Vancouver, B.C., March 3, 2010 – The provincial government tabled its 2010/11 – 2012/13 Community Living BC ( the Crown Agency responsible for supports and services for adults with developmental disabilities) and the Ministry of Children and Families (the ministry responsible for supports and services for children and youth with special needs).

At a time when new investments are crucially needed to keep people off of waitlists, this budget is empty of any commitment towards improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and adults with developmental disabilities in BC. The total lack of vision or new investments confirms that the provincial government’s great goal number three – to build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, childredn at risk, and seniors – is dead.

Last year the provincial government heard from thousands of British Columbians who demanded an urgent end to the long and unacceptable waitlists faced by children and youth  with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Government responded and committed funds to eliminate waitlists. “Government did the right thing when it in invested $73 million in supports for people with developmental disabilities in B.C. and $38 million for children and youth with special needs” says BCACL president Rory Summers. ” But now, without any budget increase to cover the growing caseload of CLBC, this budget essentially means a return to waitlists. It’s devasting.”

While there are some increases in the Ministry of Education budget, funding is allocated towards all-day kindergarten, teachers’ wages and a modest increase in per-pupil funding; the budget does nothing to address the challenges faced by school boards across the province who are forced to “find efficiencies” after years of inadequate funding. We are already seeing that these efficiencies are being achieved by cutting supports that facilitate inclusion of students whith special needs in the classroom.

As we struggle to find cost efficiencies in ministries and programs that facilitate the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities, we risk doing so at the expense of individualized need, regressing to segregation and exclusion.