at these long-term care homes can focus on providing care and have the resources they need to combat the spread of this virus.”

Armed forces personnel have also been sent to long-term care homes in Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York and Brampton.

“The full focus of our staff is on actively managing the outbreak in our home and making sure our residents are getting the care they need,’’ April Beckett, the executive director for Orchard Villa, said in an email,

Given the situation, Beckett said she couldn’t comment on matters.

“Orchard Villa has been following all directives issued by Public Health. We have a cohorting policy in place for our COVID-19 positive residents. All residents are temperature checked twice per day and our staff are working only at our location,” she added.

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Keith Gilligan is a reporter for DurhamRegion.com. Reach him via email: kgilligan@durhamregion.com