Ont. disability advocate slams Liberal silence
The Ontario Liberals' record on makingthe provincemore accessible for people with disabilities is less than impressive, and they haven't indicated that things will change if they are re-elected, says the spokesman for a group that advocates for the disabled.
"They don't even mention in their platform the Disability Act," said David Lepofsky, of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, on Friday.
The Liberal platform, released Thursday, includes $14.7 billion in new spending.
Lepofsky said he is encouraged by the appointment ofDavid Onley, who uses a wheelchair, asthe province'snew lieutenant-governor. Onley was sworn in Wednesday.
However, the Liberals have failed to fully implement the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, passed with support from all legislative parties in 2005, Lepofsky said.
He added that as of Friday, the Liberals hadn't responded to the group's request for the party to state its position on accessibility for the upcoming election, even though both the Progressive Conservative and New Democratic partieshave committed to strengthening accessibility standards if elected.
Corrections
- Lt.-Gov. David Onley was not appointed by the provincial government, as was originally reported. In fact, lieutenants-governor are appointed by Canada's governor general.Sep 10, 2007 10:02 AM ET