04) LESS THAN PROMISED FROM CLBC REVIEW

By Kimball Cariou

     Last August, British Columbia's Liberal government secretly initiated an internal review of Community Living BC. Now available (only on request!), the 139-page Queenswood Consulting report is being used by Premier Christy Clark as a prop to announce minor tinkering with CLBC, which provides services to developmentally disabled adults. As often happens, the mainstream media has accepted the Premier's claim that the government is boosting CLBC funding by $40 million, rather than the actual figure of $9 million.

     Fortunately, the Queenswood report has been analysed by Dawn Steele of Moms on the Move, a grassroots group which advocates for the disabled and their families. (See http://momsnetwork.ca)

     One example is the statement that "a more cost-effective model" of service delivery would be made possible by switching from the Ministry of Children and Families to CLBC, with options like "individualized funding, increased role of families, and an increased use of generic and community services."

     As Steele points out, "contrarian" groups warned that the "grand promises and visions" announced by the Liberals were a smokescreen for cuts to funding. This is proven in figures contained in the Queenswood report, particularly the impacts of a review of contracts following the switch to CLBC.

     Here is an excerpt: "As of August 2011, 696 reviews of staffed residential and community inclusion program contracts had been completed, with another 888 contract reviews still in process. The total amount of savings identified in completed reviews stood at $24.87M (on contracts with a total value of $145.45M)... (As a result) 64 homes have closed in staffed residential services, with 169 people moving into different residential arrangements. In community inclusion service contracts, 33 locations have closed. Where the existing service continued, 166 contracts had no reduction in funding, while 301 had funding reduced. Along with the 888 reviews still underway (estimated savings: $16.05 M on total contract values of $234.63M)... There is not yet an estimate of potential savings with respect to the 1,303 reviews still pending."

     In plain language, the province has slashed spending on the most disadvantaged adults in B.C. by at least $40 million, with over 1300 reviews still pending. These savings have been achieved by cutting supports for many individuals, and by closing 64 staffed residential group homes.

     Some pundits have quoted the Queenswood finding that waiting lists for services for the developmentally disabled are shorter than stated by advocates and community groups. But the actual demand is far higher than the report shows. Many families involved with CLBC have been told by staff that there is simply no point in trying to place relatives on lengthy waiting lists.

     The following quote illustrates this point: "Beginning in the summer of 2009, CLBC... increased efforts to manage and address unrealistic client and stakeholder expectations." In other words, don't bother asking for help which will never arrive.

     The government does aim to provide corporations with cheap labour. As the Queenswood report says, "...CLBC estimates (very roughly) that about 50% of its current clientele is employable, but have grown up in a system that assumes they will not work, and fails them by not teaching relevant skills and abilities.... CLBC is now exploring ways of promoting employment readiness and employment support services."

     Many developmentally disabled adults (those with IQs below 70, autism/Downs, serious health issues, and no verbal ability) would love to have proper training and a decent job. The reality is that 112,000 unemployed British Columbians are currently chasing just 26,400 vacant jobs, according to Statistics Canada (which also notes that the vacancies are largely in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction).

     The internal report echoes the government's view that "in the context of increasing demands and scarce resources, governments must address daunting financial restraints in a different manner."

     The message is clear: "Don't expect us to raise taxes on the rich and the corporations to improve social programs. Stop whining, get over to Burger King and work for minimum wage, or else just stay home and watch TV."

     So much for life in "The Best Place On Earth" - as the B.C. Liberals call British Columbia.

(The above article is from the February 15-29, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)