The Progressive Conservative government should immediately halt its ill-conceived restructuring of persons with development disabilities (PDD) funding, re-engage with Albertans before cutting community access supports, and present a detailed plan on proposed changes to service provides, clients and families, says Wildrose human services critic Jeff Wilson.
To date, the government has not conducted a detailed evaluation of the effect that cutting the community access supports will have on PDD clients and families, nor has it conducted a thorough consultation with PDD providers.
“The PC government is putting the cart before the horse. Consulting with PDD clients and families should be step 1,” Wilson said. “The government should present a detailed plan with clear timelines to providers, clients and Albertans on what they intend to do and how they intend to do it. These cuts to the front lines of PDD funding are just another broken promise.”
As has been pointed out in the media and has been raised by Wilson in the legislature during Question Period, a 2010 report that has been ignored by the government pointed to a massive bureaucratic overburden as a potential source of budgetary savings.
“There is ample room to find savings from the inefficient bureaucratic structure this government created, and they should have started three years ago,” Wilson said. “Instead, they are targeting service providers, PDD clients and their families to make up for this government’s mismanagement and incompetence.”