Communications

Ontario, Canada — April 1, 2026 — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society (Ontario SPCA) are launching a new partnership to support seniors and their pets by delivering pet food alongside Meals on Wheels deliveries. This collaboration brings together community support providers and animal welfare services to address a practical challenge faced by many older adults—accessing pet food due to limited mobility, fixed incomes, or transportation barriers. By leveraging existing Meals on Wheels routes, volunteers can now also deliver pet supplies donated by the Ontario SPCA during their regular visits. The initiative is being introduced through an initial pilot with a small group of participating providers, including Meals on Wheels Sudbury, and Meals on Wheels Cornwall, which has already completed its first pet food deliveries to local seniors. “Meals on Wheels programs do far more than deliver food, they are a vital connection point into the community,” said Lori Holloway, CEO of OCSA. “This partnership reflects how organizations can work together to respond to real, everyday challenges seniors face. It’s a practical example of how community-based care supports the whole person, not just clinical needs.” “Pets are family, and we know the positive impact they have on people’s mental and emotional health,” said Jennifer Bluhm, VP, Community Outreach, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “This partnership helps remove barriers so seniors can continue to enjoy the companionship of their pets.” The program is already making an impact at the community level, with local providers seeing firsthand how small supports can improve quality of life for clients. “Pets can play a powerful role in reducing the isolation many seniors experience,” said Tammi Lear, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels Sudbury. “Meals on Wheels Sudbury is excited to partner with the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society to help keep our seniors healthy, connected, and able to remain in their homes with their pets.” “Meals on Wheels Cornwall is proud to be the first organization to pilot this program with the Ontario SPCA,” said Andree-Ann Morin, Meals on Wheels Coordinator, Glen Stor Dun Lodge. “This pilot program recognizes that food security doesn’t stop with the individual — it includes the pets who bring comfort and companionship. Thanks to the Ontario SPCA, we’ve already been able to help clients who were struggling with the cost, access, and special dietary needs of their pets. Even with just a few clients so far, we’ve seen how removing this worry can improve overall wellbeing.” Evidence shows that pets can reduce loneliness and support mental well-being among older adults. Small, practical supports like this can play an important role in maintaining health, preventing more complex needs over time, and improving client outcomes. This new partnership demonstrates the potential of cross-sector collaboration to better support seniors aging at home, while strengthening connections between health, community, and social supports. OCSA and the Ontario SPCA will continue working together to explore opportunities to expand the program with additional community partners across Ontario. Media Contact: Karla Sealy Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca 416-256-3010 / 1-800-267-6272 ext. 242 About the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) is the leading voice for home and community care in Ontario, representing hundreds of not-for-profit organizations delivering both home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members provide essential services including nursing, personal support and therapies; Meals on Wheels, transportation, caregiver supports, and other programs that help people remain safely in their homes and communities. Serving over one million Ontarians each year, OCSA works with government and system partners to advance integrated, community-based care as a cornerstone of a sustainable health system. About the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity that has been operating for more than 150 years. The organization provides care, comfort, and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario, and works to keep pets and people together through a variety of community support services, education, and animal wellness initiatives.

Ontario, March 27, 2026 — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) welcomes the Ontario government’s continued investment in home care and community support services as part of the 2026 provincial budget. Building on recent commitments, this investment signals a sustained shift toward strengthening care in the home and community as a central pillar of Ontario’s health system. As demand continues to grow—driven by an aging population, increasing caregiver strain, and sustained pressure across hospitals and long-term care—expanding access to care outside of institutions is critical to improving system flow and long term sustainability. “We are listening closely to what Ontarians are telling us—and so is the government,” said Lori Holloway, CEO of OCSA. “People want to receive care at home and in their communities, surrounded by the people and supports that matter most. This investment reflects that reality and moves us further toward a system designed around where people actually want and need care.” Home care and community support services each play distinct but complementary roles. Home care provides essential clinical and personal care in the home, while community support services focus on prevention, independence, and quality of life through programs such as Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day programs, and caregiver respite. Together, they form the foundation of a modern, community-based care system that helps people remain at home longer while reducing avoidable hospital use and delaying or preventing long-term care placement. This level of sustained investment has the potential to significantly expand access to care at home, strengthen community capacity, and improve outcomes for individuals and families across the province—while supporting a more balanced and sustainable health system overall. OCSA is committed to working with government and system partners to ensure these investments translate into real improvements in access, stronger community supports, and measurable impact for Ontarians. About OCSA The Ontario Community Support Association represents more than 200 not-for-profit organizations providing home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members deliver essential services that help people live independently, age at home, and reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care. For media inquiries please contact: Karla Sealy (she/her) Manager of Communications 416-256-3010/1-800-267-6272, ext 242 karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca 

Province-wide campaign highlights Meals on Wheels as essential to community care

Ontario relies on community health workers every day to treat illness, support mental health, provide care at home, help people live independently, and keep families well, and in many cases, they provide this care 24/7. They care for people of all ages and backgrounds, often with highly complex needs, and they are essential to achieving a sustainable and high performing healthcare system. Closing the wage gap is not simply about fairness; it is about protecting access to care, reducing system pressure, and ensuring Ontario ’ s healthcare investments deliver maximum impact. The ten provincial community health associations are committed to working collaboratively with the government to build a stable, sustainable community health workforce, which supports a stable and sustainable healthcare system, a goal we all share.

Ottawa, Ontario – [January 14, 2026] — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) is calling on the provincial government to prioritize sustained investment in Home Care and Community Support Services in the 2026 Ontario Budget. Without action, seniors will lose essential services and hospital emergency rooms will face even greater pressures. Appearing today before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, OCSA CEO Lori Holloway highlighted that community-based care is a cornerstone of Ontario’s health system—keeping people healthy at home, enabling them to age with dignity and preventing unnecessary hospital and long-term care admissions. “Without new investment in Community Support Services, seniors will lose meals and personal care services, caregivers will lose day programs for their loved ones, and hospital beds will fill up as more people are stuck waiting for care that should be delivered at home,” said Holloway. OCSA represents more than 200 not-for-profit home care and community care providers across Ontario, delivering services such as high-needs home care, Meals on Wheels, assisted living, transportation to medical appointments, adult day programs for people living with dementia, and respite supports for caregivers. While the province has made recent investments in home care expansion, OCSA emphasized that these gains are fragile if the community supports that enable people to remain safely at home are allowed to erode. Community Support Services account for less than two per cent of Ontario’s total health budget, yet received no funding increase in Budget 2025 . As a result, many providers are already planning service reductions or facing difficult decisions, including reducing meal delivery routes, limiting day programs and respite services, scaling back transportation programs, and closing adult day programs for part of the week. In turn, service reductions will place additional strain on working caregivers, 69% of whom are experiencing burnout and nearly half of whom are considering leaving the workforce to care for their loved ones. “These are not abstract risks,” Holloway said. “They are real service reductions being planned right now in communities across the province.” When community supports are unavailable, patients end up in hospital and/or remain in hospital beds longer—not because they need acute care, but because the services required for safe discharge do not exist. A hospital Alternate Level of Care (ALC) bed costs approximately $730 per day , compared to $103 per day for home and community care. Ontario’s aging demographics make the issue increasingly urgent. Nearly one in five Ontarians is now over the age of 65 , and the senior population is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. OCSA is urging the government to immediately: Sustain home care through a renewed multi-year investment of $442 million investment annually, and predictable funding; Invest $150 million annually to stabilize Community Support Services and prevent service cuts; and Address workforce shortages by closing the wage gap facing community health workers, who earn 23 to 46 per cent less than their hospital counterparts. “Ontario cannot build its way out of an aging population with hospitals and long-term care beds alone,” Holloway said. “Care delivered at home and in the community is where people want to be, and it is the most cost-effective and compassionate approach for the health system.” About the Ontario Community Support Association The Ontario Community Support Association represents more than 200 not-for-profit organizations providing home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members deliver essential services that help people live independently, age at home, and reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care. For more information visit www.ocsa.on.ca or @OCSATweets For media inquiries please contact: Karla Sealy (she/her) Manager of Communications 416-256-3010/1-800-267-6272, ext 242 karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca

Ontario, Canada — April 1, 2026 — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society (Ontario SPCA) are launching a new partnership to support seniors and their pets by delivering pet food alongside Meals on Wheels deliveries. This collaboration brings together community support providers and animal welfare services to address a practical challenge faced by many older adults—accessing pet food due to limited mobility, fixed incomes, or transportation barriers. By leveraging existing Meals on Wheels routes, volunteers can now also deliver pet supplies donated by the Ontario SPCA during their regular visits. The initiative is being introduced through an initial pilot with a small group of participating providers, including Meals on Wheels Sudbury, and Meals on Wheels Cornwall, which has already completed its first pet food deliveries to local seniors. “Meals on Wheels programs do far more than deliver food, they are a vital connection point into the community,” said Lori Holloway, CEO of OCSA. “This partnership reflects how organizations can work together to respond to real, everyday challenges seniors face. It’s a practical example of how community-based care supports the whole person, not just clinical needs.” “Pets are family, and we know the positive impact they have on people’s mental and emotional health,” said Jennifer Bluhm, VP, Community Outreach, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “This partnership helps remove barriers so seniors can continue to enjoy the companionship of their pets.” The program is already making an impact at the community level, with local providers seeing firsthand how small supports can improve quality of life for clients. “Pets can play a powerful role in reducing the isolation many seniors experience,” said Tammi Lear, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels Sudbury. “Meals on Wheels Sudbury is excited to partner with the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society to help keep our seniors healthy, connected, and able to remain in their homes with their pets.” “Meals on Wheels Cornwall is proud to be the first organization to pilot this program with the Ontario SPCA,” said Andree-Ann Morin, Meals on Wheels Coordinator, Glen Stor Dun Lodge. “This pilot program recognizes that food security doesn’t stop with the individual — it includes the pets who bring comfort and companionship. Thanks to the Ontario SPCA, we’ve already been able to help clients who were struggling with the cost, access, and special dietary needs of their pets. Even with just a few clients so far, we’ve seen how removing this worry can improve overall wellbeing.” Evidence shows that pets can reduce loneliness and support mental well-being among older adults. Small, practical supports like this can play an important role in maintaining health, preventing more complex needs over time, and improving client outcomes. This new partnership demonstrates the potential of cross-sector collaboration to better support seniors aging at home, while strengthening connections between health, community, and social supports. OCSA and the Ontario SPCA will continue working together to explore opportunities to expand the program with additional community partners across Ontario. Media Contact: Karla Sealy Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca 416-256-3010 / 1-800-267-6272 ext. 242 About the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) is the leading voice for home and community care in Ontario, representing hundreds of not-for-profit organizations delivering both home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members provide essential services including nursing, personal support and therapies; Meals on Wheels, transportation, caregiver supports, and other programs that help people remain safely in their homes and communities. Serving over one million Ontarians each year, OCSA works with government and system partners to advance integrated, community-based care as a cornerstone of a sustainable health system. About the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity that has been operating for more than 150 years. The organization provides care, comfort, and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario, and works to keep pets and people together through a variety of community support services, education, and animal wellness initiatives.

Ontario, March 27, 2026 — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) welcomes the Ontario government’s continued investment in home care and community support services as part of the 2026 provincial budget. Building on recent commitments, this investment signals a sustained shift toward strengthening care in the home and community as a central pillar of Ontario’s health system. As demand continues to grow—driven by an aging population, increasing caregiver strain, and sustained pressure across hospitals and long-term care—expanding access to care outside of institutions is critical to improving system flow and long term sustainability. “We are listening closely to what Ontarians are telling us—and so is the government,” said Lori Holloway, CEO of OCSA. “People want to receive care at home and in their communities, surrounded by the people and supports that matter most. This investment reflects that reality and moves us further toward a system designed around where people actually want and need care.” Home care and community support services each play distinct but complementary roles. Home care provides essential clinical and personal care in the home, while community support services focus on prevention, independence, and quality of life through programs such as Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day programs, and caregiver respite. Together, they form the foundation of a modern, community-based care system that helps people remain at home longer while reducing avoidable hospital use and delaying or preventing long-term care placement. This level of sustained investment has the potential to significantly expand access to care at home, strengthen community capacity, and improve outcomes for individuals and families across the province—while supporting a more balanced and sustainable health system overall. OCSA is committed to working with government and system partners to ensure these investments translate into real improvements in access, stronger community supports, and measurable impact for Ontarians. About OCSA The Ontario Community Support Association represents more than 200 not-for-profit organizations providing home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members deliver essential services that help people live independently, age at home, and reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care. For media inquiries please contact: Karla Sealy (she/her) Manager of Communications 416-256-3010/1-800-267-6272, ext 242 karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca