Retirement Home Regulation

The McGuinty government is going to start regulating retirement homes, just as the province's aging population starts to head into them.

Seniors Minister Gerry Phillips says he will introduce legislation this spring that will ensure all retirement homes meet certain standards.

Phillips declined to divulge any specifics since the legislation is still being drafted but an agency to oversee them is a possibility.

The bill will include minimum safety and care standards and a resident's bill of rights.

There are about 750 retirement homes in Ontario housing about43-thousand residents.

Retirement homes aren't regulated in Ontario like nursing homes,which receive government funding to provide medical care to elderly patients.

They do have to meet provincial fire and building codes, abide by tenant protection laws and meet public health and food safety rules.