Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Canada's poor, disability community, deserve better from their federal government!
I was deeply dismayed to hear about the federal governments announcemnt that it will be spending between 9-16 billion dollars on brand new fighter aircraft. In my opinion, the Harper government has its priorities all wrong! Whatever happened to fiscal responsibility and government accountability? I believe that if we can afford to spend to that kind of money on our military, then we should to have enough money for a National Anti-Poverty Plan. Liberal MP Bob Rae agrees. He recently told me, "if can do one, we can do the other!"
Far too many Canadians living in cities live below any measure of the poverty line; too many people struggle to find and maintain affordable housing; and an increasing number of Canadians are homeless.
The Honourable Art Eggleton has said, "We need - once and for all - to break the cycle of poverty in Canada, and to finally lift its devastating burden. Even the Honourable Hugh Segal has weighed into the debate and said that, "We owe it to the millions of Canadians that struggle day in day out with poverty. But we owe it to Canada as a whole. The time for action is now!" And I agree with them 100 percent.
The federal government has been a really big disappointment to Canada's anti-poverty and disability rights movement on this and other issues. As a social and political activist I don't like the direction in which this country of ours is heading. Canadians are been telling me that it is time for a change. And I agree. I believe the time has finally come for the opposition parties to 'pull the plug' on Harper's Conservative government. Enough is enough!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Canada's disability community calls upon the Government of Canada to 'ratify' the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities and the organizations which represent them, call upon the Government of Canada to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On December 3, 2009 the government tabled the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the House of Commons. We now call for its speedy ratification. For the last 3 years Canada's disability community has been waiting patiently for the federal government to deliver on its promise to ratify the UN Convention. The Harper government needs to start taking 'disability issues' more seriously and not just at election time. Our issues matter and so do we!
Our issues need to be put back on the national and provincial government agendas. No longer will persons with disabilities allow themselves or their issues to be ignored. We are NOT second-class citizens! We are Canadian citizens and deserve to be treated as such. We've heard enough rhetoric. It's time for the federal government to take action! And it all starts with this session of parliament.
Our issues need to be put back on the national and provincial government agendas. No longer will persons with disabilities allow themselves or their issues to be ignored. We are NOT second-class citizens! We are Canadian citizens and deserve to be treated as such. We've heard enough rhetoric. It's time for the federal government to take action! And it all starts with this session of parliament.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A federal agenda that includes 'us' - Winnipeg Sun, March 01, 2010
Our elected members of Parliament will return to work this week. And with that comes the expectation that some work will finally get done.
Over these last few years disability issues have taken a backseat on the national agenda. This has been a real disappointment for me and my colleagues.
Michael J. Prince, professor of social policy in the faculty of human and social development at the University of Victoria, says that disability issues "have a relatively low profile in Canadian political life." This is something that desparately needs to change. Disability issues need to get put back on the national and provincial government agendas. And it all starts with this session of parliament. And what are those issues? The Council of Canadians with Disabilities, of which the MLPD is a member, has drawn up a list of our national priorities. This list includes a number of initiatives to address the disproportionate level of poverty being experienced by Canadians with disabilities.
Initiatives such as making the disability tax credit refundable for those without a taxable income as well as making those eligible for Canada Pension Plan disability benefits automatically eligible for the disability tax credit. We would also like to see the Canada Pension Plan disability benefits be made non-taxable. These changes would go a long way towards alleviating the poverty faced by many Canadians living with a disability.
The employment of people with a disability is also one of our priority issues. First, we are calling for an increase in labour force participation by creating specific targets for persons with disabilities contained within labour market agreements which are negotiated with the provinces. And we're also asking that the federal government to increase funding for the Opportunities Fund. We want to work and pay our taxes like anyone else. What we're asking for is a "level playing field" and for the same opportunities that are afforded to non-disabled Canadians.
An inclusive and accessible Canada is our goal. It was last year's Greyhound fiasco that made us aware of the need to establish some access standards for all modes of federally regulated transportation. We would also like to see the creation of a Universal Design Centre. It would provide the most up-to-date information
available on accessible design and accommodation in Canada.
On Dec. 3, 2009 the federal government tabled the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the House of Commons. This is something that Canadians with disabilities have been patiently awaiting. We once again call for its ratification and for our federal government to develop a National Implementation Plan to address disability issues which will most definitely arise following its ratification. Back in October 1996 The Federal Task Force on Disability Issues released a report called: Equal Citizenship for Canadians with Disabilities: The Will to Act. It said that "The Government of Canada should acknowledge and act on its responsibility for citizens with disabilities to ensure equality and to promote their full inclusion and participation in the life of the country."
Well, we are still waiting on this government to act on that responsibility. It's time for action!
HARRY WOLBERT
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Put 'Handi' back in our Handi-Transit - Winnipeg Sun/Comment/February 02/2010
Transportation was the primary issue around which people with disabilities first organized back in the mid 1970's. This led to the eventual creation of a Handi-Transit system in 1976. Since then, much progress has been made. However, many barriers still exist with new ones being erected almost daily.
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An example of this was the recent decision on the part of Handi-Transit to move the "drop-off and pick-up point" from the rear of Portage Place to the front, along Portage Avenue. The decision was made unilaterally, without any consultation. Organizations which advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities were outraged. The Independent Living Resource Centre and the MLPD had some serious safety concerns with the move and rallied to have this decision reversed and were successful. Our message to Handi-Transit is: Nothing about us, without us.
Harry Wolbert is co-chairperson of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities.
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An example of this was the recent decision on the part of Handi-Transit to move the "drop-off and pick-up point" from the rear of Portage Place to the front, along Portage Avenue. The decision was made unilaterally, without any consultation. Organizations which advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities were outraged. The Independent Living Resource Centre and the MLPD had some serious safety concerns with the move and rallied to have this decision reversed and were successful. Our message to Handi-Transit is: Nothing about us, without us.Still, there are other issues that continue to persist. A lot of the complaints I hear centre around Handi-Transit's "no-show and cancellation" policy. The MLPD has been calling for changes to this policy for some time now. Why does senior management at Handi-Transit refuse to listen to us? Our issues do matter.
Then there are those being denied Handi-Transit service simply because they're earning less than minimum wage. I am aware of at least 50 individuals with a developmental disability who have been denied service. Shame on Handi-Transit for the way they've been treating some of society's most vulnerable citizens. MLPD members have told me that they'd like to see the scope od eligibility expanded to meet the needs of persons with invisible disabilities.
One of my pet peeves is that so many of the programs and services which people with disabilities rely on are run by non-disabled people. And to my knowledge Handi-Transit has no one in senior management with a disability. I believe that if people with disabilities ran Handi-Transit we would run things a whole lot differently. In a recent review of complaint records filed with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the Taxicab Board and the city's Handi-Transit system it was revealed that there were close to 6,000 complaints over a five-year period.
On Jan. 1, 2010 some new legislation came into effect in Ontario which regulates how the public sector provides "customer service" to people with disabilities. I'm beginning to wonder whether the time has finally come for the Manitoba government to introduce similar legislation. If, in the end, the decision is made to go ahead and introduce some standards or accessibility legislation, then it must also be accompanied by an enforcement mechanism.
Finally, it's our position that accessible transportation is an essential service. It is a service that helps deal with the social isolation faced by so many people with disabilities. We believe that all people with disabilities should have the same access to our public transportation system that so many non-disabled Manitobans have taken for granted. After all, accessibility is a right.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
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