Michele Campeau and her 83-year-old mother, Ruth Poupard, are caught up in a relatively new law that allows hospitals to place discharged patients into nursing homes not of their choosing in order to free up beds. If patients refuse to move, they face a fine of $400 per day as they remain at the hospital.
Her mother is still waiting for a spot in a long-term care home that would meet the family's standards and Campeau is expecting an even bigger bill to land in the coming weeks as the daily fines rack up.The law that allows hospitals to issue such fines – known as the More Beds, Better Care Act, or Bill 7 – was passed by the Doug Ford government in the fall of 2022 in an effort to open up much-needed hospital space.
Poupard's most recent health-care journey began shortly after Christmas when she hallucinated during the night, fell and broke her hip. Campeau rushed her to hospital, where she had surgery. As part of her recovery, Poupard moved to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare for rehabilitation. So the family worked with a placement co-ordinator at the hospital and put five long-term care homes on Poupard's list. But those were full. Discussions about adding more nursing homes to Poupard's list then began, under the provisions of the new law.