STEPHEN PATE
P.E.I. Disability Alert
Editor:
The throne speech means 2008 will be a bleak year for Islanders living with disabilities or below the poverty line. The government failed to make any material social policy announcements that would help those with disabilities and the poor. We can only hope that the coming budget will add measures to look after those who need help the most.
Before the 2007 election the Liberals promised to return the $1 million removed from the Disability Support Program. They also promised to add coverage for P.E.I.’s 9,000 seniors in the Disability Support Program. Neither item was mentioned in the throne speech.
Disability and poverty go hand in hand for many Islanders. After the worst winter in recent history with the highest heating costs, does the government have any plans to alleviate the burden of disability and poverty?
The question for many Islanders with disabilities and others living in poverty used to be to ‘eat or heat’. Rising fuel costs have put filling the oil tank out of the question for many. This year the government solution was soup-kitchen style charity at the Salvation Army.
With no announced social program to bring Islanders closer to the low income cutoff, does this mean next year those living in poverty will line up at St. Vincent de Paul? The situation for many has gone from unbearable to a crisis. Does the government expect people in wheelchairs to go to the woods and bring home a cord or two?
Islanders with disabilities and those living in poverty need meaningful programs. Many of them lead lives of desperation and misery.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for department reorganizations and risky business ventures. Yet they are not willing to bring social programs in line with the needs of Islanders.
Let’s hope the budget announces meaningful relief
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