Mar. 26 Update: A doubling of funding?
It’s March 26, and 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.
The new Ontario Autism Program goes into effect on Monday.
Yesterday was more than just another day of Doug Ford’s amateur government complaining about so-called professional protestors. PC MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean) did say something new in Question Period in response to a question from NDP MPP Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain):
Under the current program, we are extending the funding between $256 million up to $321 million. Based on the enhancements I announced last week, that could be up to double that.
We’ve talked at length about how the $256 million number is nonsense, so that isn’t new.
What is new is the talk of doubling the yearly funding, which would put it in the $600 million range. I’ll believe it when I see it.
MacLeod also took a shot at the NDP, mere seconds after declaring that she doesn’t support “personal attacks” and “personal insults”:
Speaker, the mixed messages I’m getting from the NDP prove that they’re in this for political gain and political gain only. A professional protest party that wants to rile up parents is irresponsible. That’s what I’ve heard from this member and that party for the past number of weeks. They are not responsible; they are not responding to the needs of parents.
MacLeod also took a shot at her critics yesterday in this fundraising email, saying they’re focused on “industry insiders” whereas the government is focused on “helping the kids”:
The obvious question for MacLeod is, “if you’re focused on helping the kids, and your critics aren’t, then why are the parents of those kids overwhelmingly siding with the critics and not with you?”
Now if you were the government and you truly believed in the changes to the OAP, you might do some self-reflection and consider that maybe you’re doing an awful job of selling it. Maybe painting parents as “professional protesters” is doing you more harm than good with the general public. Lousy comms would help explain yesterday’s DART survey release showing Doug Ford’s unprecedentedly low popularity for a Year 1 Premier:
Ford’s net popularity is -23 (34% approve vs. 57% disapprove). He’s underwater with every single demographic. Political scientists refer to this phenomenon as “not good”.
How bad is the Ford Government at comms? The link they included in that fundraising email to “learn more” goes to an early February press release on how awesome their new OAP is… the one they decided last week to blow up and start over, in part because of how unpopular it was.
“Click here to learn more about how we completely botched a program roll-out and had to start over. Click here to donate $1 right now.”
You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
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.
