Ontario Closes Institutions For People With A Developmental Disability

    McGuinty Government Ends The Era Of Institutionalization

    TORONTO, March 31 /CNW/ -

    NEWS

    Ontario's last three institutions for people with a developmental
disability are closing their doors today.
    By closing Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia
(http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903311a), Rideau
Regional Centre in Smiths Falls
(http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903312a) and
Southwestern Regional Centre in Chatham-Kent
(http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/video/0903313a), the
government has fulfilled its commitment to end the era of institutional living
for people with a developmental disability.
    Since 2004, nearly 1,000 people with a developmental disability have
moved from these last three institutions into Ontario communities. For every
resident who moved into the community, the Ontario government has:

    -   actively involved family members or advocates
    -   moved residents close to their families and friends wherever possible
    -   balanced residents' wishes with available resources and the
        community's ability to support them, and
    -   ensured services and supports were in place before they moved.

    Thanks to the cooperation of communities, agencies, staff and families,
many people with a developmental disability are exploring new opportunities,
gaining new skills and living closer to loved ones.

    QUOTES

    "As we close the doors to institutions, we also close the doors to the
segregation, seclusion and stereotyping of Ontarians with a developmental
disability."
    - Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services
    "Many people with an intellectual disability now have a better quality of
life because they are active members of their communities and are more
connected with friends and family."
    - Dianne Garrels-Munro, president of Community Living Ontario

    QUICK FACTS

    -   Since 2004, Ontario has invested $276 million to move nearly 1,000
        people into new homes and strengthen community services and supports.
    -   Ontario's new legislation - The Services and Supports to Promote the
        Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act -
        (www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/resources/legislation/ds_leg_08.htm)
        passed in September 2008, paving the way for a modern, fair and
        financially sustainable developmental services system.
    -   Ontario's developmental services system helps more than 40,000 people
        with a $1.5-billion budget each year.

    LEARN MORE

    Find out how Craig
    (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/ministry/stories/Craig) and
    Lorianne
    (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/ministry/stories/Lorianne) - two
    former residents of Ontario's institutions - are doing in their new
    community homes.

    Read about Ontario's new developmental services legislation
    (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=9b203ceb5099f96).

    Go to the media room (http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/mediaroom/)
    to find products designed for the media.

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    BACKGROUNDER
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       Closing institutions for people with a developmental disability

    BRIEF HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES

    Ontario has been serving people with a developmental disability since the
late 1800s. Huronia Regional Centre, Ontario's first institution, opened in
1876. There, overlooking the waters of Lake Simcoe, people with a
developmental disability were treated as patients in need of tranquility and
medical care.
    Doctors counselled parents to send their children to institutions like
Orillia's, so they could be sheltered from the stresses of everyday life and
the judgement of society. By the 1960s, the government operated 16 of these
institutions in rural settings across the province.
    With time, however, attitudes started to change. Society began to see
that people with a developmental disability didn't need to be secluded in an
institution. They needed to be included in a community. In 1987, the Ontario
government committed to closing institutions for people with a developmental
disability by 2012.

    CLOSURE PROCESS

    In 2003, the Ontario government committed to closing Ontario's last three
institutions by 2009 - three years ahead of schedule. The government invested
$276 million to help move nearly 1,000 people into new homes and strengthen
community services and supports.
    The average age of the residents at Huronia Regional Centre, Rideau
Regional Centre and Southwestern Regional Centre was 51, and most had lived in
institutions for about 39 years. The government worked closely with residents,
families and agencies to find homes with the supports people needed to live in
the community.
    Through the hard work of communities, agencies, staff and families, many
people from these three institutions have re-established relationships with
loved ones, explored opportunities in their new communities, and enjoyed
experiences that were simply not possible in an institution.

    MODERNIZING DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES

    With the right supports, people with a developmental disability can make
their own choices and live independently in the community.
    So when Ontario announced in 2004 that it would close the province's last
three institutions, work began on a long-term plan to modernize developmental
services. Ontario's goal is a modern, fair and financially sustainable system
of supports that will help people participate more fully in their new
communities.
    The government's long-term plan includes a new law that reflects how
people live today - in communities, not institutions. In the fall of 2008,
Ontario's new developmental services legislation passed: The Services and
Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental
Disabilities Act. This new legislation will mean:

    -   better service - so that people can get services more easily
    -   more choice - so that people and families can get supports that fit
        their changing needs, and
    -   fairness - so that everyone will be treated fairly across Ontario.

    ONTARIO'S LAST THREE INSTITUTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH A DEVELOPMENTAL
    DISABILITY

    Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia ()
    -   Opened in 1876
    -   Originally called the Orillia Asylum for Idiots. It was renamed the
        Ontario Hospital School.
    -   Resident population in 1971: 1,875

    Rideau Regional Centre in Smiths Falls
    -   Opened in 1951
    -   Originally named the Ontario Hospital School, Smiths Falls
    -   Resident population in 1971: 2,070

    Southwestern Regional Centre in Chatham-Kent
    -   Opened in 1961
    -   Originally named the Ontario Hospital School for Retarded Children at
        Cedar Springs
    -   Resident population in 1971: 937

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For further information: Kevin Cooke, Minister's Office, (416) 325-5219;
Sandy Mangat, Communications Branch, (416) 212-3262