Premier funds her friends’ $20 M centre, while families, kids denied autism services
The provincial government today announced a $20 million government grant to help cover construction costs for a proposed private facilty in East Vancouver that will house autism service providers.
Today's announcement confirms a personal commitment that former Premier Gordon Campbell made in a private meeting with hotelier Sergia Cocchia shortly before the February 2008 Throne Speech, following private lobbying by the Cocchia/Lisogar family, who have a child with autism and who are staunch political backers/donors to the Premier and her BC Liberal party. The Cocchias invited Christy Clark adviser Pamela Martin and wealthy BC Liberal political donors such as the Aquilini family to establish the Pacific Autism Family Centre (PAFC) Foundation to advance their project following Campbell's 2008 commitment. Provincially-funded autism service agencies were recruited to help rally support for the proposed centre, with promises of new offices, elaborate facilities and expanded influence in overseeing provincial autism services.
The provincial government has never publicly consulted families on the proposed centre, undertaken any needs assessment or requested competing bids or proposals for the $20 million grant. The Province has already provided several million dollars to finance PAFC's project development costs and to help the foundation conduct its own provincial "consultations" in an effort to rally community support -- at a time when provincial funding for autism services has been cut and urgent autism support needs continue to outstrip budgets.
When the proposal was first announced in 2008, MOMS undertook a Web survey that showed most families would rather see new Provincial dollars go to boosting services, not constructing a new building. PAFC and Provincial authorities declined to respond.
In 2011, MOMS and other organizations, including the BC Association for Child Development and Rehabilitation and the BC Association for Community Living, challenged the proposed investment, citing the Province's failure to understake any needs assessment.
Critics also questioned investing scarce Provincial dollars in a Vancouver building that would be inaccessible for most families struggling to support individuals with autism in rural BC communities, where access to appropriate supports is often most difficult. Best practices in autism intervention also emphasize the delivery of services right in the individual's home, school or community wherever possible.
MOMS received threatening letters from provincial officials after leaking internal ministry documents citing advice from senior bureaucrats, who warned that PAFC's proposed business model would further erode operating resources for critical Provincial programs such as autism diagnosis and assessment.
The $20 million grant will not go towards any actual services or supports for individuals with autism or their families. The entire amount will go to construction costs.
Premier Christy Clark's "families first" policy seems to mean "buildings first" or "friends first." Why else would she invest in a building proposed by her political friends when her government continues to deny or reduce program funding for services and supports to children, youth and adults with autism and their families around the Province, including:
- Infants and children denied autism assessment and diagnostic services, with lengthy waitlists due to rationed BC Health ministry funding.
- Preschoolers with autism denied intensive early intervention, after the Ministry for Children & Families eliminated intensive early intervention (EIBI) programs in 2008.
- Chilren and youth with autism shut out of community daycare and afterschool programs due to rationed Provincial funding for specialized supports, without which daycare operators won't accept children with special needs.
- BC students with autism denied access to public school and/or special education supports critical to academic progress, due to a decade-long erosion of provincial Education funding for special education.
- BC youths with autism denied post-secondary education and training opportunities, career planning and employment supports due to inadequate Provincial program funding and supports.
- Adults with autism denied residential and living supports due to the ongoing CLBC funding crisis.
- Many youths and adults with autism being denied adult supports due to IQ eligibility criteria that ignore key functional challenges for people with autism.
- Families supporting high-needs individuals with autism denied critical respite and family supports, as CLBC and MCFD budgets continue to lag the rapidly-growing incidence rates of autism.
MOMS has repeatedly urged Premier Clark's government to invest in critical front-line services and support programs, not a bricks & mortar project that will do nothing to mitigate the severely-strained support structure that's causing so many individual and family crises in BC.
Today's announcement is a profound waste of scarce tax dollars and a shameful betrayal at a time when Premier Christy Clark and her government continue to turn their backs on BC families and individuals with who are struggling to cope with the challenges of autism.
Dawn & Cyndi, MOMS
Background reading on the $20 million autism funding announcement
- Province, city announce support for autism centre
- Autism groups debate investment in a provincial autism centre
- MOMS restores links to leaked ministry document challenging claims about PAFC plan benefits
Premier vows Autism Centre will ‘hugely improve’ services; Minister disagrees?
Confronted by media questions about her plans to invest $20 million in provincial funding in a costly building instead of addressing gaps in autism services, Premier Christy Clark initially appeared stumped. But in a quick recovery, she assured investigative reporter Sean Holman that the centre was being designed to create a "huge improvement" in autism services:
(Video from Holman's Public Eye Online)
No word yet on exactly how the proposed $34 million East Van facility, with its I-pad equipped waiting rooms, "subtle" paint colours, North Shore views and rooftop gardens will help families in Chilliwack or Cranbrook who've been told there's no money for respite, zero funding/ support for kids once they turn 19, no money for aides in school, and only $6,000 a year for therapy that costs $50,0000.
But we're dying to hear PAFC and the "comunity leaders" helping to plan the building concept explain on Premier Clark's behalf exactly how they think that's going to work.
The Premier's promise also appears to conflict with statements by her Children's Minister, Mary McNeil. Last month, McNeil told MOMS the $20 million will go towards capital building costs, and that her government is counting on PAFC to fundraise privately to cover the costs of any promised improvements to autism service programs.
Meanwhile, Public Eye also quoted Housing Minister Rich Coleman, whose ministry is putting up the funding for the centre via BC Housing's budget for affordable housing. Under questioning from Opposition Critic Nicholas Simons in the BC Legislature, Coleman assured British Columbians that he was confident this was the right thing to do because his sister in Ontario was an expert on autism:
Read the full post on Public Eye .
Autism groups debate Province’s $20M investment in a provincial autism centre
A major debate is underway among BC autism groups and organizations over the Province’s plans to invest $20 million to help construct a new building in Vancouver to house a proposed provincial autism centre (Pacific Autism Family Centre or PAFC).
Last week, we circulated a position paper from BCACDI, which represents agencies and providers for early intervention services across BC, urging the Province to undertake a needs assessment to determine the best way to allocate available Provincial dollars -- a suggestion that has attracted significant comment. We've been urged to share the various perspectives via our networks to test the community pulse, so please share this link!
B ACKGROUND: When the proposal was made public in 2008, a poll of over 500 families in MOMS & other autism networks indicated:
- Strong preference that the promised provincial investment address program/service gaps vs. to construct a new building;
- Process concerns (no public consultation, needs assessment and/or competitive bidding);
- Strong concern that investing in a physical Vancouver centre was not conducive to supporting home- and community-based services, especially for rural communities
- Some felt that new investments should address gaps for other special needs as well.
After we shared this feedback with govt and PAFC’s principals, we were excluded from further community discussions as project development got underway.
In 2010, we received internal Govt documents about PAFC. After extensive further research & advice, we issued a statement noting information given to families during PAFC’s provincial consultations was not consistent with plans that government was discussing internally. Of particular concern were plans to use existing autism program budgets to subsidize PAFC’s operating costs. Ministry officials warned this would reduce access & effectiveness & increase waitlists for diagnosis, for example.
Province, city announce site for provincial autism centre – families’ voices ignored
Outgoing Premier Gordon Campbell made his final public appearance today, with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Children's Minister Mary Polak and Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, to announce ( CORRECTION: Contrary to the announcement, we're told it's actually a property bordering ) Sunny Hill as the site of the proposed new Pacific Autism Family Centre (PAFC). The project is the long-time dream of Campbell's close friends and political funders, hoteliers Wendy and Sergia Cocchia, who along with the Aquilini family and others were charged with establishing a foundation to advance the project after Campbell's 2008 promise of $20 million in capital funding to help build a provincial residential school/centre of excellence.
No needs assessment
The Premier's commitment was made with no public consultation with families or professionals, no needs assessment, no competitive bidding and no public policy rationale offered by any provincial ministry. The promised provincial funding applies to construction costs only. Proponents have cited a long list of possible improvements to services in promoting the project. What they have not mentioned is that there is no funding to any of those things. Any of the centre's activities would have to be funded privately or by diverting funds from existing programs. The foundation promises to raise $14 million with the help of major supporters like the Canucks and other sports teams to help cover construction costs, but the total raised so far was not revealed.
The Province has to date never consulted with families or professionals, instead advising stakeholders to work with the PAFC proponents, whom the Province has charged with developing plans for the new centre. The strategic plan for PAFC would see the centre taking over responsibility for all autism services currently managed by the Ministries of Children, Health, Education and CLBC.
MOMS Open Letter: Questions re service plans for children with special needs
The following is an open letter that MOMS sent today to the Premier and Ministers Coleman and Polak, with copies distributed widely. We encourage families and other stakeholders to share their own views on this issue directly with the Ministers responsible and their MLAs:
MOMS Open Letter: Important questions re service plans for children with autism and other disabilities in BC
October 7, 2010
MOMS has recently been asked to circulate notices from provincial gov't officials and a private consulting firm about consultations (focus groups, advisory bodies and an online survey) to guide the development of the Pacific Autism Family Centre (PAFC), described by its proponents as a "community-driven" initiative to establish a "knowledge centre assessible to all British Columbians affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities ."
Having confirmed that these consultations are not being conducted under the auspices of MCFD or the provincial government, MOMS has advised MCFD that we would only support and participate in official Ministry consultations governed by provincial requirements for accountability, due process and transparency.
The purpose of PACF and how the Province plans to utilize it to change the way children with special needs and their families are served in BC are questions whose answers continue to be vague, contradictory and ever-shifting. MOMS now has important new details, based on internal government discussions which highlight disturbing contradictions. Below, we've attempted to sum up key issues in the hope of persuading the Provincial government to establish a more transparent context for evaluating and offering advice on this plan than has been the case to date.