OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 29, 2024 /CNW/ - By empowering local organizations to help break down barriers to accessibility, the Government of Canada is helping to ensure that more Canadians with disabilities can access the services and programs they need and fully participate in their communities.
Today, the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport, Anita Anand on behalf of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, Kamal Khera, visited the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides in Oakville, Ontario, where she announced $1,338,871 million in funding to support the development of a national dog guide training school.
The project, entitled National Dog Guide Training School, consists of building a new, fully accessible national dog guide training school with accessible parking, an accessible EV charging station, as well as traction elevators.
This funding is part of the Government of Canada's investment under the Enabling Accessibility Fund mid-sized projects component that aims to eliminate or reduce existing waitlists and increase access to programs and services for persons with disabilities.
The funding announced today also aligns with the Government's Disability Inclusion Action Plan and the goal of building a truly inclusive Canada, free of physical, societal, and attitudinal barriers.
Quotes
"For Canadians with disabilities, guide and assistance dogs provide essential services to Canadians of all ages. Training centres, like the one the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides is building with the help of the Enabling Accessibility Fund program, will change lives. For those who require support from guide or assistance dogs, this new centre will play a big role in helping them take part fully in everyday life and improve their independence."
– The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
"This $1.3 million federal investment will help expand the work of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. With more trained dogs, persons with disabilities, including our neighbors and friends here in Oakville, will be able to participate in the experiences of day-to-day life safely and freely."
– The Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport
"In the past 40 years, we have bred, raised, trained and matched more than 3,200 Dog Guides, and we are at the point where our current school is bursting at the seams. The new building will be a game-changer, allowing us to enhance our programs and serve more Canadians in need."
– Bev Crandell, CEO, LFCDG
"I'll never forget the first time I crossed a busy street of four lanes of traffic with my first Dog Guide – I was terrified, not being able to see! That's how limited I was. Now I go everywhere with my Dog Guide. It's night and day, truly. These dogs are highly trained and it's a significant investment of time and money, but I can tell you from my heart that they're worth every penny."
– Bev Berger, Canine Vision Client (CVC), Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides
Quick Facts
- The 2022 Canada Survey on Disability found that 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over—or about eight million persons—report as having at least one disability. In fact, the rate of disability in Canada has increased by five percentage points since 2017.
- The Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) is a federal grants and contributions program that supports construction, renovation and retrofit projects across Canada that improve the accessibility, safety, and inclusion of persons with disabilities in communities and the labour market. The EAF creates more opportunities for persons with disabilities to access employment and take part in community activities, programs, and services.
- Over 7,700 projects have been funded under the EAF since its launch in 2007, helping thousands of Canadians gain access to programs, services, and employment opportunities in their communities.
- Budget 2023 committed $10 million over two years, beginning in 2024-25, to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to support additional projects under the mid-sized projects component of the EAF, and to help address the unique needs and ongoing barriers faced by persons with disabilities in communities and workplaces across the country.
- Budget 2024 proposes key measures to support persons with disabilities including investments to: launch a new Canada Disability Benefit; expand the disability supports deduction; ensure access to essential drugs and medical devices; create a new Youth Mental Health Fund; and improve recruitment and assessment processes for persons with disabilities through the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities.
Associated Links
- Enabling Accessibility Fund
- Government of Canada seeks projects to help increase access for persons with disabilities
- Canada's Disability Inclusion Action Plan
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Waleed Saleem, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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