Public vs. Private Long-Term Care in Ontario: Who Provides More Hours of Care?

Long-Term Care in Ontario: How Public, Non-Profit, and For-Profit Homes Compare on Staffing and Spending

Families looking for long-term care (LTC) options in Ontario regularly ask us whether ownership matters when it comes to the care their loved ones will receive. A new Statistics Canada report sheds light on this. It analyzes staffing levels and expenses in Canadian LTC homes—including a detailed look at Ontario—before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Types of Long-Term Care Ownership in Ontario

First, let’s define the three ownership types of LTC homes, as laid out in the report:

Public LTC Homes: These are owned by municipalities, regional health authorities, or provincial governments. In Ontario, municipal homes fall into this category.

Non-Profit LTC Homes: Operated by charitable, faith-based, or community organizations.

For-Profit LTC Homes: Owned by private companies or corporations, these homes may generate profits for owners or shareholders.

All LTC homes in Ontario—regardless of ownership—receive public funding for nursing and personal care. Residents pay for accommodation costs through co-payments.

• See long-term care rates as of July 1, 2025 HERE

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Staffing Levels: Ontario and National Insights

Total Hours of Care Per Resident Per Day (HPRD)

Before the pandemic, Ontario LTC residents received:

• Public homes: 2.93 hours of direct daily care
• Non-profit homes: 2.92 hours
• For-profit homes: 2.71 hours

During the pandemic:

• Public homes: 3.47 hours
• Non-profit homes: 3.04 hours
• For-profit homes: 2.94 hours

Nationally, the trend is similar: public homes provided the most direct care, followed by non-profits, then for-profits. On average across Canada, for-profit homes provided 50 fewer minutes of care per resident per day than public homes before the pandemic. The gap began narrowing to 34 fewer minutes during the pandemic.

By Role: Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs), and Personal Support Workers (PSWs)

In Ontario:

• Public homes increased RN care by 10.19% during the pandemic.
• All homes increased RPN and PSW care, but public homes saw the largest gains.
• For-profit homes lagged behind in RN and RPN care time increases .

Why does this matter? Higher RN staffing is linked to fewer hospitalizations, lower mortality, and better overall health outcomes for residents.

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How Homes Spend Their Money

Wages and Benefits

In Ontario during the pandemic:

• Public homes: 60.86% of expenditures went to wages; 15.16% to benefits.
• Non-profits: 62.3% on wages; 8.83% on benefits.
• For-profits: 58.18% on wages; 9.66% on benefits .

Subcontracting

For-profit homes spent more on subcontracting staff:

• For-profit: 5.6% of expenses on subcontracting
• Non-profit: 4.1%
• Public: 2.3%

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Policy Changes in Ontario

Ontario’s Fixing Long-Term Care Act (2021) set a target of 4 hours of direct care per resident per day by 2025, up from an average of 2.75 hours pre-pandemic. This is a critical step, and data shows that public homes are already leading the way.

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What This Means for Ontario Families

• Public LTC homes generally provide more hours of care, especially from highly trained staff like RNs.
• Non-profit homes tend to fall in the middle, providing more care than for-profits but less than public homes.
• For-profit homes provide less direct care on average and spend more on subcontracting.

When evaluating LTC options, ownership type can give families a clue about the level of care their loved one might receive. However, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. At Elderado, we help families navigate these choices to find the best home for yourself or a loved one.

Start your search.

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Sources

This blog is based on Staffing levels and expenses in Canadian long-term care facilities by ownership status before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada, July 2025. Read the full report here.