British Columbians can't find out enough about what goes on inside the care homes where their relatives live, says B.C.'s Health Minister.
And in response to a CTV News investigation that found shocking allegations of abuse in a B.C. senior's home, George Abbott says all inspection reports will be put on the internet for all to see.
"I'm not really satisfied with the current way of reporting," the minister said. "The transparency is not all it should be."
Abbott was speaking in response to revelations in an investigation report that at a seniors' care facility, staff passed around naked pictures of seniors and subjected them to emotional and physical abuse.
And last year another home, Beacon Hill Villa, couldn't even meet minimum safety standards, so its health authority took firm action. It sent in its own administrator to run the home, rather than leaving it to the owner, Retirement Concepts.
But the public only learned about these allegations when freedom of information documents surfaced. Critics called that cumbersome and anything but transparent.
"We need more accountability, more transparency now than ever," said the NDP's Adrian Dix.
British Columbians can turn to the web and find out all kinds of food and safety information about local restaurants, because all the inspection reports are posted.
But if your loved one is in a government-funded care home, you can't find out anything.
Things will change, said Abbott, promising that more will be put on the web.
"That's the kind of transparent model that I would like to see in place and we're working towards that," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jim Beatty
