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Parents rally against Ford government’s autism changes
Friday, March 8th, 2019
the government is boosting spending to clear a wait list of 23,000 children and giving families limited budgets to choose the services they want. Depending on their income, parents will be eligible for up to $20,000 a year for children under 6, with a lifetime maximum of $140,000. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000. Critics have said those amounts fall far short, as children with severe needs can require up to $80,000 a year in therapy.
Tags: budget, ideology, mental Health, standard of living, youth
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Children’s agency slams Ford government’s autism funding changes
Wednesday, March 6th, 2019
Kinark is the only regional service provider — so far — to publicly oppose the changes announced by Lisa MacLeod, minister of children, community and social services last month… Under the overhaul, provincial funding will no longer be administered by nine regional service providers and instead flow directly to families who will use the money to buy therapy from private therapists or publicly funded agencies… A new independent agency to be established in the next year will administer “childhood budgets” to families based on household income and a child’s age.
Tags: budget, disabilities, mental Health, participation, standard of living, youth
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Attorney General Caroline Mulroney boosts rape crisis centre funding by $1 million
Wednesday, February 27th, 2019
A decade ago, they logged 30,000 calls a year — now, more than 50,000… “This is funding that was committed to the centres last spring, which has not been disbursed … Survivors in our province deserve predictable multi-year funding that enables organizations to have stability. This one-time handout falls woefully short of what is needed to tackle staggering waiting lists across Ontario to access counselling.”
Tags: budget, crime prevention, Health, ideology, mental Health, women
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario government quietly ordered autism therapy providers to stop admitting kids from wait-list last September
Sunday, February 24th, 2019
The provincial government quietly ordered autism service providers last September to stop admitting new children for therapy and to keep parents in the dark about the move… Internal documents — from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and senior administrators of nine regional service providers — state that the 23,000-child wait-list for autism therapy was closed because of “financial pressures.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, standard of living, youth
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario autism program changes ‘best for all children,’ says social services minister
Wednesday, February 20th, 2019
… the government has promised to clear the wait lists for diagnosis and therapy, and will introduce a childhood budget allowing families to choose the services they want. Families will be eligible for up to $20,000 a year for children under 6 — up to a lifetime maximum of $140,000. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000. However, only families earning less than $55,000 in net income will qualify for the full funding amounts.
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, ideology, mental Health, standard of living, youth
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | 5 Comments »
Experts call Ontario’s full-day kindergarten ‘visionary.’ The Ford government is eyeing changes
Sunday, February 10th, 2019
Ontario’s full-day kindergarten program is in a class by itself. With a full-time teacher and full-time early childhood educator working together, it provides a unique staffing model and two-year curriculum for the province’s 4- and 5-year-olds… a hasty change that will likely inhibit the social and economic progress being made, is irresponsible.”
Tags: budget, child care, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Ontario’s rape crisis centres urge Ford government to keep promise to boost funding
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019
That promise, made by the previous Liberal government last March, was a 33 per cent increase in funding over three years to address skyrocketing demand for sex-assault services… With the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, community-based sexual assault centres have seen a significant upswing in calls and requests for support.”… In one year alone, centres have been swamped dealing with more than 50,000 calls, up from almost a decade ago when they took 30,000 such calls.
Tags: crime prevention, Health, ideology, mental Health, women
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | 1 Comment »
Ontario to cut tuition fees by 10 per cent
Wednesday, January 16th, 2019
The province is set to announce a 10 per cent cut in university and college tuition fees, according to government documents obtained by the Star… The proposed changes to the Tuition Fee Framework would remain in effect for the next two academic years. In the 2019-20 school year, tuition would drop by 10 per cent from current levels, and would remain frozen for the 2020-21 year.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, youth
Posted in Education Policy Context | No Comments »
Liberals warn teachers, doctors over pay
Friday, April 13th, 2012
Apr 12 2012
Mired in debt and at risk of an election by late May, Ontario’s minority Liberal government took dead aim at teachers and doctors Thursday in a bid for public support to keep their wage hike demands to zero. Education Minister Laurel Broten warned elementary teachers of 10,000 layoffs unless they accept a pay freeze while Health Minister Deb Matthews told physicians “I am here to stand up for taxpayers.”
Tags: budget, economy, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ontario universities should offer three-year degrees, classes year-round and more online learning, says provincial report
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Feb 22 2012
The report — tentatively entitled 3 Cubed: PSE institutions as centres of creativity, competency and citizenship equipped for the 21st century — says post-secondary education needs to be relevant and flexible given the increased demand for college and university. The proposals would get students through university or college cheaper and faster — the report says college diplomas should be two years at most — while still offering a quality post-secondary education… The report says pilot programs for the new three-year degrees should begin in September 2013, with rollout by 2015.
Tags: budget, participation, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | 8 Comments »
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