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| FORWARDED FROM DAVID LEPOFSKY TO SHAWN BRUSH: ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ODA) COMMITTEE - ELECTION UPDATE TORONTO STAR IDENTIFIES SEVERAL KEY ELECTION ISSUES FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES (September 8, 2003) SUMMARY In this very volatile, uncertain election, the public opinion polls show that it is a close race. Many voters are undecided. Individual candidates may win or lose by just a few votes. This makes it even more important that each and every person who cares about disability issues takes active steps right now, even if it is just for a few minutes each day, to help spread the word to people you know about the disability issues that matter to you. Urge them to think about these when deciding how to vote. Given the fear of low voter turnout, encourage everyone you know to vote, and to think about the future of Ontarians with disabilities. Your own efforts, combined with the efforts of others concerned about disability issues, can have a real impact on the outcome of this election. To help you, check out a great column that appeared in the Saturday, September 6, 2003, that sets out several important disability issues. For more information about the Ontarians with Disabilities Act issue, tell people to visit: www.odacommittee.net. Among other issues, this article talks about the Ontario Disability Support Plan issue (ODSP). ODSP is the province's disability social assistance program. It is supposed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities who are poor. ODSP payments have not been raised since before 1995, even to help with increases in the cost of living. The NDP and Liberals each have promised in this campaign to give a cost of living increase for ODSP. Both the Liberals and NDP voted for an NDP bill last year to raise ODSP to adjust for the cost of living. The Conservatives have had the power to raise ODSP payments since 1995, but have never done so. They voted against the NDP bill in 2002, which the NDP proposed to give a cost-of-living raise to ODSP. The Conservatives promised in their April 2003 election platform to give a 5% raise to the ODSP. The cost of living has increased over 15% since 1995. The Conservatives have not actually implemented this increase in the five months since they promised to do so. For more information about ODSP issues in the election, including questions for you to raise with candidates and a background factsheet, all helpfully prepared by people organized to advocate on ODSP issues, visit: http://dawn.thot.net/odsp4.html Don't forget to download, print up, and hand out copies of our ODA one-page election leaflet. You can now find it in a format that fits all the text on one side of one page! Go to: www.odacommittee.net/odabrochure.html For more information, check: www.odacommittee.net or contact the committee at 416-480-7686 (voice), 416-480-7012 (voice mail), e-mail: [email protected] or TTY: c/o Susan Main 416-964-0023 ext. 343. To obtain a reprint of the Toronto Star article, write: Helen Henderson, Life Section, Toronto Star, One Yonge St., Toronto, Ont. M5E 1E6, or e-mail: [email protected]. |
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