Calgary, Canada, protests cuts to organizations for people with disabilities

From Calgary Herald:

Local agencies staged a mock holiday bake sale Dec. 18 to protest Alberta's plan to claw back $11 million in provincial funding for organizations that help adults with developmental and mental health problems.

Social workers, disabled people and their families packed a Calgary community centre carrying banners and signs calling for the Stelmach government to reverse the proposed cuts, which they fear will hurt frontline services.

Two gingerbread treats and a cupcake carried a collective price tag of $3 million. That's the amount Calgary agencies have been asked to cut in administrative costs to help the province climb out of its deficit.

Groups who work with the disabled are furious and say that already scarce dollars will translate into fewer services for a vulnerable population.

They would like to see the province make cuts elsewhere, such as bonuses for government staff.

"It is unconscionable to me to have to make decisions in this most disrespectful and unethical way," said Elaine Yost, executive director of Options Rehabilitation Services.

"For the most part, families are not being informed about this and they have no idea what the impact is going to be on services."

Gary Coombe is worried about the future. His 26-year-old deaf and developmentally delayed son Cody requires constant care. Without sufficient funding to support programs, Coombe, a single parent, would have to quit his job to stay with him 24 hours a day.

"The bottom line is that two people will become dependent upon the province's social programs instead of one," he said.

The cuts, which amount to about two per cent, will also be absorbed by the six regional boards that oversee Alberta's People with Developmental Disabilities program.

The Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program, which the majority of PDD clients receive, is not affected by the cuts, said Mary Anne Jablonski, minister of seniors and community supports.

Agencies were specifically asked to trim their administrative budgets to preserve front-line services, she noted. "We're doing the best we can to avoid affecting the person who receives support and their family," Jablonski said.

"It's not that we're just asking our agencies . . . we are looking internally for savings."

But Ryan Geake, whose agency SCOPE provides services to people with developmental and mental health problems, said the plan is a recipe for disaster. "We're in a bind: we cannot cut services because people need them, but we have nowhere to cut out of administration. We are left with one option, and that is to say no," said Geake.

The province could be facing a legal challenge for breach of contract, said Public Interest Alberta president Bill Moore-Kilgannon.

That's of little comfort to Sara Ekman, a 32-year-old who suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

She becomes nervous and fretful when left alone for more than a short time and requires assistance from a caregiver for even small tasks, such as buying groceries.

Ekman is concerned that budget cuts will impact her ability to live as normal a life as possible. "I'm scared this will affect me deeply and I want the government to know it isn't necessary for them to do this."