Mar. 23 Update: With no updates.
We still have this line on the top of the Ontario Autism Program website:
On March 21, the government announced it is enhancing the Ontario Autism Program. Our website will be updated soon to provide additional information.
No rush, guys. It’s not as if there’s thousands of families desperate for answers.
What happens to the wait list kids?
Sometime around September or October of last year, the government froze the wait list, so kids near the top of the wait list were denied treatment (my son being one of them). We still don’t know if any kids on the wait list will receive treatment any time soon. We need to remember to not just focus on what the new plan will look like, but what happens during the transition period.
City TV’s Cynthia Mulligan was kind enough to ask the government about the transition, and received this response:
We’re still in the “nobody knows much of anything” phase of the roll-out, but this is a promising sign.
Randy Hillier makes all kinds of sense
Independent MPP Randy Hillier (Lanark — Frontenac — Kingston) wrote a letter to Lisa MacLeod on the government’s handling of the autism file. I highly recommend reading the whole letter. It contained this gem:
I fail to understand how the Progressive Conservative administration can continue to offer corporate welfare, while suggesting there are insufficient public funds to help those most in need. I was personally taken aback with the recent multi-million dollar freebie to Maple Leaf Foods, then stating the government cannot do more for families- this very much contradicts what conservatism is, by anyone’s objective measure.
The government has been using two talking points to frame this issue:
- Advocates are demanding more money.
- The cupboard is bare. We’re broke and we have no more money.
Both these points are nonsense.
First, while parents would love to see more money added to the system, that hasn’t been what they’ve been asking for. Parents and advocates have been consistently asking for a plan that is less wasteful, that considers need, that uses every dollar as efficiently as possible. This isn’t about quantity of spending but quality of spending.
Second, this government certainly isn’t acting like one that’s run out of money. Every single day you’ve got a Minister on the road, standing behind an “Open for Business” podium, announcing new money for some pet project. Not all of them are bad ideas, but all of them cost money. Schools and rape crisis centres are facing cutbacks, but the “giant oversized novelty cheques to millionaires” industry is doing very well under Ford.
That’s it for now. I have a list of resources below if you’re looking for specific information.
From the Ontario Government
- Program details from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
- Transcripts from Question Period.
- Feb. 6 Press Release: Helping Families by Improving Access to Autism Services.
- Feb. 6 Press Release: Ontario Takes Decisive Action to Help More Families with Autism.
- Feb. 6 Press Release: Electronic Press Kit Now Available: Ontario Takes Decisive Action to Help More Families with Autism.
- Feb. 7 Press Release: New Ontario Autism Program Draws Support From Across the Province.
- Mar. 11 Press Release: Ontario Continues to Support Students with Autism.
- Mar. 22 Press Release: Ontario Enhancing Support for Children with Autism.
