For over a decade, our international, interdisciplinary team has been studying long-term care in six different countries, including Canada. Our research clearly indicates that minimum staffing is a necessary but not sufficient condition to keep residents, staff and relatives safe. We urge you to support and implement a minimum standard of four hours a day of nursing and personal support services, averaged across all residents, based on hours worked and increased by regulation when resident need indicates this is necessary.

Sincerely,

Pat Armstrong, PhD, FRSC, Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, York University;
Principal Investigator, SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiative “Re-Imagining Long-term
Residential Care: An international study of promising practices”

Endorsed by team members:

Annmarie Adams, PhD, FRAIC, Professor, School of Architecture & Department of Social Studies of
Medicine, McGill University
Gudmund Ågotnes, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Social Education and Social Work, Western
Norway University of Applied Sciences
Hugh Armstrong, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, Carleton University
Albert Banerjee, PhD, NBHRF Research Chair in Community Health & Aging, Assistant Professor,
Gerontology, St. Thomas University
Susan Braedley, MSW, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Carleton University
Sally Chivers, PhD, Professor, English, Trent University
Jacqueline A. Choiniere, RN, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, York University
Tamara Daly, PhD, Professor, School of Health Policy & Management, York University
Megan J. Davies, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Social Science, York University
Malcolm B. Doupe, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Community Health Sciences and
Emergency Medicine, University of Manitoba
Charlene Harrington, RN, PhD, Professor Emerita, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences,
University of California San Francisco, USA
Frode F. Jacobsen, RN, PhD, Professor and Research Director, Centre for Care Research, Western
Norway University of Applied Sciences
Robert James, MD, Medical Director (former), Ontario long-term care facility
Monique Lanoix, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Saint Paul University
Joel Lexchin, MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Professor Emeritus, School of Health Policy and Management, York
University
Liz Lloyd, PhD, Professor (former), School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK
Ruth Lowndes, RN, PhD, Research Associate, York Universiy
Martha MacDonald, PhD, Professor, Economics, Saint Mary’s University
Margaret McGregor, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of
Medicine, University of British Columbia
Kathryn McPherson, PhD, Professor, Department of History, York University
Allyson Pollock, MD, Professor, Director, Centre for Excellence in Regulatory Science, Newcastle
University, UK
Pauline Rosenau, PhD, Professor Emerita, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston, USA
Anneli Stranz, PhD, Researcher and lecturer, Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden
James Struthers, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Canadian Studies, Trent University
Marta Szebehely, PhD, Professor Emerita, Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden