[OPIRG-EVENTS] COALITION STOP HOME CARE CUTS GOES TO CITY COUNCIL, Aug. 28 2002,1:30 pm

["C.Ailes" <cailes1@yahoo.com>]

August 23, 2002
                  FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
                   
                  P R E S S      R E L E A S E
                   
COALITION STOP HOME CARE CUTS GOES TO CITY COUNCIL
                  Ottawa City Hall, lll Lisgar Street,

                  City Council Meeting
                  Wednesday, August 28, 1:30 p.m. 
                  (Andrew Haydon Hall) Main Floor
                   
                  For More Information call:  Sue
Clark (613)721-l833  OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: 
                  http://stophomecarecuts.tripod.com/
                   
                  Our Coalition to Stop Home Care Cuts
is going tothe Ottawa City Council Meeting at City
Hall on Wednesday, August 28 at l:30 p.m. at the
Andrew Haydon Hall (Main Floor). The reason for our
attending the city council meeting is that we have
sent the Mayor and  the city coucillors a letter
stating that we would like them to sponsor our
September trip to Toronto to see Premier Ernie Eves. 
Some of our coalition members who are persons with
disabilities will be making the one day trip to
Toronto.  We will be demanding that Premier Ernier
Eves reinstate funding to home care immediately. Our
health, hygiene, dignity and independent living depend
on getting our home care back.  No one should have to
live this way.  
 It is not fair that the Tory government had made the
home care cuts to the most vulnerable people in
society.  
      On April 5, 2002, 5,900 people had their home
care cut by the Ottawa Community Care Access Centre
(CCAC).  The home care they had been provided with
were houskeeping services which consisted of:
shopping, meal preparation, vacuuming, laundry,
washing floors, cleaning tub/washroom,
ironing/mending, and cleaning fridge/stove.  Either
because of disabilities, illness or an operation,
these people could not do their housekeeping chores
for themselves and could not afford to pay for them as
well.  CCAC changed the criteria on April 5th, and now
only personal care is given to people which is: 
things like assistance to bathe, speech therapy,
occupational therapy, physiotherapy and a social
worker for a crisis. 
                   At the June 20th meeting of the
Health, Recreation and Social Services Meeting at City
Hall which had the home care cuts on the agenda,
Graham Bird, the chair of the Ottawa Community Care
Access Centre never showed up and then told the media
earlier in the day that he was opposed to the Cit
increasing the Home Help budget to make it available
to the poorest seniors and disabled residents. 
                  There are presently 400 people on
the waiting list for the Home Help program at the City
of Ottawa. At this meeting, it was moved by Councillor
Alex Cullen "that the Mayor of Ottawa lead the City's
delegation to Toronto, accompanied by appropriate City
staff, service providers and home care clients".  The
Mayor has not gone to Toronto to lead this delegation.
On the same day our Coalition will be having a
peaceful protest at the Ministry of Health, 75 Albert
Street, Ottawa from l0:30 a.m. to l2 noon.  Bring a
lunch if you plan support our protest as we will be
going to City Hall after our lunch for the l:30 p.m.
City Council Meeting at theOttawa City Hall, lll
Lisgar Street, at the Andy Haydon Hall (Main Floor)
                   


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