Independence through

A letter was shared with us today that one of the parents of a client we support wrote to the Minister of Finance:

February 6, 2012

Hon. Dwight Duncan, MPP

Ministry of Finance

7^th Floor, Frost Building South

7 Queen’s Park Crescent

Toronto, ON   M7A 1Y7

Dear Mr. Duncan,

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Town Hall conference call you conducted last Monday. It was a privilege to be one of the 35,000 people who joined on the call to hear Mr. Gregg Sorbara, Mr. Reza Moridi and Ms Helena Jaczek outline the economic realities that Ontarians are facing. Technical difficulties did not allow me to leave my comments after the call as prompted by the moderator, so I am taking this opportunity to give them to you in writing.

My comments are regarding a cause that is close to my heart: Deafblind Ontario Services.  My son, Charles, is deafblind.  In 1994, he moved into one of the residences supported by DeafBlind Ontario Services and has lived there with 2 other friends since.  They have to be supported 24/7 by their Intervenors. My son, and all of his peers, are some of the most vulnerable citizens in this province. Without intervention, they lose their eyes and ears. Without the support of their Intervenors, they cannot understand and navigate their environment or communicate effectively with others.

On behalf of DeafBlind Ontario Services, I would like to bring to your attention some challenges facing the Intervenor Services Sector in Ontario.  This sector serves a unique group of Ontarians, those who are deafblind.

PRIMARY ISSUE: To ensure future funding models take the unique and complex needs of our clients into account

While the current government has made substantial (and long overdue) infusions to Intervenor Services over the past several years, the 2010 proposed funding allocation model by the Ministry of Community and Social Services showed us that this funding is extremely vulnerable.   Our advocacy efforts in 2010/ 2011 led to the Ministry taking the proposed model off the table and committed to working with the sector and consumers to design a fair, equitable model.

While DeafBlind Ontario Services supports the creation of a fair and equitable service system, it cannot come at the expense of our clients and their unique and complex needs.  Since 2004, we have been a committed and active participant in the Transformation of Intervenor Services Agenda.

The Ontario government has committed to the health and education sectors to fulfill their promises.  However, a failure to adequately fund the Intervenor services sector may result in increasing numbers of our clients ending up in health funded facilities (e.g. hospitals, long-term-care, psychiatric facilities) as a result of less support; thereby adding more cost to the health system.

SOLUTION: Ensure present levels of service and funding are maintained for our clients, and work on the new funding model starts in 2012 and be adjusted annually for inflationary measures.

SECONDARY ISSUES:

1. Increase Ontario Disability Support Program levels

While the current government has made annual cost-of-living increases to the Ontario Disability Income Support program, these benefits remain more than 18% below what they were in 1993 when compared to inflation.  At present, ODSP provides for an income that is 40% below the poverty line at about $1,000/month to spend on rent, food, clothing and transportation.

In fall of 2010, the government announced it was conducting a comprehensive review of the social assistance program, which includes ODSP.  We are hopeful that people with disabilities, including deafblindness, who live on ODSP, will be able to break the cycle of poverty and live their lives as independently as possible.

SOLUTION: The Social Assistance Review Committee should have the support of government to recommend comprehensive reform and acted on quickly.  ODSP benefits need to provide for real costs of living and should not be less than the recognized poverty line.  Rates should reflect average market rates and be adjusted annually for inflation.

2. Public Sector Compensation Restraint to Protect Public Services Act 2010 (Bill 16) is lifted by April 1, 2012 as promised

The Ontario government is looking at ways to contain costs within the broader public service, which includes extending the funding freeze for public services. As an organization that receives funding from the Ministry of Community and Social Services, we are part of the broader public sector and this freeze affects us.

Agencies like ours have dealt with this wage freeze since 2010.  We have already been doing more with less, and cannot do so any longer without it affecting service.  Perpetual low wages and the continued undervaluing of the work done in this sector will affect the quantity and quality of the support and services that our agency is able to provide to the people we support.

People who are congenitally deafblind require 24 hour support.  Staff must be highly trained to work with this unique population.  A 2007 report by the Ministry of Community and Social Services Expert Panel on Training cited low recruitment rates, inadequate qualifications, poor retention of employees, low wages, low morale and the inability of colleges to meet the increasing need for trained Intervenors.  Employees who receive specialized training, competitive wages and benefits are more likely to enter and remain in the sector.

SOLUTION: Lift the broader public sector wage freeze, or either place a salary cap or exclude non-profits from it.  Stabilize the sector through funding that addresses current system capacity, will meet future demands and will bring wages to a level that is comparable with other human services sectors.

Action:

While we understand the fiscal constraints that the Government of Ontario is faced within these economic times, we strongly urge the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) to provide additional resources to adequately serve all deafblind Ontarians.

Intervenor services are vital for adults who are congenitally deafblind, enabling them to communicate, gain life skills and nurture relationships to prevent isolation.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Diane Gabay