Staff
Local MPP Bill Walker says the government’s ongoing inaction on the developmental disabilities file is hurting constituents in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
Walker and the PC party have been urging the governing Liberals since last May to strike a select committee to develop a strategy to help developmentally disabled Ontarians. The directive was prompted by the passing of a resolution by the PC Health Critic MPP Christine Elliott after it received all-party support at Queen’s Park.
“This is what the House instructed them to do. It’s what my constituents with developmental disabilities need them to do,” Walker says. “The government cannot continue to sit on its hands any longer. It needs to strike the committee now.”
PC Leader Tim Hudak has again demanded that Ontarians with developmental disabilities and mental illness get the services they deserve.
It’s estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 Ontarians have an intellectual disability or are dually diagnosed with an intellectual disability and a mental illness.
“People with developmental disabilities across Grey and Bruce have been waiting too long,” Walker says. “The government’s silence is only adding insult to injury.”
The Committee would focus on the needs of children, youth and adults with an intellectual disability, and coordinate the delivery of developmental programs and services across provincial ministries, taking into consideration educational needs, workplace opportunities, housing needs and social, recreational and inclusionary opportunities.
“The fact is there’s currently no long-term strategy to deliver services to thousands of Ontarians who need care, particularly as their parents age and won’t be able to provide it themselves. I believe this committee is the first step toward solving this situation,” MPP Elliott told the House during last spring’s debate on her motion.
