For
Immediate Release
December 8, 2005
Queen’s Park, Toronto
– Lanark-Carleton MPP Norm Sterling today asked Premier McGuinty to reverse
his government’s decision to close Rideau Regional Centre in 2009 and
questioned McGuinty about how his government will assist the town of Smiths
Falls and the 800 staff who will be facing layoffs over the next four years.
Neither McGuinty nor Community
and Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello would commit to continuing the
Progressive Conservative government’s policy of maintaining the centre without
discharging residents except on a voluntary basis.
This, despite the fact that the government has not established sufficient
community-based supports for these severely disabled adults.
Nor do they have plans they have to help the employees or the town deal
with the impending layoffs.
“As usual the McGuinty
government is charging ahead without a clear plan,” said Mr. Sterling. “No
plan for the residents, no plan for the staff, no plan for the community.
I appreciate that the town has had one meeting with Municipal Affairs and
Housing Minister John Gerretson, but that is not enough.
When Minister Pupatello announced the accelerated closure of R.R.C., she
promised the government would work with the residents and their families to make
the transition easy on them, the staff to help them plan for their futures and
the community to help it deal with the economic impact. We haven’t heard of any concrete plans for the residents or
the staff or any financial commitment to help the town.”
Rideau Regional Centre houses approximately 400 severely developmentally disabled adults, many of whom have lived there for forty years or more and know no other home. Minister Pupatello announced on September 9, 2004 that this facility and two others would close permanently in 2009. Despite heart-wrenching letters and petitions from family members of the residents and the staff of the facility, not to mention questions from Mr. Sterling and other opposition members, Minister Pupatello refuses to reconsider this misguided policy.
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For more information, please call Lanark-Carleton MPP Norm Sterling at: (416) 314-7900