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5#toSurvive Press Release

For Immediate Release // Campbellford, Ontario, January 23, 2024

Ontario Developmental Service Agencies Facing Financial Crisis

Agencies Across Province Appealing to Government for Help

Inclusion Northumberland (formally Community Living Campbellford/Brighton), which supports people living with developmental disabilities, is facing serious financial pressures and challenges. The developmental services sector has not received a significant base funding increase from the Provincial Government in 30 years and now, with soaring inflation, we are finding it hard to pay for necessities like food, heat, hydro, repairs, transportation etc.

The executive director of Inclusion Northumberland says they are stretched to the limit. “We can just look at the pressure we are all feeling around the cost of living in our own lives and see how this would play out in an organization that provides accommodation supports. Everything from food and gas prices to heat, hydro and insurance; the costs are soaring.  Can you imagine trying to make ends meet when your source of funding has not increased in 30 years? says Dawn Lee.  We have homes that we operate that require basic renovations that we are unable to address due to our stretched.”

The Ontario Government says the sector is well funded and points to increases in ODSP, Passport Funding and wage enhancement but it’s base funding that has not significantly increased, causing this financial crisis. “And here’s the kicker,” says Chris Beesley, CEO, Community Living Ontario. “Ontario spends proportionately less on developmental services than many other major jurisdictions in North America. We are lagging behind other provinces in the support of people living with developmental disabilities.” A fact sheet is attached for more information.

We, along with many agencies in Ontario, are calling for an immediate 5% increase in base funding. We’re writing letters and meeting with local MPPs, alerting them to the dire situation facing not only Ontarians with developmental and intellectual disabilities but their families as well.

We hope that people in Northumberland County will help us call on the government to grant us an immediate increase in funding for developmental services so that people with developmental disabilities and their families can continue to access cost-effective, community-based support.

To learn more and to join our fight, visit communitylivingontario.ca, click on “Learn More”, follow the prompts and insert your information into the email campaign form. We’ll make sure your voice is heard by local MPP and the Premier. We need #5ToSurvive now.

This is a province wide issue, but we are very concerned here in Northumberland County. Would you consider doing a story so we can raise local awareness on the financial crisis we are facing?

For media inquiries please contact: Dawn Lee | dlee@inclusionnorthumberland.ca | (705) 632-2062

Inclusion Northumberland Press Release Letter #5toSurvive in PDF

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