Wayne Gates says Sam Oosterhoff is being callous.
The Niagara Falls NDP MPP is responding to comments made by Niagara West PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff following a protest at Oosterhoff’s office about the PC's new funding plan for autism.
"I don't understand how he can be so callous about this - the Conservative autism overhaul means they're ripping autism services away from high needs children and giving every child with autism less support," said Gates. "For years children with autism and their families in Niagara were shuffled between wait-lists and now they're losing hope that their kids will ever get what they need to reach their full potential.”
Gates says Oosterhoff did not speak with any protesters, opting to make a statement to the St. Catharines Standard noting the government hopes to reduce the waitlist for treatment, while ignoring the thousands of children that will no longer be able to receive the treatment they require because of the government’s new funding approach.
"Let's eliminate the wait lists by focusing on evidence based solutions and properly support these families—not by throwing people off the list and only allowing families that have enough money to get the treatment their children desperately need,” said Gates. “The wealth of your family should not determine if you will or will not get the appropriate therapy and education you need.”
"Let's be honest about what happened here - the PCs just redistributed a funding envelope that's always been too small to solve a problem--now parents are being told they're on their own to cover tens of thousands of dollars of autism therapies."
“Sam and his colleagues have made the wrong decision—frankly I think they know they’ve made the wrong decision and instead of changing course and doing what’s best of families in this province, they’ve chosen to directly attack families and stand up against them,” said Gates. “Families in our community that have children with autism deserve better than to be bullied by their government.”
“While unlikely, I hope Sam and some of his colleagues in the government find the courage to stand-up to Ford and Minister Macleod to stop this decision—our community deserves it.”