Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’d like to bring the topic of persons with disabilities to the forefront since we acknowledge Disability Awareness this week.
In the past five years, a group of dedicated volunteers has taken the Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities from a delinquent society to a vibrant and much needed part of the community of Hay River. They run numerous programs. They currently provide an Employment Assistance Program where 15 people are enrolled for training, job hunting and on-the-job support. They assist clients from the surrounding local areas and they put forward proposals to run traditional summer camps, pre-employment skills, life skills programs, summer student training programs and recreational activities, arts, literacy, as well as two mentorship programs in their office administration.
Thirdly, they operate a handivan transportation service from Monday to Friday eight hours a day and occasionally weekend pick-ups. This service is supported by donations from business and private citizens with an operational budget of about $75,000. They recently started a service to Enterprise and in 2011 have provided 1,300-plus rides. They have been denied government funding for this handivan even though the government mandate action plan for persons with disabilities clearly states that the government will develop and provide funding provisions for local and accessible transportation.
This group has put in a request to Health and Social Service to increase their multi-year core funding, which was denied and they are told to do some fundraising. Their office is struggling financially, and with the limited availability of human resources to keep up with the demands of clients’ needs, it is putting a real strain on their operations.
They are unable to provide all of the above services in their current 3.7 hour staffing position they are funded for. They are currently having funding that will end at the end of this month and if they do not receive additional funding, they will have to shut down.
Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Madam Speaker, the Honourable Tom Beaulieu stated this week that the Department of Health and Social Services supported the work for NWT Disabilities Council, the NWT Autism Society, the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, the YWCA, the Canadian Institute for the Blind and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. We recognize these organizations provide valuable support to persons with disabilities, but my questions today will be for Mr. Beaulieu about Hay River persons with disabilities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
