People in Sudbury came together Thursday night for a town hall meeting focusing on changes to Ontario’s autism program.
The purpose of the gathering at Countryside Arena in Sudbury was to support local families who have been speaking out against the planned changes by the Ford government.
They say some of the challenges in our region include access to Francophone support and the distance between Northern hubs for services.
Critics of the changes say families need support, and the Ford government's modifications are not acceptable>
“ In Sudbury alone, there's 391 children in the autism program and essentially every single one of them will be touched in one way or another, whether it’s out of therapy or not enough funding and Sudbury only has enough professionals to service a quarter of them. So, even if Lisa McLeod wants to clear the wait list in Sudbury, that’s not going to happen. We don’t have enough professionals, “. Said Sean Staddon, the Town Hall Organizer
Sudbury MPP Jamie West also weighed in on the issue
“And, I think it was summarized well for me when i was at Queens Park. I was talking to a mother of an autistic child and she said, if the government thinks were going to go away because were tired, fighting for our child, when we're tired is what autistic parents do best, “ said West.
Organizers say the next step will be *protests* in P-C ridings across the region.
