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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 21 ,2 01 9 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. 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OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL If you read no further than its self-congratulatory press release, the Ontario government's plan for helping autistic children and their families looks like an enor- mous advance in a great humanitarian cause. Nearly three times as many children will receive funding for life-changing therapy than is now the case and within 18 months the horrendous wait lines for intervention will vanish, the government promises. What's not to like? It turns out there's a lot. If you go beyond the press release and inspect the plan's full details, you'll see it's filled with gaping holes. The biggest one is that in order to help more chil- dren, this government will actually reduce its assistance for others. To be sure, what this government is trying to achieve is laudable. A developmental disorder characterized by difficul- ties with communication and social interaction, autism presents a huge challenge for - and places enormous pressures on - thousands of Ontario families. While an estimated 40,000 children in Ontario have autism, only 8,400 currently receive services while 23,000 are languishing on the wait list for behavioural therapies. At least 2,400 children are waiting simply for a diagnosis. Those numbers are scandalous. The status quo is unacceptable in the kind of compassionate society Onta- rio claims to be. At the very least, Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod deserves high marks for tackling this embarrassment. MacLeod's solution is to provide the funding for ther- apy directly to parents and let them choose how the money's spent. Her hope is that this will clear the enor- mous backlog of autistic children awaiting help. Consid- ering that early therapy can be hugely beneficial and even save money down the road if that timely interven- tion reduces the need for future assistance, there's wis- dom in her approach. Where the plan rightly starts raising alarms is its budget for therapy. It isn't budging. It stands at $325 million this year and that's exactly where it will remain. This means the government intends to distribute the same amount of money for therapy programs to a sub- stantially larger group of people. The same-sized pie will be sliced into more, smaller pieces. Moreover, by shift- ing the focus to early intervention for young children, this government is to a degree providing support on the basis of age, not need. Young children on the low end of the autism spec- trum will receive as much government assistance as older children with far greater needs; perhaps even more. No wonder many parents of autistic children have denounced the PC plan. We concede the government faces the formidable task of improving services while eliminating the provincial deficit and not raising taxes. Where does the public expect them to find even more money for autistic therapy? That said, this government has come up with a deep- ly-flawed solution to a very complex problem. It should heed its critics and overhaul its own overhaul of autism services. OVERHAUL OF ONTARIO'S AUTISM PLAN NEEDED Three ways you can beat the Winter Blues at Oak- ville Public Library 1. Soak up some 'sun- light' with our new light therapy lamps Starting Feb. 25, several OPL branches will be outfit- ted with light therapy lamps - designed to mimic natural, outdoor light, combat lack of energy and provide a good mood boost. Research- ers believe light therapy of this type can lessen the symptoms of seasonal affec- tive disorder (SAD), and contribute to improved mood in the cold, dark win- ter months. If you're feeling sluggish, grumpy or tired, pop by and soak up the light! The Lamps will be available at Central, Iroquois Ridge, Glen Abbey and Woodside branches. 2. Think ahead to spring at Seedy Sunday On Feb. 24, OPL hosts Seedy Sunday, a garden- ing-inspired expo complete with speakers and nature- themed story times. In part, this event is a celebra- tory launch of OPL's inno- vative Seed Library - a var- ied collection of seeds you can 'borrow,' for free, to di- versify your home garden. Seedy Sunday will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultur- al Centre from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All ages are wel- come and there is no ticket or registration required. 3. Keep kids busy in- doors with a loanable sto- rytelling kit With March break just around the corner and the possibility of more snowed- in days, it's always a good idea to have some indoor activities on-hand to keep kids busy. OPL's storytell- ing kits are equipped with games and puzzles, books, DVDs and other items all centred on a fun theme. The kits have everything you need to keep little ones entertained for hours and will help kids foster a pas- sion for reading and sto- ries. The kits are stored and available immediately at Central Branch, and are also available upon request for pickup at all other OPL branches. For more information on any of the resources or programs listed above, please visit www.opl.ca. This biweekly column is provided by the Oakville Public Library. GOT THE WINTER BLUES? VISIT THE LIBRARY THREE THINGS TO DO DURING COLD WEATHER, WRITES OPL OAKVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM