Journal Pioneer
Saturday April 14, 2007
TIGNISH — The founder of the P.E.l. Disability Alert wants the provincial Tories to get the message his organization is not happy. So Stephen Pate is taking his publicity campaign right to the doorstep of Progressive Conservative nominating meetings, starting with the one in Tignish today.
Pate said Thursday he’s not expecting an invitation into the nominating halls and that’s okay; he said he believes the organization can get its message across from outside.
“We’re hoping to create some awareness in the village of Tignish, talk to the people in Tignish and drive a stake in the ground in front of the nominating convention,” he said, “that this is an issue you can’t ignore.”
Disability Alert, Pate noted, is not satisfied with the $900,000 increase the provincial government provided for disability support in its budget Tuesday. That comes after a $1 million cutback last year. The fund went from $9.1 million to $8.1 million last year and was pumped back up to $9.0 million in this year’s budget.
“If somebody steals one million from you and gives you $900,000 back, do you thank them?” Pate asked.
“They help some people, but they don’t help enough people,” Pate said. He suggested $18 to $20 million would be needed to find the program properly.
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