Seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie is photographed at her office in Victoria, B.C., on Friday, Dec.15, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito.Though it is stated in the province’s Community Care and Assisted Living Act that each facility must ensure temperatures in each bedroom, bathroom and common room are “safe and comfortable,” the Ministry of Health says aging buildings pose a challenge to making air conditioning a requirement.
It remains to be seen how the federal legislation will be framed, especially without interfering with existing provincial policies. “As we move forward in long-term care to continuously enhance person centered care … it is essential that there is on-going investment by all levels of government to modernize existing homes, replace when needed, and develop new homes that addresses the current demand for long term care,” Hall told Global News in an emailed statement.