Northern Ont. public school holds flag raising ceremony on World Autism Awareness Day
On World Autism Awareness Day, a flag-raising ceremony with Mayor Michelle Boileau at Golden Avenue Public School in South Porcupine is meant to demonstrate to the community that it is a place to thrive.
Golden Avenue Public School hopes its annual community walk will encourage the general public to become more welcoming to anyone who is autistic. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)
“I think it's really about moving beyond awareness and approaching acceptance,” said Andrew Wray, a teacher at Golden Avenue Public School.
“So it's great to see all these people out here today and supporting our school and our students,” he said.
The Ontario Autism Coalition said approximately 1 in 50 Canadian youth are autistic and Golden Avenue Public School has six high support autism classes, supporting 40 students.
“We have an inclusive model where we have students who are in and out of the mainstream classroom, but also have support from a homeroom classroom,” said Wray.
“Our students have the opportunity to show their strengths academically, socially and then also are supported in the areas of need in their homeroom classrooms.”
One of the students told CTV News that she loves creating art among other subjects.
“My favourite activity is playing like reading a book,” said student Leah Tiffeault.
According to the Ontario Autism Coalition, there are 50,000 children in the province waiting for core services including speech and occupational therapy; and behavioural analysis.
“You know, when this government took over in 2018, the waitlist was only 23,005 and now it's 50,000 kids,” said Bruce McIntosh director and founding president of Ontario Autism Coalition.
“You know, they've more than doubled it just by being slow and underfunding it... Sooner or later, they're just going to have to recognize that they've got to do better.”
McIntosh said even with and 18 per cent increase in funding in the 2024 provincial budget, it’s not enough.
He said the Ontario Autism Coalition will be holding as many meetings as possible with politicians, including a lobbying day at Queen’s Park on April 24.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Pastrnak scores winner, Bruins down Leafs 2-1 in overtime in Game 7
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
A driver dies after crashing into a security barrier around the White House complex, authorities say
A driver died after a vehicle crashed into an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, and the incident late Saturday was being investigated as a traffic crash, police said. U.S. President Joe Biden was spending the weekend in Delaware, and the Secret Service said there was no threat to the White House.
Warren Buffett says AI may be better for scammers than society. And he's seen how
Warren Buffett cautioned the tens of thousands of shareholders who packed an arena for his annual meeting that artificial intelligence scams could become "the growth industry of all time."