Letter to the 3 Party Leaders
dd November 10, 2000

November 10, 2000

To: Premier Mike Harris
325-7578
Mr. Dalton McGuinty
325-9895
Mr. Howard Hampton
325-8222

Dear Sirs,

Re: Ontarians with Disabilities Act

I am writing on behalf of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act
Committee. We are a broad-based coalition of individuals and
community groups which has united to secure the prompt enactment
of a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act to
achieve a barrier-free Ontario for persons with disabilities.

In 1995, the Premier promised to enact an Ontarians with
Disabilities Act in his first term. The Ontario Legislature
unanimously passed a resolution on October 29, 1998 adopting 11
key principles that this legislation should include to achieve a
barrier-free Ontario for this province's 1.5 million people with
disabilities. On November 23, 1999, the Legislature unanimously
passed a resolution declaring that a strong and effective
Ontarians with Disabilities Act should be enacted no later than
November 23, 2001.

The government has said that it is now undertaking consultations
on what this bill should include. Any such activity has been
informal, closed, and by invitation only.

Most recently, a leaked draft secret Cabinet document suggested
that it had already been decided that the legislation which the
Government would bring forward would not be strong and effective
at achieving its goal of a barrier-free Ontario for people with
disabilities.

As a result of these events, we are arranging to come to Queen's
Park next Wednesday, November 15, 2000 to share with you our
support for the prompt enactment of a mandatory strong and
effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act. We wish to invite all
three of you to meet with us at 3:15 p.m in Committee Room 2,
so that we can share our views on this important subject. We have
already made our own arrangements for American Sign Language
interpreters and real time captioning.

We hope and trust that you will be able to be with us at this
important event. We have scheduled it to occur right after
Question Period, to make it easier for you. We would very much
appreciate if you could let us know by next Tuesday, November 14,
2000 at the above address whether you will be able to join us.
We hope you will be able to join us, especially because of the
possible imminence of this legislation.

Yours sincerely,

David Lepofsky, C.M.
Chair
Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee

cc: Helen Johns 325-6195
Norman Sterling 326-2913
Dwight Duncan 325-2201
Steve Peters 325-7262
Ernie Parsons 325-4757
David Christopherson 325-3189
Marilyn Churley 325-3252
Tony Martin 325-7111

 

 

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