Public meeting hears that government patronage and waste hurts social programs

Members of the disability services review committee

The Provincial Disability Services Review Committee (SRC) held the last of a round of public meetings at the Murchison Centre in Charlottetown today to a packed room. Islanders with disabilities, parents, caregivers, and non-government organizations made oral and written presentations to a scaled down Committee of five people. A second meeting will be held tonight at 6:30 pm. 

“I’d say nothing is working with the Disability Support Program,” said Stephen Pate, of PEI Disability. “In a province of 22,000 people with disabilities one could hardly call something working if only 1,100 people are getting support. That’s like sending 21,000 children home from school and providing classrooms and teachers for just 1,100. It’s like treating only 50 cases of cancer and sending the other 650 patients home.”

Pate also called on the government to start putting Islanders with disabilities on all the boards, commissions, committees and departments that deal with the disabled. “These people like the SRC are well meaning folks but they display a lack of empathy and compassion towards those with disabilities,” Pate said. Pate said his work on the boards of the PEI Council of the Disabled, Minister’s Advisory Committee on Disability Issues and lately the SRC convinced him that able bodied people just don’t understand the impact of disability on people’s lives.

“Unless you have a disability you cannot understand the real issues. Surely with 10,000 working age adults with disabilities on PEI, we can find a few dozen to represent Islanders better than this.”

Pate also called on the Province to stop purchasing goods and services without tendering. “In 2004, the government reports only tendering $25 million out of $500 million in goods and service,” said Pate. “Not only is this against the law, it is wasteful of public funds. It is either mismanagement or patronage on the highest order.” Pate estimated the $100 million saved through tendering could fund many social programs.

The PEI Senior Citizens’ Federation called on the government to include seniors with disabilities in the Disability Support Program. They are not currently allowed to apply for benefits. The Federation also called on the government to increase the number of accessible affordable housing units for seniors with disabilities.

A gentleman with Parkinson’s called on the government to fund drugs which are largely funded in other provinces. The Provincial pharmacare program is disease specific at this time and does not include Parkinson’s among other conditions.

Several parents of children with learning disabilities called on the Government to return to providing support. Learning disabilities are excluded under the DSP.

The presentations from individuals were gripping especially the story of a wife whose husband suffered his second stroke. There are 800 strokes annually on PEI. The effect of paralysis, loss of speech and financial burdens were overpowering in her words. The current post stroke support on PEI is limited and not considered adequate by experts.

The meeting coordinator said the SRC had exceeded 50 submissions and expected to file a report by May 31, 2008.