Notice: this article has been updated to reflect a recent report that temporary window visit restrictions have since been lifted.

A long-term care facility owned and operated by the city of Timmins temporarily banned window visits by family members of residents after a resident tested positive for the coronavirus.

True North obtained an email sent out by Golden Manor’s Quality, Risk and Resident Experience Coordinator Amy Beaven telling family members that their visits could be “confusing to residents.” 

“Additionally, these visits can be confusing to residents as they are not accustomed to seeing people, children or pets pass by their window and may not understand why these visitors are not able to come inside,” claimed Beaven. 

The email notes that contact can be maintained with loved ones by family members through video calls or sending notes or photographs. 

In the email, Beavan also claims that window visiting is against public health orders and circumvents physical distancing rule, despite there being a physical barrier between the resident and visitor.

“This is a very difficult request for us to make however it is necessary for us to request that friends and families refrain from window visiting our residents at this time,” writes Beaven. 

“This practice goes against the Public Health directive to ‘stay at home’ unless absolutely necessary. It is also very difficult to monitor and manage the 2 metre/6 feet physical distancing required during window visits which places another risk for those visiting.” 

True North reached out to administration at Golden Manor and the City of Timmins but had not received a comment regarding the policy.

According to a recent report by MYTIMMINGSNOW the visits have been reinstated since the outbreak subsided.

“We just wanted family to, during outbreak, abstain from the window visits until we could come out of outbreak and then we could look at some parameters around the window visits,” Golden Manor administrator Carol Halt told the outlet.

A similar policy instituted by nursing homes in the city of Ottawa was called “ridiculous” by Premier Doug Ford and the policy was repealed shortly after. 

“That’s ridiculous – you have a loved one at a home – most of them are elderly – and the last time you get see your parents in some cases. I don’t know who comes up with this ridiculous idea but they need to rethink it,” said Ford. 

There have been growing concerns by the public and government officials regarding longterm care facilities after reports that a large concentration of coronavirus deaths have occurred among residents. 

A report by the Canadian Armed Forces shared with the public today revealed harrowing details regarding the treatment of residents in several facilities.

The military reported accounts of “abusive” behaviour, the presence of cockroaches and force-feeding taking place at five longterm care facilities in the province. 

“The report from the Canadian Armed Forces on these five long-term care homes is extremely troubling. Our government will take immediate action to investigate the concerns raised by the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure the safety of our residents in these five long-term care homes and in homes across the province,” said Ford in a news release on the matter.

New Brunswick lawmakers will debate a bill that would make childhood vaccines mandatory, as the legislature resumes sitting Tuesday.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy told reporters Monday that the coronavirus pandemic has proven the need to make vaccinations mandatory.

“I’m pleased that it’s finally coming up for a decision,” he said. “We have seen what the world is like with just one disease that doesn’t have a vaccine over the last few months, so I’m certainly hoping that my colleagues will plan to support science and make sure we protect our kids.”

The Act Respecting Proof of Immunization would require parents to provide proof that their children were vaccinated in order for them to attend public schools or daycares.

The legislation also invokes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ notwithstanding clause, meaning if passed, the bill cannot be challenged in court on constitutional grounds.

New Brunswick currently has 121 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and no deaths. 

Green Party Leader David Coon says that he will be pushing for several amendments to the bill, including one to allow New Brunswick’s chief public health officer to control when mandatory vaccination is enforced.

Coon says he also wants to “strip the notwithstanding clause out of it to restore people’s rights to go to the courts if they feel that legislation that the legislative assembly passes in one way or another is contrary to the Charter.” 

Cardy hinted to reporters that the government may be willing to remove the notwithstanding clause from the bill, saying he would not personally object to such an amendment.

Mandatory vaccinations have been a divisive issue in New Brunswick since they were proposed in June 2019.

In November, Liberal MLA Cathy Rogers called the idea of mandatory vaccinations “Hitler-ish” and called Cardy “dictatorial” for proposing the idea. 

Cardy told Global News in January that he had received multiple death threats online for continuing to push for mandatory vaccinations. The threats were investigated and found not to be credible.

In Ontario schools, vaccines are mandatory but students can receive exemptions on medical, religious or conscientious grounds. A bill passed under the previous Liberal government requires parents to undergo a public health training session before getting an exemption for their children.

Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu is blaming former prime minister Stephen Harper for her government’s failure to properly manage Canada’s national emergency stockpile. 

When Hajdu was asked by NDP MP Matthew Green if she had ever been briefed on the poor state of Canada’s National Emergency Strategic Stockpile, she answered that Canada’s lack of preparedness can be blamed on the Harper government’s actions half a decade ago. 

“Were you ever briefed at the federal cabinet at any time in the last decade that the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile was not funded or mandated to amass sufficient levels of medical supplies or equipment to respond to a pandemic like COVID-19?” asked NDP MP Matthew Green.

“Well, I can’t speak to the five years prior to our government, where in fact under the Harper Conservatives the agency experienced significant cuts but I can tell you that during the five years that we were in government in fact we increased funding to the Public Health Agency of Canada,” replied Hajdu. 

Critics have accused the Trudeau government of failing to maintain Canada’s supply of vital medical equipment in the case of an emergency such as a pandemic. 

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam told the House of Commons government operations committee that Canada only possessed a small stockpile of pandemic supplies before the outbreak began.

“There was definitely a small amount,” said Dr Tam “It wasn’t a lot.”

Recent reports also claim that the Liberals sent millions of N95 masks to the dump last May, along with other personal protective equipment items. 

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the masks were disposed of because they had passed their five-year expiration date. 

Executive Director of the Public Health Association Ian Culbert also called the government’s handling of the stockpile its “largest failure” when testifying before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in early April. 

“I would say the national emergency stockpile is probably the largest failure as far as our response goes to date,” said Culbert.

In response to Hajdu blaming the Liberals’ lack of preparedness on Stephen Harper, Conservative MP Kelly McCauley called the remarks “disgraceful.” 

“I want to say how disappointed I am that instead of dealing with this very important situation, that you’ve used that disgraceful fallback line,” said McCauley.