Open Letter to Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

Please note there are hyperlinks in this letter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Hamilton, Ontario - March 3, 2025

Balance SSCS congratulates Premier Doug Ford and the PC party for their historic third term. We've had productive meetings in the past where we've provided feedback and shared our lived-in experiences with the barriers that impact children with diverse needs and their families. We look forward to continuing that relationship.

With regards to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), we were pleased that a fourth round of Workplace Capacity Fund grants was added back in November. When the Capacity Action Plan was implemented in 2021, there was a commitment to just three rounds of grants. Adding a fourth showed a commitment to building capacity and helping more families access core services. However, there is still room for improvement. As more children move into Core Clinical Services, the demand for providers continues to grow - especially for underserved regions and groups.

We need a commitment from this government to continue funding initiatives that increase capacity with a focus on providers that offer services to Northern, rural and remote communities, as well as Francophone and Indigenous families. We also need to start prioritizing providers that develop and offer programs for older kids and teenagers - a group that is often overlooked.

We must also emphasize (again) that children and youths who have disabilities other than autism actually don't have access to a comparable program like the OAP. We cannot continue to ignore them any longer. Having a "needs based" program for just one diagnosis is discrimination. There is no reason why this province can't have an Ontario Disability Program or ODP that meets the needs of children and youths of all disabilities.

Furthermore, much more needs to be done to support Ontario's disabled community. It is inhumane to keep ODSP recipients in poverty. It is time that this province stops neglecting them and does what is right by providing the supports and services that they need.

Another area that needs to be addressed urgently is public education. Decades of research shows that inclusion is beneficial to all. However, making it possible is far from easy. The current system simply cannot accommodate the large range of learning styles and diverse needs that students have. Classrooms are too large and overwhelming to learn in. Educators are overburdened and ill-equipped to teach and support neurodivergent and disabled students. Inclusion without additional resources and support for both educators and students is a recipe for disaster. We are calling on this government to look into changing Ontario's public education system to better reflect the shifts in society and law that have taken place which embrace inclusion and universal design.

Going forward, we hope to see more improvements with the OAP, increasing support for all disabled Ontarians and making systemic changes to public education. We look forward to meeting again to collaborate further

For more information, please contact our team at balanceSSCS@gmail.com 

Balance Support & Self Care Studios was created with parents and caregivers of individuals with diverse needs in mind. We recognize the value of the staff and community. We are committed to striving for excellence through inclusiveness, team collaboration, quality of services, and the participation and contributions of volunteers and community members. To learn more, please check out our website 

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