New Democrat Party Response to Our Call for Response - Ontario Election

September 28, 2011

Michael Johnson
Executive Director
Ontario SCI Solutions Alliance
601 – 90 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, ON, M4P 2Y3

Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for your letter and questions regarding Ontario’s New Democrats’ position on the important issues you raise. When opportunities and support for full inclusion and participation exist for all persons in our community, we all benefit. Ontario’s New Democrats understand this and have worked with organizations to make full inclusion possible.

We have a plan to improve and expand access to home and community supports. The need to take action to reduce waitlists, and provide the services that Ontarians with physical disabilities require is clear. We will first eliminate the wait list for home care services. This will add an additional one million hours of home care into the system. We also have a plan to improve access to homemaking and support services so that Ontarians can stay in their homes longer. An additional 7.5 million hours of non-medical, home-making care, such as preparing meals and shovelling the walk, will give Ontarians the supports they need.

We understand that the waitlist for the Attendant Services program is unacceptably long. We are committed to addressing this issue and will work with Ontario SCI Solutions Alliance, your partner organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to find effective solutions.

Ontario’s New Democrats have a plan to address inadequacies in our primary health care system. Today, approximately 700,000 Ontarians do not have a family doctor, making preventive and timely care impossible. We will address this shortage by investing in 50 new family care clinics and forgiving the student debt of 200 new physicians. Our plan for ensuring primary care for all Ontarians is inclusive of those with physical disabilities. We will work with Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres, Nurse-Practitioner Led clinics, and other primary care providers to ensure that they have the ability to serve all Ontarians.

Thank you again for taking the time to write. Ensuring equal access and opportunity for Ontarians with disabilities is of great importance to Ontario’s New Democrats and we look forward to working with you today, and following October 6th.

Sincerely,

Dan O’Brien
Director of Policy
Ontario’s New Democrats

Attachment: 

NDP response.pdf