Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Ted McMeekin Minister of Community and Social Services addresses Developmental Services funding in purposed Liberal budget
Ontario’s Liberal government is planning a budget crafted to be hard for the NDP to defeat, including left-friendly measures such as better welfare benefits.
Despite Premier Kathleen Wynne’s bullish posturing in recent weeks, government sources say the Liberals are wary of a spring vote – particularly after two by-election losses last month – and will design a budget New Democrats can support in order to prevent one. The spending plan will have no poison pills, the sources said.
The Grits have moved left in recent months, easing off the aggressive austerity that characterized Dalton McGuinty’s final year as premier. Last fall, Finance Minister Charles Sousa said he is prepared to miss interim deficit reduction targets and will rely on economic growth to bring the budget to balance in four years. Now, the government is signalling, the deficit might even grow next year.
On Monday, Ms. Wynne said she will not enter talks with the NDP as in previous years, but hinted she will put New Democrat-friendly measures in the budget.
“We are not going to be negotiating with either of the parties,” she said after a photo-op at a Toronto bakery.
“We’re listening to input from many, many different places, and there will be much in this budget that could be supported, quite frankly, by both [the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives].”
One New Democrat source said that, for the party to back the budget, the government would have to incorporate NDP ideas on things such as electricity costs and job creation.
In the past month, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has outlined several policies, including $100 rebates for hydro ratepayers and paying up to $5,000 to Ontario companies for each new worker they hire.
The source suggested New Democrats are wary of being seen as junior partners to the Liberals and need results on their specific demands. This would allow Ms. Horwath to claim victory.
NDP insiders at Queen’s Park are privately optimistic about their party’s electoral prospects, believing they could squeeze the Liberals out in many parts of the province – especially the southwest – and fight directly with the Tories.
The Liberals have said the budget will contain job-creation measures, but the details remain vague.
The spending plan is also expected to strengthen services for people with developmental disabilities and improve welfare benefits.
“We’ll make some significant moves on the developmental services side,” Social Services Minister Ted McMeekin said in an interview on Monday. “I can’t articulate those to you, of course, because it’s part of the … budgeting process.”
Mr. McMeekin said he is also looking for efficiencies in the administration of the welfare and disability systems to free up some cash to spend on services. Another project will see more housing for people with developmental disabilities, he said.
Mr. Sousa was tight-lipped about the budget on Monday.
He left the door open to a higher deficit next year than this, repeating only that he plans to return to balance in four years.
“[The budget] is going to talk about some of the progression and some of the important work that’s been done thus far to move us forward,” he said. “I can tell you, we’re going to be on track to balance the budget by 2017-18.”
The austerity-obsessed PCs have already said they will vote the budget down, leaving the NDP the minority Grits’ only option for passing a spending plan.
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Equal pay awarded to worker who made $1.25 an hour
Equal pay awarded to worker who made $1.25 an hour
Terri-Lynn Garrie is photographed at her St. Catharines home on February 14, 2012. Garrie has a developmental disabiliy and went to the Human Rights Tribunal because she earrned $1.25 an hour or less for 10 years. She won her case against a St. Catharines company but may never see the money. JULIE JOCSAK/ THE ST. CATHARINES STANDARD/ QMI AGENCY.
A St. Catharines woman with an intellectual disability has been awarded 10 years worth of minimum wages after the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal found her $1.25 an hour pay was discriminatory.
And the tribunal went a step further, recommending the Ontario Human Rights Commission determine how widespread the practice is of paying people who have developmental disabilities less than statutory minimum wages.
It asked the commission to make recommendations, if appropriate, to the Ontario government on how to rectify the situation.
“I was thrilled. It’s taken so long to get to this point,” said Marjorie Tibbs, whose 45-year-old daughter Terri-Lynn Garrie was at the centre of the human rights case.
“It’s wonderful that it’s settled now and it won’t happen to somebody else down the road,”
The tribunal ruled in January 2012 that bottling company Janus Joan Inc. of Dunlop Dr. discriminated against Garrie on the basis of disability when she was fired in 2009.
Garrie was awarded $2,678 in lost wages for the 53.5 weeks it took her to find another job as temporary Christmas help at a store. The amount was based on her hourly rate of $1.25.
But the allegation the company paid Garrie less than her non-disabled coworkers was originally determined to be out of the tribunal’s jurisdiction because of the length of time that passed since her first paycheque 10 years earlier.
That was overturned in October 2012 after the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto argued there was an ongoing violation every time Garrie was paid less than other workers. That would mean her last paycheque fell within a one-year limitation period.
In a March 2013 hearing, the centre argued Garrie should be awarded lost income based on minimum wage — not on the $1.25 per hour — and that she get paid the difference in dollars for her 10 years of work.
In a decision last week, the tribunal agreed, awarding Garrie $142,124 for her employment — the difference between what she should have been paid and what she was actually paid.
It also awarded her $19,613 for lost income after being fired and bumped up the general damages from $15,000 to $25,000 for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect.
“It’s a great outcome,” said Mindy Noble, one of the lawyers from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto that argued the case. She said the decision could have a significant impact on other people being underpaid because of their disabilities.
“Even in that workplace, it affected a lot of people and it could be affecting a lot of people throughout the province as well.”
Garrie and her family don’t expect to see any of the money since Janus Joan Inc. has closed.
The company did not participate in any of the tribunal hearings but a representative did write a letter to the tribunal defending its action, saying Garrie wasn’t forced to work there, she was better off for having the job and her mother benefited by not having to care for her for the eight hours a day she worked.
Noble said it’s significant that the tribunal acknowledged the practice was a discriminatory act. She said for a person who’s experienced discrimination, there is value in the acknowledgement that they have experienced discrimination, that it was wrong, that it shouldn’t have happened and that they’re entitled to some sort of compensation.
“Even if Terri-Lynn doesn’t see any money from this depending on what happens next, there could be a significant impact on people with intellectual disabilities throughout the province,” Noble said.
“So I think she can feel pretty good about that, even if she’s not able to collect any compensation.”
Tibbs said her daughter doesn’t have a job right now but may do some volunteering. She said it’s too bad the former company likely won’t have to pay up.
“It would be wonderful if Terri-Lynn came out of it with something, but Terri-Lynn will survive without it.”
karena.walter@sunmedia.ca
And the tribunal went a step further, recommending the Ontario Human Rights Commission determine how widespread the practice is of paying people who have developmental disabilities less than statutory minimum wages.
It asked the commission to make recommendations, if appropriate, to the Ontario government on how to rectify the situation.
“I was thrilled. It’s taken so long to get to this point,” said Marjorie Tibbs, whose 45-year-old daughter Terri-Lynn Garrie was at the centre of the human rights case.
“It’s wonderful that it’s settled now and it won’t happen to somebody else down the road,”
The tribunal ruled in January 2012 that bottling company Janus Joan Inc. of Dunlop Dr. discriminated against Garrie on the basis of disability when she was fired in 2009.
Garrie was awarded $2,678 in lost wages for the 53.5 weeks it took her to find another job as temporary Christmas help at a store. The amount was based on her hourly rate of $1.25.
But the allegation the company paid Garrie less than her non-disabled coworkers was originally determined to be out of the tribunal’s jurisdiction because of the length of time that passed since her first paycheque 10 years earlier.
That was overturned in October 2012 after the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto argued there was an ongoing violation every time Garrie was paid less than other workers. That would mean her last paycheque fell within a one-year limitation period.
In a March 2013 hearing, the centre argued Garrie should be awarded lost income based on minimum wage — not on the $1.25 per hour — and that she get paid the difference in dollars for her 10 years of work.
In a decision last week, the tribunal agreed, awarding Garrie $142,124 for her employment — the difference between what she should have been paid and what she was actually paid.
It also awarded her $19,613 for lost income after being fired and bumped up the general damages from $15,000 to $25,000 for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect.
“It’s a great outcome,” said Mindy Noble, one of the lawyers from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto that argued the case. She said the decision could have a significant impact on other people being underpaid because of their disabilities.
“Even in that workplace, it affected a lot of people and it could be affecting a lot of people throughout the province as well.”
Garrie and her family don’t expect to see any of the money since Janus Joan Inc. has closed.
The company did not participate in any of the tribunal hearings but a representative did write a letter to the tribunal defending its action, saying Garrie wasn’t forced to work there, she was better off for having the job and her mother benefited by not having to care for her for the eight hours a day she worked.
Noble said it’s significant that the tribunal acknowledged the practice was a discriminatory act. She said for a person who’s experienced discrimination, there is value in the acknowledgement that they have experienced discrimination, that it was wrong, that it shouldn’t have happened and that they’re entitled to some sort of compensation.
“Even if Terri-Lynn doesn’t see any money from this depending on what happens next, there could be a significant impact on people with intellectual disabilities throughout the province,” Noble said.
“So I think she can feel pretty good about that, even if she’s not able to collect any compensation.”
Tibbs said her daughter doesn’t have a job right now but may do some volunteering. She said it’s too bad the former company likely won’t have to pay up.
“It would be wonderful if Terri-Lynn came out of it with something, but Terri-Lynn will survive without it.”
karena.walter@sunmedia.ca
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Canada's disabled citizens face ongoing challenges to their well-being
OTTAWA -- Canada's disabled citizens face ongoing challenges to their well-being, including barriers to language and communication, learning and training, and safety and security, says a new report.
Four years after the federal government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Canada released its first report on Tuesday into how disabled Canadians are faring under that convention.
The 61-page document, prepared by federal, provincial and territorial governments, notes that poverty rates among persons with disabilities in Canada remains a challenge, as does ensuring more disabled Canadians find work.
It provides few specifics, however, on other challenges, and instead offers up a laundry list of various federal and provincial programs and initiatives aimed at helping Canada's disabled citizens participate in everything from organized sports to post-secondary education and the justice system.
It doesn't provide any information on the success rates of those initiatives, however.
"Improving the well-being of persons with disabilities, increasing their opportunities to participate in economic and social life and fulfilling their potential requires an ongoing, multi-faceted and multi-partner approach," the report reads.
Ottawa allocates $222 million annually to the provinces and territories to design and deliver programs aimed at spurring employment opportunities for those with disabilities. The money is to be matched by provincial and territorial governments for the next four years
In last week's federal budget, the Conservative government also announced $15 million over three years for the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) for its new job-creation strategy.
Still, stakeholders say, the majority of disabled Canadians are under-employed or unemployed.
About one in seven Canadians are mentally or physically disabled. The most common types of disabilities among adults are pain-related, mobility or agility issues, the report states.
Laurie Beachell, the national co-ordinator for the Council of Canadians With Disabilities, said the report also pays short shrift to Canada's aboriginal community.
"The federal government has direct responsibility for people on reserves," said Beachell.
The incidence of disabilities among aboriginal Canadians is higher than the norm, he added -- "almost three times higher in some age brackets" due to poverty and substance abuse issues.
"On my first read, I just thought: 'This is a population that's in really dire circumstances, and much more needs to be done,"' Beachell said.
He also chastised the government for failing to adhere to Article 33 of the UN convention on disabled people that requires Canada to designate an independent monitoring mechanism to "promote, protect and monitor" the implementation of the convention.
The report states that Canada "implements this article at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels through a variety of mechanisms such as courts, human rights commissions and tribunals, public guardians, ombudspersons and intergovernmental bodies."
Other countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, New Zealand and Australia, have designated their national human rights bodies as their independent monitoring agency, but Canada has failed to appoint the Canadian Human Rights Commission to the role.
"This convention was the first to require the naming of a monitoring body, and the government has chosen not to do so, it's chosen not to name the Human Rights Commission or another body," Beachell said.
"Instead, it simply sets forward a bit of a dog's breakfast."
The government refused to comment on the specifics of the report Tuesday, but a spokeswoman at Employment and Social Development Canada defended the Conservative record.
"No government has done more to support Canadians with disabilities than our Conservative government," said Alexandra Fortier. "Participation of Canadians with disabilities is vital to our economic success."
Four years after the federal government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Canada released its first report on Tuesday into how disabled Canadians are faring under that convention.
The 61-page document, prepared by federal, provincial and territorial governments, notes that poverty rates among persons with disabilities in Canada remains a challenge, as does ensuring more disabled Canadians find work.
It provides few specifics, however, on other challenges, and instead offers up a laundry list of various federal and provincial programs and initiatives aimed at helping Canada's disabled citizens participate in everything from organized sports to post-secondary education and the justice system.
It doesn't provide any information on the success rates of those initiatives, however.
"Improving the well-being of persons with disabilities, increasing their opportunities to participate in economic and social life and fulfilling their potential requires an ongoing, multi-faceted and multi-partner approach," the report reads.
Ottawa allocates $222 million annually to the provinces and territories to design and deliver programs aimed at spurring employment opportunities for those with disabilities. The money is to be matched by provincial and territorial governments for the next four years
In last week's federal budget, the Conservative government also announced $15 million over three years for the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) for its new job-creation strategy.
Still, stakeholders say, the majority of disabled Canadians are under-employed or unemployed.
About one in seven Canadians are mentally or physically disabled. The most common types of disabilities among adults are pain-related, mobility or agility issues, the report states.
Laurie Beachell, the national co-ordinator for the Council of Canadians With Disabilities, said the report also pays short shrift to Canada's aboriginal community.
"The federal government has direct responsibility for people on reserves," said Beachell.
The incidence of disabilities among aboriginal Canadians is higher than the norm, he added -- "almost three times higher in some age brackets" due to poverty and substance abuse issues.
"On my first read, I just thought: 'This is a population that's in really dire circumstances, and much more needs to be done,"' Beachell said.
He also chastised the government for failing to adhere to Article 33 of the UN convention on disabled people that requires Canada to designate an independent monitoring mechanism to "promote, protect and monitor" the implementation of the convention.
The report states that Canada "implements this article at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels through a variety of mechanisms such as courts, human rights commissions and tribunals, public guardians, ombudspersons and intergovernmental bodies."
Other countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, New Zealand and Australia, have designated their national human rights bodies as their independent monitoring agency, but Canada has failed to appoint the Canadian Human Rights Commission to the role.
"This convention was the first to require the naming of a monitoring body, and the government has chosen not to do so, it's chosen not to name the Human Rights Commission or another body," Beachell said.
"Instead, it simply sets forward a bit of a dog's breakfast."
The government refused to comment on the specifics of the report Tuesday, but a spokeswoman at Employment and Social Development Canada defended the Conservative record.
"No government has done more to support Canadians with disabilities than our Conservative government," said Alexandra Fortier. "Participation of Canadians with disabilities is vital to our economic success."
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/challenges-for-disabled-canadians-persist-including-high-poverty-rates-report-1.1692115#ixzz2uzMcR9LY
Under New DSM, Autism Diagnoses May ‘Significantly Decrease’
Under New DSM, Autism Diagnoses May ‘Significantly Decrease’
The number of people diagnosed with autism could be reduced by nearly a third
under new diagnostic criteria for the developmental disorder, researchers
say.
Last May, a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM-5, introduced sweeping changes to the criteria for an autism diagnosis. The update did away with Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, instead establishing an umbrella classification of “autism spectrum disorder” with clinicians indicating a level of severity.
Now, a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders is adding to worries that some who previously would have qualified for a diagnosis on the autism spectrum will be left out.
Researchers found that 31 percent of those who met the diagnostic criteria for autism under the old DSM may no longer meet the new standards. Without a diagnosis, children may not qualify for needed services, researchers said.
“We are potentially going to lose diagnosis and treatment for some of the most vulnerable kids who have developmental delays,” said Kristine Kulage of the Columbia University School of Nursing who led the study. “In many instances, children require a diagnosis of ASD to receive medical benefits, educational support and social services.”
Kulage and her colleagues reviewed more than 400 previously published studies to assess the impact of the changes in the updated DSM. They found that the number of children who will be diagnosed with autism under the new criteria will “significantly decrease” as compared to the old definition.
What’s more, in cases where children no longer qualify for an autism diagnosis, the researchers said that some also will not meet the criteria for social communication disorder — a new condition in the DSM-5 designed to account for those with communication difficulties but no other autism symptoms.
“This study raises a concern that a medical provider diagnosing a child under the new guidelines won’t find the child to be on the autism spectrum, when the same child under the old criteria might have been diagnosed with ASD,” Kulage said.
The study is just the latest to raise alarm bells about changes to the way autism is defined. Earlier this year, researchers looking at surveillance data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 1 in 5 children previously diagnosed with autism would not qualify under the new definition.
Even before the updated DSM was finalized, many advocates voiced concerns. That led those behind the revision to insert language into the autism definition stipulating that anyone with a “well-established” diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s or PDD-NOS under the old DSM should be considered to have autism spectrum disorder going forward.
Last May, a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM-5, introduced sweeping changes to the criteria for an autism diagnosis. The update did away with Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, instead establishing an umbrella classification of “autism spectrum disorder” with clinicians indicating a level of severity.
Now, a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders is adding to worries that some who previously would have qualified for a diagnosis on the autism spectrum will be left out.
Researchers found that 31 percent of those who met the diagnostic criteria for autism under the old DSM may no longer meet the new standards. Without a diagnosis, children may not qualify for needed services, researchers said.
“We are potentially going to lose diagnosis and treatment for some of the most vulnerable kids who have developmental delays,” said Kristine Kulage of the Columbia University School of Nursing who led the study. “In many instances, children require a diagnosis of ASD to receive medical benefits, educational support and social services.”
Kulage and her colleagues reviewed more than 400 previously published studies to assess the impact of the changes in the updated DSM. They found that the number of children who will be diagnosed with autism under the new criteria will “significantly decrease” as compared to the old definition.
What’s more, in cases where children no longer qualify for an autism diagnosis, the researchers said that some also will not meet the criteria for social communication disorder — a new condition in the DSM-5 designed to account for those with communication difficulties but no other autism symptoms.
“This study raises a concern that a medical provider diagnosing a child under the new guidelines won’t find the child to be on the autism spectrum, when the same child under the old criteria might have been diagnosed with ASD,” Kulage said.
The study is just the latest to raise alarm bells about changes to the way autism is defined. Earlier this year, researchers looking at surveillance data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 1 in 5 children previously diagnosed with autism would not qualify under the new definition.
Even before the updated DSM was finalized, many advocates voiced concerns. That led those behind the revision to insert language into the autism definition stipulating that anyone with a “well-established” diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s or PDD-NOS under the old DSM should be considered to have autism spectrum disorder going forward.
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