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15 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M ay 26,2022 insidehalton.com 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 •www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLD WINNER 2021 www.shoppersdrugmart.ca 2501 Third Line905-465-3000 478 Dundas Street West905-257-9737NOW OPEN24 HRS EVERY DAY • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care• Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery• Free Nutrition Counselling • Vaccinations• Cholesterol, A1C, AFib and DNA Screening lw ys Here toelp You! DE RANGO PHARMACY INC. w T1052 3000905-465- • P• H • AlwaHelp Pharmacist -Fabio De Rango Drug Store/Pharmacy PLATINUM WINNER 2021 JOIN US FOR A PERSONALIZED TOUR AND DISCOVER THE DELMANOR DIFFERENCE. 1459 NOTTINGHILL GATE OAKVILLE 905-469-3232 DELMANOR.COM Leading up to the June 2 provincial election, Metro- land reached out to mem- bers of its Diversity and In- clusion Community Adviso- ry Committee, inviting them to write about an im- portant election issue. This column is part of this initia- tive. This spring, Ontarians are heading to the polls for the provincial election, yet many with disabilities and health-care needs are re- minded of shortcomings in care. Recently, CBC Market- place pointed to Denmark's second largest city, Arhus, a central region with a pop- ulation of 1.3 million, simi- lar to Peel Region's popula- tion. Arhus is proving that adequate access to essen- tial needs like assistive de- vices, medical supplies and attendant services helps people maintain indepen- dence and by extension, overall well-being. Meanwhile in Ontario, the focus in health care seems to be investing in larger hospitals and more long-term care beds rather than acknowledging that people seek to live and die in comfort of their own homes, surrounded by loved ones. While Denmark is ex- emplary for providing ade- quate care, there are Cana- dian provinces leading by example; Saskatchewan of- fers the SAIL program and provides ample support for independent living. Ontario remains off- track in meeting its Acces- sibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) commitment, costing peo- ple with disabilities oppor- tunities to successfully transition into the commu- nity and reach other im- portant goals like obtain- ing employment with ade- quate accommodation. This is a matter of life and death. CTV News re- cently reported that a woman with a disability is seeking medical assistance in dying as a result of being unable to secure affordable housing -- an alarming re- ality indeed for those with spinal cord injuries, who are not only faced with the burden of long wait-lists for accessible and afford- able housing, but whose suicide rates are higher. Elections provide an op- portunity to inform elec- toral candidates about key issues that impact vulnera- ble communities across Ontario at a time when they are eager to listen at- tentively to their prospec- tive constituents. There are four perti- nent solutions that will help those with disabilities lead more fulfilled and pro- ductive lives: 1) Access to mobility devices, 2) Access to medical supplies, 3) Ac- cess to attendant services, and 4) AODA compliance. We have spent the last year conducting an environ- mental scan of essential needs across Canada -- to learn more about our find- ings and the questions you can pose to candidates in your riding, visit yourmo- veontario.ca. Once the new Govern- ment of Ontario is formed, we must strive to hold them accountable on their pledges to create lasting change in the province in equity and inclusion. The Statistics Canada census data makes it clear that what Ontario, indeed Can- ada, needs for its political decision makers is long- term thinking. Peter Athanasopoulos is Director, Public Policy, Spinal Cord Injury Onta- rio. He is also a member of Metroland's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Com- mittee. HEALTH CARE NEEDS LONG-TERM THINKERS AT QUEEN'S PARK OPINION ONCE THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO IS FORMED, WE MUST STRIVE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE, SAYS PETER ATHANASOPOULOS PETER ATHANASOPOULOS Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM