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3 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 27,2020 theifp.ca 49A Mountainview Rd N,Georgetown (just south of Armstrong) 905-877-6508 We Have....Children's Items & Collectables Closed Mon. & Tues. shop For Treasures Today! • Antiques • Clothing • Furniture • Household Items & More drop Your Recyclables Today! • Metal • Glass • Pop Cans & Tabs • Home & Office items • Shredded Paper Toys, Puzzles & Games Wooden Toy Chests Hand Crafted & Games ~ 1 Halton Hills Drive, Halton Hills, L7G 5G2 | 905-873-2600 | 1-877-712-2205 | haltonhills.ca The Town of Halton Hills wants your input! The Town of Halton Hills is developing a Privately-Owned Tree Management Strategy and we want your input. Join us for an open house/workshop on Tuesday, March 3 at Halton Hills Town Hall To register, email jennifers@haltonhills.ca Complete the survey on letstalkhaltonhills.ca by March 16 For more than 900 days, Stacy Kennedy's nine-year- old son has sat on the Onta- rio autism wait list, await- ing his turn for crucial therapies. "I've never waited two and a half years to access health care in this prov- ince. Have you?" asked the Oakville mother amid tears as she addressed re- gional councillors on the topic. "The message is loud and clear -- our families do not matter. They (the pro- vincial government) know we are in crisis, and they do nothing." With stories like this in mind, Halton council unanimously passed a mo- tion at its most recent meeting, calling on the province to take immediate action and fulfil its prom- ise of creating a needs- based, sustainable Ontario Autism Program as soon as possible. The Ford government is overhauling the current system, but implementa- tion of the new plan was re- cently delayed from this spring to April 2021. Todd Smith, minister of chil- dren, community and so- cial services, has previous- ly said his ministry is tak- ing the time to ensure it gets the plan right. The resolution from Oakville Mayor Rob Bur- ton and Councillor Cathy Duddeck says that over 24,000 children with autism are currently on waiting lists to receive treatment, "putting excessive pres- sure on parents and educa- tors." "It is not a time for par- ents to be patient and wait for solutions, but for the Ontario government to act swiftly to put the health and well-being of its citi- zens first," asserts the mo- tion. In addressing his re- gional colleagues, the head of Oakville council didn't mince his words. He said he thinks the Ford govern- ment is being "unrespon- sive, unaccountable and evasive" in the way it's han- dling the autism portfolio. "This is not Conserva- tism -- this is cruelty," he contended. The sentiment is echoed by other parents in Halton whose children are lan- guishing on wait lists, like Melanie Fox, a Halton Hills mother and advocate with Project Autism Milton. Since being diagnosed with autism several years ago, Connor -- Fox's 15- year-old son -- has only re- ceived eight weeks of ap- plied behavioural analysis, a therapy that's custom- ized to improve certain be- haviours and develop learning skills. "It was fantastic, but it wasn't long enough," she said. "My family is in crisis. The needs-based services have to be put in place now because everybody is still in crisis." The local mother, along with autism parents across Ontario, has received an application from the prov- ince for one-time funding designed to tide families over until the govern- ment's new autism plan is introduced next year. But both Kennedy and Fox say the $5,000 being of- fered for children aged five to 17 is not nearly enough to make a difference. Inten- sive autism therapy can cost up to $80,000 per year, advocates say. "We don't want a cheque or cash. We want access to COUNCIL 'WE ARE IN CRISIS' PARENTS, COUNCIL PUSH PROVINCE TO FAST-TRACK AUTISM PROGRAM Oakville autism advocate Stacy Kennedy holds a photo of nine-year-old son Sam at Queen's Park. She's pushing for action on the Ontario Autism Program. Stacy Kennedy photo See NEEDS-BASED, page 4 MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com