Burnaby-Lougheed MLA Harry Bloy says the provincial government has never made cuts to Community Living B.C., a Crown agency that helps people with developmental disabilities.
Bloy's comments came following a protest outside his office last week. A small group of parents gathered to express their frustration over cuts to services for people with developmental disabilities, including a Douglas College work preparation program that had its funding cut just months into the year-long course.
"Everyone has a right to protest, but we've never made cuts to Community Living B.C.," said Bloy. "There have never been cuts. They've received more funding year after year, after year since 2005."
Bloy said Community Living B.C. apologized for the way funding was cut to the Douglas College program in New Westminster.
"They weren't aware that they cut it off half-way through the year. They are in the process or have talked to the students and the parents, and they are setting up a meeting to review the program, and it's been extended for the next year," Bloy said.
Faith Bodnar, executive director of the B.C. Association for Community Living, disagreed with Bloy's assertion.
"When they say there has been no cuts, I think it's a bit of double speak. If you don't have sufficient increases in budget every year to cover at least the average cost of newly eligible people, it in effect becomes a budget cut," she said. "Their operating budget for funding of services, they have not had an increase in at least the last two fiscal years. . But they are continuing to serve more people, so how do you serve more people when you don't have any real dollars to do it with? You cut services to those who have some. So that's what they've been doing. . That's not sustainable and it's caused instability in the sector, people are feeling under attack and extremely vulnerable."
Some of those cut services include reduced hours of help for people with developmental disabilities, or reduced levels of support, and some people have been moved from specialized group homes to private homes.
As for the Douglas College program, Bodnar said the students' families should have been consulted before Community Living B.C. made the funding cuts.
"You don't cut the program and consult with the people after the fact," she said.
According to Bodnar, Community Living B.C has a budget of about $800 mil-lion each year for services, and the agency needs an estimated $30 million extra annually to meet rising demand.
Until recently, Bloy was minister of social development, which covers services for people with developmental disabilities. On Monday, Premier Christy Clark shuffled her cabinet, and Bloy is now minister of multiculturalism.
