Alberta may be the economic engine of Canada, but it is not immune to the uncertain economic climate that is plaguing most of the developed world.
While special interest groups, lobbyists, and welfare state endorsers loathe the Redford budget that was brought down in March, pragmatists understand that fiscal prudence must rule the day, given the fact that Alberta is once again running multi-billion dollar deficits.
However, the government must be challenged on its blunt axe approach to funding cuts for persons with developmental disabilities. According to Marie Renaud, the Lo-Se-Ca (which stands for Love, Service, Care) manager in St. Albert, the Alberta Human Services department directed her to cut $600,000 from her budget by July 1. Perhaps $600,000 isn’t looked upon as a lot of money in the Redford government’s world – after all, senior health care executives make upwards of that amount, and when they’re fired, they get double that and then some in severance. But in Lo-Se-Ca’s world, $600,000 is a lot of money, and it’s not like Renaud, or any of the other folks working at Lo-Se-Ca, are getting rich on the backs of taxpayers like their brethren in Alberta Health Services.
Last weekend, the Gazette had a chance to challenge a handful of cabinet ministers on the haste and apparent visionless cuts to PDD funding. While Human Services Minister Dave Hancock was not present, Energy Minister Ken Hughes (who previously was chair of the Alberta Health Services super board) was, and he attempted to outline the government’s rationale. He said the Human Services Department needs to be streamlined because there’s money going to clients who don’t really need it and the government is, in effect, going to weed them out. These clients, he explained, are people with support systems in place. They have families and friends who look after them, both monetarily and emotionally, and they don’t require the funding that clients without this support need.
On the surface, Hughes’ explanation seems to make sense. However, when we take a moment to analyze his answer, we quickly come to the conclusion that it’s full of holes. There are no two people with developmental disabilities who are the same. Each person is unique, with unique needs and therefore requiring unique levels of care. And, each person’s personal support situation is unique. Some have families who do have the money to take care of them, but some of these same families may not be providing the emotional support and special care they need. So, given the innumerable amount of moving parts, how can the government possibly weed these people and situations out? The answer is as simple as Hughes’ explanation: a formula.
The formula is in a Support Intensity Scale®, also called an “assessment tool,” which is a product developed by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. It measures support needs in a number of areas, including home living, community living, lifelong learning, and employment. While this might be a useful guide, determining the fate of human beings by pigeonholing them into categories determined by some sort of rating scale is dangerous at best.
The Alberta government needs to slow down, put the axe aside, and contemplate PDD funding in a careful, compassionate manner. Rating scales are for movies and restaurants, not for people who are among the most vulnerable in our society.
