Families with children with autism were dealt a harsh blow in October when the NDP government announced it would no longer provide direct funding for families to use to access important supports for their children. For 20 years, British Columbia has been seen as a leader in its model for supporting children and youth with special needs in Canada — so it is inexplicable why the government made such a significant change without consulting families or key groups like Autism BC or the Autism Support Network. More than 25,000 children in B.C. receive this funding and we have many of these families here on the North Shore.
The current system is not without its flaws — it needs to be expanded to include other neurodiverse young people with FASD, Dyslexia, and Down Syndrome. It needs to be streamlined to make it easier for parents to navigate. But instead of hearing what families have asked for, this government has blown the system up, taken the choice of service providers away from the families, and is creating additional burden and cost by setting up government-run ‘centralized hubs’. This looks like a government committed to investing in more process and paperwork rather than investing in our young people.
This NDP government will be adopting a funding program similar to what Ontario moved to three years ago. B.C. parents are looking at the Ontario model and seeing a system that has doubled the waitlist for kids since it was brought in and has caused additional hardship for families.
Thousands of families, doctors, service providers and organizations have asked Minister Mitzi Dean and the NDP government to pause the rollout of this new system and come back to consult. But the answer from government has been clear — they are moving ahead with this new untested model notwithstanding the fears and concerns of those most impacted.
All young people in British Columbia who need extra supports to learn and thrive deserve to have those needs met. Taking choice away from parents on what is best for their children is just plain wrong.
Karin Kirkpatrick is MLA, West Vancouver-Capilano, and Opposition Critic for Children, Family Development and Childcare.
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