Creating a Underclass of Persons who are Disabled

Last week, the Canadian government announced that along with a lump sum payment to thalidomide survivors, most of those individuals will now also be getting, depending upon their needs, an annual pension of $25,000 to $100,000 (CBC). On the assumption that the Canadian government is liable as it did not ban that medication as soon as it was known that it could cause damage to the fetus, it is well past time that they compensate the victims. While I might be inclined to argue that $100,00 a year is a bit high, I am not going to disagree with what the committee determined.

What I find interesting is that someone within the federal government has decided that individuals who have a complex disability require anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 a year to live. A new standard has been set as to what is a reasonable income for individuals who have a disability. This new standard is in stark contrast to what other individuals with disabilities get in Ontario. At present the maximum amount a single person receives from the provincial government is $13,176 (ODSP). To be clear - a thalidomide survivor with low needs will get $25,000 annually which is almost twice as much per year as an individual receiving disability benefits for the government of Ontario.  

I m not suggesting that that thalidomide survivors are getting too much, but rather that perhaps it is time that we recognize that what various ministries of social services give out across the country is far too little. The present rates of ODSP (and the attitude that shapes its policies and implementation) condemn individuals with a disability to live in poverty all of their adult lives. Perhaps it is time that the various governments that are responsible for providing financial assistance to individuals in the community look at the federal calculations and adjust their rates upwards.

If they don't, then we will have created a two tiered systems where some individuals with a disability have the potential for a government funded, significantly better quality of life than others.

The federal government's decision also raises another issue. When can governments be held accountable for their decisions? How do they "pick" which groups they will be fair to? Other possible lawsuits include the Aamjiwnaang First Nation who live near Sarnia, Ontario. They have for years been experiencing a range of health problems that are, in all likelihood  related to the fact that numerous chemical plants have been allowed to be built near their community(The Star). In Sidney, Nova Scotia, before the Tar Ponds were cleaned up - the area had the reputation of having more cancer per capita than anywhere else in Canada (CTV). Is a government responsible for allowing companies to dump 700,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals?

There are hundreds of other examples (Grassy Narrows is perhaps the worst of them) of where people have become ill, have become disabled because of government inaction. We as a society and as a community need to start talking about not only how to ensure that corporations are prevented creating these disaster areas, but as well how we can assist those who have been affected by them.