Retirement Home Regulation in Ontario

Several years ago, there were ‘consultations’ held in Ontario, to discuss the need for regulation of the retirement home sector. Retirement homes are part of the ‘private sector’ while there are a few not-for-profits out there, most are for profit and many owned by small to large companies though there are still a few independent owners out there. For the most part the homes that have existed are good and treat people well, but over time there were enough reports of problems and a recognition that seniors are very much a vulnerable population so there needs to be some form of regulation. Fast forward a couple of years and we now have the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) in Ontario. Some other provinces have some similar organizations, but it is by no means standard across Canada. Anyway, the RHRA has a set of standards homes must abide by and has the ability to regulate, inspect and educate homes. We think this is a very positive thing for Ontario seniors and so, we will spend some time in our upcoming posts sharing information about the RHRA and the regulations for retirement homes in Ontario. You can look up the license status of all retirement homes on their website www.rhra.ca.