MPP - Guelph Wellington
Constituency Office
173 Woolwich Street
Guelph, Ontario N1H 3V4
Dear Ms. Sandals,
I am writing to you with regards to the recent announcement of the planned closure of the Huronia
Regional Centre in Orillia by March 31, 2009, of which I am certain you are familiar.
I understand the reason for this decision is that the government wishes to complete a movement
from institutional-based care for the developmentally disabled to a more community-based system,
believed to promote ‘… inclusion, independence and choice’.
This is a laudable goal of the government, however it is one that I believe is incomplete and
shortsighted. Many people who are developmentally disabled have been, and can be, assisted and
cared for successfully in community settings. This point is not disputed, and is the one espoused by
the Association for Community Living.
The unfortunate reality is that there are some developmentally disabled people whose medical,
physical, behavioural, and emotional needs are far too great to be successfully integrated into the
‘typical’ community setting.
I believe this is the case for the remaining residents at Huronia Regional Centre, including my
brother who has been a resident there for 35 years. He is severely autistic, non-verbal, has
behavioural problems and epilepsy. He could not be deemed capable to make his own choices in a
community setting, nor would be more independent in the community given the severity of his
disability. In fact, the setting that is least restrictive for him is what would be termed an ‘institutional’
type setting like Huronia Regional Centre. I suspect this is also the case for the other present
residents at Huronia.
Huronia Regional Centre is not what one thinks of as a typical institutional setting. Residents there
live in community-like apartments, with the far-ranging array of services and support available to
them that they require to meet their needs.
I would urge you and your government to reconsider this unfortunate and ill-planned decision,
consider all aspects of this decision, and become a leader in providing a range of support services
to the developmentally disabled. This would include a continuum of care and services from
community-based homes to what are more traditionally thought of as ‘institutions’ such as Huronia
Regional Centre. As part of that continuum of care and services for the developmentally disabled in
Ontario, Huronia Regional Centre should remain open to service these most severely disabled
individuals.
I look forward to your response, and your support on this issue.
Sincerely,
Heather MacDonald
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