Dan Kellar (Dan Kellar)
Kitchener
Member since July 2009
Toronto Media Co-op
Local Independent News
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Liberals told we wont accept cuts to Special Diets
On Thursday Jan 13th members of the KW Spot Collective, in response to the letter sent to ODSP people which talks about the restructuring and slashing of the special diets program, payed local Liberal MPP John Malloy a visit to deliver to him a letter and state that cutting the Special Diets program is unacceptable. After reading the letter, members of the Spot Collective left him a copy and left his office with the understanding that this is the first step in a larger campaign to stop the attacks on the Special Diets program. The șetter reads as follows.....
Given the fact that access to healthy, fresh food is both a right and necessity for maintaining health, The Special Diets program is important to treat a wide variety of health struggles. If peoples ability to purchase healthy food is taken away by the government there is a real and immediate danger that they will die. Therefore we see the attacks of The Ontario Liberals attack on the Special Diets is an attack on poor peoples life and existence.
The So called review process of the Special Diets allowance began under false pretenses in the inaccurate statistics offered up by the governor generals report. The report claimed to include proof pf fraud and abuse , However the 80% of cases that were suspended were reinstated into the program. This was not included in the report. The report served as threat to physicians to warn them to reduce access to the program.
Given the fact that poor people already have lack of access to doctors and cultural barriers to have access to services like language, this intimidation of doctors further marginalizes poor peoples access to such programs.
We Feel that this is wrong and unjust and are opposed to this. We are here today to say that we reject these attacks and call on you to stop attacking poor people
Shortly before Christmas we were told that your government will shelf the plan to cut special diets, yet in the last few days people on ODSP have been receiving a letter stating that the special diets program will be revamped to exclude many people. The letter states that another letter in Feb will include details that are as of yet undecided. It is unacceptable that the government has decided to rush through such a serious process. This is unacceptable and we wont stand for this. If your government does not stop there attacks on poor people we will organize and oppose you.
About the poster
Dan Kellar (Dan Kellar)
Kitchener
Member since July 2009
418 words
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