Advocates for disabled demand answers
Meetings fail to allay fears over changes to PDD program
Christina DeBoulet returned to the steps of the legislature Friday with a crowd of about 250 to let the government know she is still worried about the future of a program that serves disabled Albertans.
DeBoulet, whose 20-year- old autistic son receives funding through the Persons with Developmental Disabilities program, said she has been concerned for weeks about the province’s plan to overhaul the program, its budget and how recipients’ needs are measured.
Community meetings with the cabinet ministers in charge of the program — and the message last week that the government plans to phase in any changes in services or budgets over the next year — have not eased her anxiety.
“I went to the community meeting at the Italian Centre and I came away more confused and with more questions,” DeBoulet said.
The protest marked the fourth time in a month that people have called on the government to stop cuts and changes to the PDD program, which helps pay for a broad range of supports that developmentally disabled adults need at home, at work and in the community. A group also gathered Friday in Calgary on the Peace Bridge to deliver the same message.
NDP MLA Rachel Notley, who served as master of ceremonies at the legislature rally, said the Progressive Conservatives need to admit they made a mistake with the PDD program in the 2013-14 budget and clearly lay out to the 9,900 PDD clients and their families what the timeline is for other changes.
That includes saying when they will consult with clients, their families and service providers on the changes, Notley said.
“In my view, the public distaste for what the government has done is growing,” said Notley, MLA for EdmontonStrathcona.
“More and more as I travel around the province I am hearing from people not related to the PDD community that the spectre of the government picking on this group is really offending the basic principles of Albertans.”
Marie Renaud, executive director of the Lo-Se-Ca Foundation, which runs a range of day programs and group homes, said all sectors of the PDD community need to be meaningfully consulted on the program’s future.