KITCHENER, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 25, 2012) - - Ontario's Liberal government must put the care needs of frail seniors and for 85,000 residents in long-term care (LTC) homes ahead of cost-cutting and restructuring, LTC direct care staff will say at a Kitchener media conference Tuesday, June 26, 2012.

In 2003 the Liberals promised to enact a minimum care standard for LTC residents. Nearly a decade later LTC residents and their families are still waiting for the Liberals to act.

"The Liberals made a commitment to seniors in this province to legislate a care standard. It's time they made good on that promise," says Michael Hurley the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) who will be joined by LTC care aide Bonnie Soucie at tomorrow's Kitchener media conference.

There are currently 24,000 Ontarians on the wait list for LTC beds and there is no mandatory minimum care standard LTC homes are legislated to meet.

OCHU/CUPE is advocating for a minimum standard of care of 3.5 hours of direct care per day for LTC residents.

Direct care LTC staff have been reaching out to their provincial Members of Parliament (MPP) to urge them to make a minimum care standard for LTC residents a priority.

Visit http://www.cupe.on.ca/timetocare for more on the need for a minimum care standard in LTC.