Proposed Bill on developmental services misses the mark

Changes to the legislation governing developmental services in Ontario are coming, and they’re not all good.

With the Standing Committee hearings on the new legislation set for Toronto, London, Timmins and Ottawa this week, OPSEU and the Canadian Union of Public Employees will be presenting at the Standing Committee on Social Policy on the changes proposed to developmental services legislation in Bill 77.

OPSEU and CUPE will hold a news conference in London Aug. 6, prior to the hearings there, to explain the ways this Bill will lead to a serious erosion in the quality of services for people with developmental disabilities.

President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is scheduled to present on the Bill Aug. 8, in Ottawa.

Other days of hearings are Toronto (Aug. 5), and Timmins (Aug. 7).

The new bill, as structured, will lead to destabilized funding for developmental service agencies, loss of services for some people, and the creation of a privatized, competitive bidding system similar to the one that has been so disastrous in home care.