Queen’s Park – During question period today, Oshawa MPP Jennifer French grilled Premier Kathleen Wynne on new evidence that children with autism over the age of 5 are still experiencing service cuts, despite her promise to reinstate funding.
The government’s inexplicable decision to cancel autism therapies for children over the age of 5 was included in the 2016 provincial budget, and caused outrage for families and experts across Ontario.
“After blindsiding families that had spent years waiting for services, the decision was finally reversed under enormous pressure from across the province,” said French. “Or so they claimed.
“Now, almost a year later, evidence is emerging that many children over the age of 5 are still being denied these services.”
MPP French’s question echoed the concerns that a group of parents expressed in an open letter to the Minister of Children and Youth Services on the weekend.
“Waitlists are still growing, services are still being reduced, and families have been left in the dark about how this will affect their children’s lives,” said French. “Every child in Ontario deserves the right to reach their full potential on their terms, not yours.”
“What does the premier have to say to the families of children with autism that have had the rug pulled out from under them a second time,” asked French.