Report prompts questions to Minister about CLBC funding
Quick LinksReport: Reaching Out and Weighing In Hansard Transcript (scroll down to 1410) BCACL report on meeting with Minister Harry Bloy |
The questions were prompted by a report released by the Community Living Action Group, which concludes that "the current process of service reductions, group home closures, and service redesigns in British Columbia violates [the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] essential principles" (p. 20).
The Community Living Action Group (CLAG) is a broad based coalition of family groups, disability groups and Unions. View the website here. BCACL is a member of the Action Group.
Minister Responds to Questions
Minister Harry Bloy responded to questions from three MLAs in the Legislature, defending his government's funding of Community Living BC (CLBC), claiming an annual budget increase for the last few years and insisting that "every individual has had a choice of where they want to live."
BCACL met with Harry Bloy in April of this year and told him of the urgent crisis requiring his attention, explaining how service redesign is affecting people with disabilities and their families, excluding them from the planning process and resulting in cuts to their supports and services. We also wrote to his predecessor, Minister Kevin Krueger, in January of this year and to Rick Mowles, CEO of Community Living BC, on April 19th of this month. We are disappointed that the Minister did not address our concerns in the Legislature and denied the crisis faced by families and individuals across the province.
BCACL Meetings with Families and Individuals
BCACL has embarked on a “Road to Inclusion” conversation tour across the Province, meeting with families in the North, the Island, the Interior and the Lower Mainland. While each community faces its unique challenges, families in all regions of the province have been impacted by cuts in supports and services and by CLBC’s service redesign process.
BCACL will continue to challenge the Provincial Government to do the right thing and address and respond to the recommendations in the report and to the concerns of families and individuals across the province.