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Families in crisis following severe shortages to autism services

The Child and Community Resources forced to cut staff, services, says it's a 'shell of itself'
Todd Smith
Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith speaks at a meeting in Thunder Bay on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. (Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY - A major autism treatment service provider in Northwestern Ontario will no longer be able to provide families fee-for-service options, as part of the provincial government’s second attempt to revamp the Ontario Autism Program.

The Child and Community Resources, which offers autism therapy and behaviour analysis in Thunder Bay and Kenora, along with Sudbury, and Algoma, said in a press release on Tuesday that cuts to staffing has resulted in the loss of services the organization can provide. 

“Since the initial changes to OAP were announced last year by the provincial government, CCR has transformed from a large multidisciplinary organization to a shell of our previous capacity,” executive director Sherry Fournier said. 

The families of over 1,200 autistic children in Northwestern Ontario who previously relied on the service, now have very few options to turn towards.

Krista Smith, mother to one of the 1,200-plus autistic children in the region, said she was devastated, but not surprised by the news.

“It is soul-wrenching to be told by the government that your kid doesn’t matter, or the services they need don’t matter,” Smith said in an interview with tbnewswatch on Wednesday.

“As a mom, as a parent, you want to give your kid everything in life. Our kids, the autistic kids, they need that extra help and it’s not there anymore.”

The CCR cuts are the result of a Ford government change to the OAP funding model in April, and a subsequent reversal of the model in August following criticism of inadequate funding.

The new needs-based model is now expected to arrive in April 2020.

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith, who visited Thunder Bay in August, said the government is committed to doubling the previous government’s commitment to autism services to $600 million.

A spokesperson of the minister’s office said via e-mail that the government has provided two separate six-month extensions for families receiving behaviour services. 

“This means the province will continue to cover the costs for CCR to provide behaviour services to all children currently in service. These extensions ensure there are no gaps in service through to April 2020 and beyond,” the e-mail read.

However, parents and community outreach organizations believe the April 2020 funding won’t be properly applied after the ongoing reduction of services.

Sharon Bak, president of Thunder Bay Family Network, says the roll-out has been poorly planned, and left the region without the services that the funding would go towards.

“All we’ve been told so far is that ‘We hope the (autism advisory) panel will move quickly to come up with a solution.’ We can’t wait for the panel anymore. We’re already at a vital crisis point,” Bak said.

TBFN assists in facilitation and development of family-led networks in the region.

“The (government) took a model in CCR that took 20 years to build, had a great staffing model, great programs and services, and without a plan in place, said, ‘We’re going to make a change.’”

Smith, meanwhile, is shaken by what the lack of services could mean for her child’s health.

“Regression is a real thing with autistic children. It’s scary that you can see your child developing and learning all those new skills, and you take that support away from them and then they fall back.”

When asked for a solution, she believed the only option at this point is to move to a place with better access to autism services.

“If that’s the only way we can do it, then so be it, but that’s not the way it should be. We should be able to stay here, and have my son grow up in his hometown,” Smith said.

“I have absolutely no trust in this government.”



Michael Charlebois

About the Author: Michael Charlebois

Michael Charlebois was born and raised in Thunder Bay, where he attended St. Patrick High School and graduated in 2015. He attends Carleton University in Ottawa where he studies journalism.
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