Gretzky: Ombudsman report shows years of government neglect harmed vulnerable adults

QUEEN’S PARK — The Ontario Ombudsman’s new report reveals the devastating impact of the Ford government’s failure to support adults with developmental disabilities. Shadow Minister for Children, Community and Social Services Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West) says the findings confirm what she and countless families have been warning about for years.

“For a long time, families, front-line workers, and advocates have been pleading for help. I’ve raised these concerns time and time again in the Legislature,” said Gretzky. “This report shows, in heartbreaking detail, what happens when those warnings are ignored. People were left to deteriorate in hospitals for months or years because the government made no plan for them. It’s unacceptable.”

The Ombudsman’s Lost in Transition report examined 55 cases of adults with developmental disabilities who were kept in hospitals solely because there were no appropriate supports or housing available. Individuals were chemically sedated, tied to hospital beds, isolated for long periods, and left to lose essential life skills.

The findings also make clear that these tragedies were avoidable. The government ignored key recommendations from the 2016 Ombudsman report, which raised the same concerns about inappropriate hospitalizations and the absence of coordinated planning. Nearly a decade later, the same problems persist.

“The same long waitlists, the same gaps in services, the same lack of coordination, it’s very evidently all connected,” said Gretzky. “Children who can’t access the supports they need grow into adults who continue to be failed by the system. These service gaps follow people throughout their lives.”

“Accepting a list of recommendations doesn’t change anything on its own,” Gretzky added. “People with developmental disabilities deserve dignity, safety, and a place to live with the supports they need. They should never end up spending years in hospital beds because the government refuses to invest. This can’t happen again.”