Halton's MPs meet with disabled community - promise more funding

News 100 redBy Staff

May 21st, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Yesterday, the Honourable Karina Gould, Member of Parliament for Burlington, the Honourable Anita Anand, Member of Parliament for Oakville, Pam Damoff, Member of Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington, and Adam van Koeverden, Member of Parliament for Milton were joined by community advocates and local service providers to discuss support for people living with disabilities in Halton.

Paul WHO in wheel chair - Senior

The objective is to ensure that people with mobility limitations are able to take part in all community activities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the long-standing barriers Canadians with disabilities have faced for decades. Since the start of the pandemic, many have faced higher costs in accessing food, medication, social services or health care.

As Members of Parliament in Halton, we remain committed to advancing policies that build inclusivity from the beginning and will continue to work to reflect the principle of ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’ when it comes to creating a society that is inclusive by design and promotes belonging for everyone.

Important stakeholders including Community Living Burlington and Community Living Oakville, Charter Ability, the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee, Stroke Recovery, Meals on Wheels, Special Olympics, and Goodwill Amity came together to share their thoughts on how we can continue to push for more inclusive spaces in our communities.

One of the overwhelming pieces of feedback was that we as a society need to engage in an attitudinal change. Inclusiveness for those living with a disability should be built into planning and policy procedures from the very beginning to ensure that all of us are included.

Our community spaces need to be inclusive and accessible. While we have made progress in this space, there is more work to be done to ensure that everyone can access and utilize spaces that many of us take for granted, such as public washroom facilities.

We also need to work harder to ensure that housing is not only affordable but accessible and that job opportunities are available and accommodating to all interested applicants.

We will also continue to work to foster inclusion and belonging in the workforce for people living with disabilities, recognizing the unique skills and talents they bring to employment.

In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada has made significant proposals to support people living with disabilities and ensure our communities are more accessible, including:

• Undertaking consultations to reform the eligibility process for federal disability programs and benefits. This work would feed directly into the design of a new disability benefit;

• Triple funding for the Enabling Accessibility Fund and support small and mid-sized projects with not-for-profit organizations, women’s shelters, child care centres, small municipalities, Indigenous organizations, territorial governments, small businesses, and businesses of all sizes;

• Improving access to the Disability Tax Credit;

• Extending disability supports under the Canada Student Loans Program;

• Providing $29.2 million over two years, starting in 2021-22, to ESDC through the Enabling Accessibility Fund to support child care centres as they improve their physical accessibility;

• Support the creation of a National Autism Strategy and;

• Renewing Funding for the Office of Public Service Accessibility.

 

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5 comments to Halton’s MPs meet with disabled community – promise more funding

  • Bob

    Why are MPs Gould and Anand honourable and van Koeverdan and Damoff only MPs?
    What quantifies being called honourable? Doing the right thing and resigning when your prime minister blatantly lies about electoral reform? Or has his own me too moment, blackface, WE scandal etc?

    According to Miriam Websters
    Definition of honorable
    1 : deserving of respect or high regard : deserving of honor
    an honorable profession

    I see no one in our current government worthy of the title

  • Diane Knox

    As I read this release it was about those with disabilities Not the “Blame Game” & Political usual party pre election Hype. Instead, the reality of our disabled residents of Halton, who, Yes save many tax dollars by trying to stay at home, independent, and surviving in a Pandemic. Just a question where was the MPP Conservative rep from Burlington. Last time I checked Burlington is still Halton?

    • Bob

      It was most definitely a political release.

      “Inclusiveness for those living with a disability should be built into planning and policy procedures from the very beginning to ensure that all of us are included.

      Our community spaces need to be inclusive and accessible. While we have made progress in this space, there is more work to be done to ensure that everyone can access and utilize spaces that many of us take for granted, such as public washroom facilities.”

      Planning and policy is a municipal and provincial responsibility but I don’t see any signatures of local or provincial representatives from Halton included.
      Everyone having access to public washroom facilities? How many federal washroom facilities are in our parks? How many of these don’t need municipal permits or meet the provincial building codes? Not political? Puleeeze

  • Point well made Phillip. We have a cabinet full of promises that go back decades in terms of governments spending millions to make things better for those with disabilities. These promises were like a very weak breathe of wind on a very hot day – fades out before it serves its purpose.. Unfortunately, the electorate fall for it every time and Karina Gould and her Oakville side kick make sure we are never invited to these groups no matter how much we ask.

  • Phillip Wooster

    As I recall, Liberals also promised us electoral reform, keeping the deficit under $10B and balancing the budget by 2019, making government open and transparent, and not raising the carbon tax beyond 2022–how did they do keep those promises? How will they do on this promise? Don’t be fooled again.