CALGARY – Local Calgarian Lorraine has been getting help with basic life skills at the VRRI for close to four decades, but now there’s a chance that she and other disabled persons like her will no longer get the service they need.
The Province has asked disabilities agencies to cut back, which will have a direct impact on the people they help. Agencies in Calgary have been asked to give back three million dollars from this year’s budget, which dates back to April. Service to disabled clients would be affected as well as staffing.
“How can we be nine months into the year and suddenly be told there’s not enough money to complete the year? And how come the most vulnerable citizens are being asked to offset provincial deficits?” says Leslie Tamagi, CEO from the Vocational and Rehabilitiation Research Institute.
But in the true spirit of Christmas, the difficulty of the cuts has some turning their anger into creativity. A bake sale has been organized, but the goodies aren't going cheap. Cookies are being sold around the $5000 mark, and cupcakes are a cool $10,000.
The bake sale organizers say it’s their ridiculous way of showing how ridiculous the Province is being.
“It’s our chance right now to say you can’t make cuts this year, and you can’t make them next year. These are core services. They are critical; they are important” says Ryan Geake, Executive Director of Calgary Scope.
At this point, the Province has only asked the agencies to voluntarily make cutbacks. The groups Global News spoke to say trimming is impossible, and may play to wait and see what they might eventually be forced into.
The bake sale is being held this Friday between 12:00pm and 1:00pm at the Radisson Heights Community Centre in the southwest.
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