“What we need is an end of the race to the bottom approach that came with deregulation” said Tristan Downe-Dewdney, the Canadian Caregiver Association’s (CCA) spokesperson for their 2009 initiative. “Low standards hurt caregivers and they hurt the businesses that have been ethically conducting their operations”.

The CCA is calling for minimum standards and an industry review mechanism to ensure that an agency is up to code in order to operate. Their proposed ‘Whitelist’ is preferred over a blacklist, given the ability of agencies to rebrand and change ownership to avoid scrutiny.

In addition to investigations, the CCA is also calling for fee caps, warning that there needs to be a balance between expropriation and prohibition, so that compassionate businesses can continue to operate. The CCA welcomes the Ontario Government’s commitment to action and will be working with stakeholders to develop the sustainable made-in-Ontario solutions needed to raise standards and to pressure the Federal Government to take concrete steps to end exploitation.

The Canadian Caregivers Association is a Canada-wide association representing industry partners who support high standards, respecting caregiver and family rights. Founded in 2004, the CCA has pushed for industry reforms for the past 5 years. Project 2009 is a special initiative in response to the unique opportunities for change provided by recent media coverage of caregiver exploitation in the Greater Toronto Area.

For more information, please visit http://canadiansforcaregivers.blogspot.com/2009/04/press-release-from-april-13.html