Advocate says boost to DSP not enough

BUDGET DIGEST

An 11 per cent increase in the budget for the Disability Support Program is not enough, says a local advocate.

Stephen Pate, director of PEI Disability Alert, says the increase brings the program to $9.1 million. He said that’s a help but falls short of the $10 million his group wanted to see in the budget.

Pate said the Island’s most vulnerable, including seniors, those with learning disabilities and the mentally challenged, will still be left out of the program.

Last year, the program was cut back by $1 million.

“To redress the cutback, we expected to see the $1 million restored plus the normal four to five per cent in spending increase that the department gets.”