Ontario: Making services disappear for people

A new Ontario government program for people with developmental disabilities called "Making Services Work for People" doesn’t live up to its title. Instead of directing funding to public agencies and centres, the government is creating central agencies that will ration support to those deemed "most in need". It is designed to serve more people for less money.

"What’s happening in social services is an insidious form of privatization," says Fred Hahn, a member of CUPE 2191, who works at the Toronto Association for Community Living.

"The government’s handing money to people who need the support. Those people then try to stretch that dollar — and that may mean they end up with private care and non-unionized workers. The government’s preying on people who are desperate. These are aging parents in their 80s or 90s who have children with disabilities in their 40s." Co-ordinating services, and acting as an employer, is time-consuming work many parents can’t take on.

Under the new, individualized funding, families and individuals will fight each other for scarce funds and support services. Private for-profit corporations have already approached the government anticipating new business opportunities, while community- based programs are left to do their work with too few resources.