The following is a letter sent to the Minister of Community and Social Services, Madeleine Meilleur, on April 19, 2010 regarding Community Living Ontario’s decision to cancel its annual Day at the Legislature in response to budget announcements which renege on earlier funding commitments.

 

 

Dear Minister,

 

Over the past number of years, Community Living Ontario has appreciated your assistance in hosting our annual day at the legislature.  You and your staff have always been helpful and resourceful in your assistance as we have organized these events, and the same has been true this year as we have proceeded to plan to visit the legislature again next month. 

 

It is with regret that I am writing to inform you that we have taken a decision to cancel the event planned for May 4th.  Our day at the legislature is intended as an opportunity to celebrate with Members of the Parliament the achievements that we have made together.  Given the deep sense of betrayal by your government that our members are feeling as a result of the recently announced budget decisions, we feel that it is impossible to proceed in a spirit of celebration for which the day is intended.

 

I cannot overstate the deep disappointment and outrage that our members feel with your Ministry’s decision to not honour your government’s promise made in 2007 to provide funds this year to address operational pressures in the developmental services sector.  Following in the wake of the Increased Community Capacity Initiative which negated the value of one of the earlier years funding commitments, the modest 2007 funding promise has been cut in half, leaving support agencies scrambling to cover the financial commitments that they have made in anticipation that these resources would be forthcoming.

 

At present there are more than 12,000 people waiting for residential supports, 7,000 waiting for other supports and 1,500 parents providing primary care to their sons or daughters who have an intellectual disability on a waitlist for residential services; 80% of these being parents over the age of 70. Given the crisis that grows day by day while your government focuses on other matters, it would be highly inappropriate to spend a day of celebration at the legislature.

 

We have appreciated the welcome we have always received at the legislature and it is our hope that in years to come we will once again be able to resume our annual celebration with Members.  For this year, we have asked our members to set aside May 4^th, the day that we were to hold our annual celebration, as a day of mourning in which we reflect on the desperate needs of those individuals and families who have been betrayed by your government’s actions.

 

We would very much appreciate an opportunity to meet with you in the near future to discuss the critical issues that are facing individuals and families who have an intellectual disability in this province.

 

Yours Truly,

 

Karen Gledhill

President

 

c.c.      Dalton McGuinty, Premier

            Tim Hudak, Leader, Ontario PC Party

            Andrea Horwath, Leader,Ontario

For more information please visit www.communitylivingontario.ca