Candidates grilled on disability issues at forum

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This article was published 23/03/2016 (3798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local candidates got a chance to share their party’s election platforms on disability issues in Manitoba during a well-attended town hall forum at the West End Community Centre on Tuesday.

More than 50 caregivers, advocates and people from Brandon’s disabled community attended the afternoon event hosted by the local arm of Disability Matters Vote 2016.

Four out of Brandon’s five candidates spent time in the “hot seat” responding to questions about accessibility, wages for front-line workers, access to services, employment and income assistance for Manitobans with disabilities.

Brandon East Liberal candidate Vanessa Hamilton was not in attendance.

Kim Longstreet, chairperson of Disability Matters Brandon Constituency Committee, says Hamilton plans to be at the organization’s forum in Winnipeg on March 31.

“I’m a little disappointed with that — not that she’s participating in that one — but that she still couldn’t participate in our conversation here … it was maybe a wasted opportunity,” Longstreet said.

On Tuesday, Caldwell took his opportunity on stage to announce a $3-million investment to increase wages and funding for disability support workers if the NDP is re-elected. According to statistics from Disability Matters, the sector currently has a 40 per cent turnover rate and staff are paid an average salary of $13.75.

“The commitment that I made today speaks to the need to enhance wages and enhance support for front line service providers … it’s a stark contrast to the promised cuts (from) the other parties,” Caldwell said.

Candidates were pressed on the slow progress of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act — which was enacted in 2013 with provincewide accessibility to be achieved by 2023.

Caldwell says the NDP will continue investing in accessible government infrastructure and will work with the public, private and non-profit sectors to meet the standards outlined in the act.

Helwer says the Progressive Conservatives will focus on enforcement of and education about the act within all sectors.

“A simple step is that making sure on the employment side for the government is that when they do post positions, that they do make sure that they communicate with all communities — especially this one — and that’s not being done now,” Helwer said.

Candidates were also asked to address the province’s long wait lists for disability support services.

“When you’ve got a family member that needs care … you want it to happen yesterday,” Ross said, adding that wait times for autism services have gone down under the NDP. “Those wait times have been decreasing but we need to continue to address them.”

Meaningful employment and higher pay for disabled Manitobans living on Employment and Income Assistance round out Disability Matters’ five priorities.

Isleifson says the Tories would work with Manitoba employers to quash disability stigmas and conduct a review of government departments.

“If we can create some efficiencies we can take funding that this current government is wasting and redirect that to where it should be, which is into programs, wages and things like that,” Isleifson said.

For information on Disability Matters Vote 2016, visit disabilitymatters2016.ca.

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