Ontario's Premier Accountability Dashboard · Queen's Park Watch
Ryan Bell
Southbridge Care Homes
Estimated cost to Ontario
>$3.0B
CEO of Southbridge Care Homes, which operates Orchard Villa in Pickering. Orchard Villa had the worst COVID outcome of any Ontario LTC home — 70 of 73 resident deaths at the facility occurred in the first wave, and 206 of 233 residents contracted the virus. The Canadian military was called in; their report described conditions as appalling. Despite this record, the Ford government granted Orchard Villa a new 30-year licence with an expanded bed count in 2023.
Connected Scandals
3,758 Ontario long-term care residents died of COVID-19 — many from neglect, not the virus itself. Ford's government had promised to fix the chronically understaffed, underfunded sector before the pandemic, did nothing, had no emergency plan when outbreaks began, delayed calling in the military, and then shielded the for-profit operators responsible from any legal accountability.
CEO of the chain responsible for Ontario's worst individual LTC COVID death toll. Orchard Villa's catastrophic outcomes prompted a Canadian Armed Forces deployment and widespread calls for accountability. In 2023, rather than face licence consequences, Southbridge received a new 30-year operating licence and an 87-bed expansion — a decision the Ontario Health Coalition challenged in court.