In the News

Responding to the Back to Balance Budget

Attached you will find a copy of the responses from the Nova Scotia Association for Community Living regarding the 4 questions asked by Graham Steele, Finance Minister during the consultations he has hosted throughout the province.

This is your opportunity to voice your opinion as to how the government needs to support people with intellectual disabilities. Visit the government website: www.gov.ns.ca/finance/backtobalance for directions on making your voices heard.

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National Deinstitutionalization Task Force

The Canadian Association for Community Living and People First of Canada have created a joint National Deinstitutionalization Task Force. I am honoured to be a member of the Task Force. Nova Scotia has more people living in institutions than any other province and the Premier has recently announced almost $19m to renovate one of our largest as well as more dollars to create a new one in the old Cobequid Centre in Sackville. The Joint Task Force has a newly created web site and has written a declaration. The wb site will be expanded shortly. However, we are urging everyone to visit the site, read the Declaration and add your name. I hope that many Nova Scotians will show the country that despite the actions of our government, we really do believe that citizens with an intellectual disability ought to be supported to live lives of dignity in their own communities. Please pass the message along to other friends, family and colleagues: www.institutionwatch.ca

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Prenatal Diagnosed Awareness Act

NSDSS press release proposing Canada creates a Prenatal Diagnosed Awareness Act. An online petition for this purpose has also been created at http://www.gopetition.com/online/13481.html

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Halifax Regional School Board

Since the directors of the Halifax Regional School Board were dismissed last month, Mr. Howard Windsor was appointed by Minister Karen Casey to oversee the running of Board business. The board meetings are now being structured to allow for more public input. You will find the details concerning this new format in the attachment to this message.

Mr. Windsor can be reached at 464-200 ext 4444 o hwindsor@hrsb.nc.ca. Here’s an opportunity for your voice to be heard.

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Press Conference - Institutions for People with Disabilities

The government of Nova Scotia Announced today that they will be opening a new institution for about 25 people including the 11 people who were moved into the Sunrise Manor on Gottigen Street. They intend to "renovate" the old Cobequid Centre in Sackville for this facility. You can read the full text of the Press Release at http://www.gov.ns.ca

We will be calling on all Nova Scotians who believe that people belong in their communities, in real homes with the supports they need to stand beside us on this issue over the next little while.

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Persons with Disabilities - No Where to Go

Last week Global news exposed a story about the deplorable waitlists for residential services for persons with disabilities. Wendy Bird, one of the parents interviewed, is spearheading a petition to try and reverse this situation.

Please return the attached signed petition to:

Wendy Bird
6452 Vienna St
Halifax NS, B3L 1S8

It would be greatly appreciated if you could distribute this petition to your contacts (who could also collect signatures) which might include:

• Family
• Friends
• Neighbours
• Work colleagues
• Social groups
• Church communities
• Fitness clubs
• Volunteer groups
• Local shops

If you have any questions regarding this process, please feel free to contact Peggy Weaver at Halifax Association for Community Living, 463-4752 or pwhacl@eastlink.ca

Thank you for your time and support of this very important issue.

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Help stop the Conservative Government from cutting essential programs for disabled persons.

Introduction

However, while a larger surplus should mean greater investments in health care, education, roads, infrastructure, information technology, military, renewable energy, and employment related programs, the Harper Government has done the opposite. In addition to using all surpluses for debt reduction, they cut over $1,000,000,000 in program spending, especially those not delivering "value for the money".

Unfortunately, most of the cuts in so-called "wasteful" programs are not truly wasteful at all. Furthermore, these cuts target programs and initiaves essential for all Canadians to be competitive in our dynamic and ever changing labour market, or benefit all Canadians not just urban residents. In other words, Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty has "cut the fat" in expense of Canada's environment, disadvantaged persons, and even the economy itself.

The Harper Government program cuts target disabled persons and others with employment related barriers including programs to improve adult literacy, the Community Access Program or C@P allowing Canadians to have Internet access regardless of where they live, and even youth employment programs for disabled persons and youth with barriers to employment.

Without these programs, disabled persons will not be able to compete in todays job market putting a stress on provincial and federal government coffers, our unemployment rates will continue to increase, individuals with employment related barriers will have little available resources to combat them, and youth with disabilities will not be able to get their foot through the door.

Therefore, if we don't do anything to combat cuts to programs for disabled persons and others with employment related barriers, the Harper Government will have a lower budget surplus, higher unemployment rates, less competitive workforce, increase fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces, and increased future burden on provincial and federal taxpayers.

Please read the information below about the effected programs and consequences of cutting them.

The programs for disabled people cut

The Adult Literacy Program

The National Literacy Program, a Service Canada initiative, helps adults with low literacy levels, upgrade their reading and writing skills, and also promotes life long learning. In a dynamic and ever changing economy, being literate is essential to being competitive.

Without this program, persons with low literacy levels, often through no fault of their own, will have a tough time getting assistance on how to be literate and remain competitive in a globalized economy. Furthermore, low literacy can do serious damage to the economy, taxpayers, health care system, and also Canada's economic competitiveness compared to other industrialized countries.

According to the "Toronto Star" article, "Harper, wife on different pages", it states one in seven Canadians, or 14.28% of the Canadian population, is considered "functionally illiterate" or have low literacy levels. This high illiteracy rate is hurting Canada's competitiveness with Asia (notably Japan, China, and Korea) and many Northern European countries (notably Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway).

In addition, according to a TEAM Work Cooperative commissioned report on illiteracy among disabled persons, for each grade level a person is behind in reading and comprehension levels, he/she will have an annual economic shortfall of over $2,000, perhaps even more. Therefore, since Canada has approximately 4,500,000 illiterate or low literacy individuals, this translates to an economic loss of $9,000,000,000 and tax revenue loss of over $3,000,000,000 per grade level behind each year. Imagine how big Canada's surplus will increase if literacy levels are up? I guess Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty were not thinking about the possible economic damage, did they?

The "Community Access Program" or C@P

The Community Access Program or C@P provides Canadians with affordable and low cost Internet access and the skills needed to use it. The program allows individuals to search for jobs, improve their computer and text literacy levels, computer training for individuals needing it, foster community based infrastructure, and promoting e-commerce and e-business.

Without the C@P, Internet access will be restricted to individuals from urban areas, low income individuals with no computer access will not be able to perform job searches or upgrade computer skills, rural economy could be damaged due to lack of access to e-commerce, and needy individuals will not be able to use computers for doing assignments, research, e-mailing, or job searching.

By cutting the C@P, Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty, and John Baird are sending a message that only rich or affluent Canadians have a right to use the Internet, and not make it available to everyone regardless of economic status or where you live. Because the Internet is an essential tool in everyday lives for all Canadians, programs such as C@P must not be cut.

In addition, by cutting the C@P, the Conservative government are also discriminating against rural Canadians who can't get Internet access since most cable companies don't provide this service to remove or rural areas.

Make the Internet a universal right for all Canadians, stop the Conservatives from cutting the C@P.

Youth Employment Strategy Programs

The "Youth Employment Strategy" programs helps youth with employment related barriers, including disabled persons, aboriginals, women, and visible minorities. It helps students from these groups get career specific work opportunities, provides funding to organizations helping disadvantaged persons get jobs, and wage subsidies to employers to create jobs for secondary and post-secondary students.

From my experience, regardless of your education level, employers always want a critical element from their candidates, WORK EXPERIENCE. If an individual has experience, the chances of getting a another job are much higher than a person with little or no experience. It's that simple.

Although the program is highly successful in reducing employment barriers to disadvantaged individuals, and helping them gain valuable and worthwhile job experience, the Harper Government considers it "part of the fat", or meets their foolish requirements of programs not delivering "value to Canadians". To Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty, thats a pile of rubbish because these programs help "at risk" or disadvantaged youth gain experience and become productive members of Canadian economy. I don't know about Mr. Harper, but I think these programs do bring value to Canadians since youth with employment barriers want to be a part of their economy and pay taxes.

By cutting this program, the Harper Government is increasing more barriers to employment because employers will have no access to grant or subsidy money for hiring youth. As a result, disadvantaged Canadian youth wanting to become a part of our economy are going to be left out, creating greater dependence for government resources. Mr. Harper, do you want Canadians to be dependent or independent, THINK ABOUT IT?

Contrary to what Stephen Harper thinks about individuals with multiple employment barriers, we are not the "fat to be trimmed". We have every right to be working Canadians as much as everyone else.

Why must the Harper Government stop cutting programs for disabled persons?

While C@P, Youth Employment Strategy, and literacy program cutbacks will hurt every disadvantaged person, I think these cuts are designed to ensure disabled persons and other disadvantaged Canadians will not have access to tools needed to become productive, healthy, and hard working Canadians.

These cuts will create more barriers for disabled persons than it dismantles.

Cuts to adult literacy programs mean disabled persons will have no opportunity to upgrade their reading and writing skills, hurting their competitive advantage in a dynamic economy. Cuts to C@P or Community Access Program makes it harder for disabled persons to gain essential computer skills needed to become literate or search for employment. Finally, cuts to the Youth Employment Strategy means disabled persons will have a tough time getting career specific employment experience needed to obtain higher paying jobs in the future, resulting in lost tax revenue and severe economic damage.

I don't think the original founder of the Reform Party of Canada, E. Preston Manning, envisioned a successor party like the Conservative Party of Canada cutting programs designed to ensure every Canadian has competitive skills and employment experience regardless of socio economic status. I don't think he'll be fond of Harper's policies today.

In addition, although Canadian Government is continuing to generate record budget surpluses, don't be surprised if more cutbacks to essential employment and skills programs for disadvantaged persons are coming. Therefore, we must pressure Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty, and John Baird to stop cutting these programs and treating disadvantaged persons like "fat to be trimmed".

C'Mon, Mr. Harper, Mr. Flaherty, and Mr. Baird, how can you expect individuals with employment barriers to get a job if they don't have the tools to become employable? By cutting these programs, you're taking away the tools needed for a better quality of life.

Tax cuts alone will not attract employers and create jobs. Employers also invest in countries with high access to a skilled workforce. Think about it.

Therefore, now is a time to stand up to the Harper Government, and truly "Stand Up For Canada" as the Conservative Party of Canada's credo states.

How can I stop the Conservative Government from cutting these programs before its too late?

If you want to pressure Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty, or John Baird to stopping these cuts to these wonderful programs, click the links below to send them an e-mail:

Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister
The Honourable John Baird, Parliamentary Secretary

Let these individuals know we are not just standing up for Harper's vision of Canada, but for all Canadians needing access to these programs to improve literacy, ensure everyone gets Internet access, and ensure youth with barriers to employment have an opportunity to gain valuable job experience. Let them know disabled persons, aboriginals, women, and visible minorities are worth more than the so-called Conservative "fat".

Lets truly stand up for Canada, STOP THE CUTS!!!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. This article in no means intend to influence the decisions of Special Olympics International, International Powerlifting Federation, or their affiliates, nor is it intended to defame or degrade the party(ies) mentioned. Secondly, the opinions of this article DO NOT in any way affect the opinions of Special Olympics International, International Powerlifting Federation, or their affiliates.