PETITION to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario - CUPE 4392

Whereas agencies that support individuals with a developmental disability and their families have, for several years (beginning in 2010), faced a decline in provincial funding for programs that support people with disabilities like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism, and;   

Whereas this level of provincial funding is far less than the rate of inflation and operational costs, and does not account for providing services to a growing and aging number of individuals with complex needs with developmental service agencies that are being forced into deficit, and;

Whereas today, over 30 percent of developmental service agencies are in deficit, and;

Whereas lowered provincial funding has resulted in agemcies being forced to cut programs and services that enable people with a developmental disability to partici[pate in their community and enjoy the best quality of life possible, and;

Whereas, in some cases, client services once focused on community inclusion and quality of life for individuals have been reduced to a "custodial" care arrangement, and;

Whereas lower provincial funding means a poorer quality of life for people with a developmental disability and their families and increasingly difficult working conditions for the direct care staff who support them, and;

Whereas there are thousands of people waiting for residential care and day program support province-wide,

We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

1.   To eliminate the deficits of developmental service agencies and provide adequate new funding to restore services and programs that have been cut;

2.   To protect existing services and supports by providing an overall increase in funding for agencies that is, at least equal to, inflationary costs that include, among others, operational costs, utiliies, food and compensation increases to ensure staff retention;

3.   To fund pay equity obligations for a, predominantly, female workforce.