by Drake Poels
by Drake Poels
by Kyla Maki
by Lynn Juliak
Community disability service workers are near poverty line
17,000 people work in Community Disability Services in Alberta, with 58%of the workforce viewing this work as their primary source of income into their household and yet, 35.6% of disability
service workers earn between $20,000-$30,000.
Group won't bottle up its discontent
Rally will protest province's funding cuts to the disabled
Local organizations that support people with disabilities want Edmontonians to bring their empathy and empties to a mock bottle drive this week.
The group, also made up of affected families, hopes to raise $2.8 million to turn over to the Alberta government to make up for funding cuts that they say will severely impact the province's most vulnerable citizens.
Of course they don't actually expect to raise millions, said Bill Moore-Kilgannon, executive director for Public Interest Alberta.
Instead, they hope to put on a unique rally that will prompt the government to reverse the decision it made before Christmas to force agencies to cut $2.8 million from their budgets, effective this month.
"People are very, very angry," Moore-Kilgannon said. "Families have been struggling for years to find programs as it is and to have the government turn around and cut programs, it's kind of the last straw."
The bottle drive idea comes from the fact that the government reversed its decision last summer to raise liquor taxes and collect an additional $180 million, which could've gone to funding for people with disabilities.
"That's about a 10 cents saving on a bottle of beer," Moore-Kilgannon said. "It's important to get that big picture for people."
A similar event was held in Calgary recently featuring a mock bake sale with $10,000 cupcakes.
"One of the things I'm really frustrated with is the minister keeps saying this won't affect services. That's simply not accurate," said Wendy McDonald, president of the Alberta Association for Community Living and mother of a 15-year-old son with disabilities. "We're already seeing services that are already being reduced. The other thing that's happened is agencies are pulling back service now in anticipation of what the budget cut might be in April."
Although funding to children with disabilities isn't being cut, McDonald said she fears for her son's future.
A spokesman for the Department of Seniors and Community Supports said the government is working to ensure cuts don't affect people supported by programs. They plan to focus on slashing administration costs and attempt to use resources more wisely, encouraging a support worker to take two clients on a trip rather than one, for example, spokesman Dan Laville said.
The bottle drive will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. at McDougall United Church, 10025 101 Street.
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