Parents opposed to changes to autism services recently announced by the provincial government are planning a rally starting at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15 outside of Sudbury MPP Jamie West's office.
Last week, the province announced it was revamping autism services to get rid of the waiting list by giving money directly to parents.
Families will be given up to $20,000 a year to a limit of $140,000 for children who begin treatment before the age of six. Children aged six to 18 will receive up to $5,000 a year.
A press release put out by the organizers of the protest say these funds won't come close to covering the costs of autism therapy.
“Families will need to take out loans, use their savings or work extra to bridge the gap,” said the press release.
“If they’re lucky. Or their child will not receive enough therapy to provide results. So while the promise of eradicating the waitlist and providing families with money sounds great - it’s really just putting them into another struggle.”
West's office is located at 555 Barrydowne Rd. For more information about the protest, people are asked to contact organizer Sean Staddon at [email protected] or 705-662-0842.
