http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/author.Institution Watch News from www.institutionwatch.ca en 2010-09-08T22:42:44-07:00 hourly 1 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.67/title.lawsuit-by-former-huronia-residents-will-proceed A sweeping class-action lawsuit from developmentally disabled people alleging decades of abuse at an Ontario institution could include tens of thousands of people from across the country, the plaintiffs' lawyer said Wednesday. Read More >> News 2010-07-29 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.61/title.new-publication-of-the-cacl-pfc-task-force-on-deinstitutionalization-released The Right Way booklet is a guide for community and government leaders involved in planning the closure of institutions for persons with intellectual disabilities and the creation of supports to enable individuals to move from these institutions to their own homes in the community.   Beginning with background information about institutions, community living, public policy and human rights, The Right Way presents principles and key elements for planning the closure of an institution based on lessons learned in Canada and elsewhere over the past 30 years. Our title, The Right Way, has been carefully chosen — not to suggest a single, correct approach, but as a bold statement emphasizing that how an institution is closed is just as important as the imperative that all institutions must be closed.   This document was prepared by the People First of Canada (PFC) — Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) Joint Task Force on Deinstitutionalization.   To access this document, click Right Way Guide English or Right Way Guide French News 2010-07-27 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.66/title.all-experts-agree-that-community-based-living-the-way-forward HOW THEY DO IT ABROAD: MOST WEALTHY western countries have been closing down institutions for people with disabilities for the past 40 years. Read More>> News 2010-07-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.65/title.outdated-unsuitable-institutions More than 4,000 disabled Irish people live in homes that most developed countries would have shut long ago. In some, residents are still medicated to control their behaviour, writes Chief Reporter CARL O’BRIEN Read More>> News 2010-07-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.64/title.update-on-the-class-action-on-behalf-of-former-residents-of-huronia-regional-centre-continues The class action against the government on behalf of the many who were so badly treated at Huronia Regional Centre continues.  The current success of that case has created interest in starting similar cases about the Rideau Regional Centre and the Southwestern Regional Centre to represent the former residents of those institutions as is happening with the Huronia Regional Centre case.  By starting other actions about the similar abuses that occurred at other institutions, the province and the country will know that the government was wrong to have let these types of institutions operate. That is why People First of Ontario is asking for your help!  The lawyers are looking for people to come forward to start cases against Rideau Regional Centre and Southwestern Regional Centre. Do you, or does your group/organization know of any people who lived or worked at Rideau Regional Centre or Southwestern Regional Centre who might be interested in joining a court action? Please try to find as many people to make sure we have enough people to start these cases. There is strength in numbers! We strongly believe that institutions have been very very bad for people who have been labelled. This is one way that finally peoples' voices will be heard! Please help us build a case against Rideau Regional Centre and Southwestern Regional Centre! If you know of anyone or can make a list of people, you can send this information to People First of Ontario through the following people below, or you can contact the lawyers directly at: David Rosenfeld Koskie Minsky LLP Barristers & Solicitors 20 Queen Street West, Suite 900 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3R3 Tel: (416) 595-2700 Fax: (416) 204-2894 email: drosenfeld@kmlaw.ca website: www.kmlaw.ca OR contact: Peter Park: Lifetime Member, PFO and the representative to this case of behalf of PFO: peter.park@primus.ca Kory Earle: President, PFO koryearle@hotmail.com Doris Rajan: Advisor, PFO: d.rajan@rogers.com or call 416 409-7025 Emma Barken: Provincial Coordinator, PFO: emma.peoplefirstofontario@gmail.com News 2010-07-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.63/title.mackintosh-needs-to-set-us-free What kind of a community do we all want to live in? I believe that the incarceration of persons with disabilities is shameful. It has now been a year since Ontario closed its remaining three institutions for persons with intellectual disabilities and welcomed approximately 1,000 individuals back into the community. Newfoundland, New Brunswick and British Columbia have also closed all of their large facilities. However, in Manitoba roughly 500 of our citizens remain trapped behind institution walls. Why? Read More>> News 2010-07-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.62/title.on-citizenship-and-soda-pop-why-the-manitoba-developmental-centre-should-be-closed We read with dismay and disbelief the article "Friends of MDC group in the works" in The Daily Graphic on May 3. We were dismayed by the fact that within the same few weeks that our country is celebrating the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), a group in Manitoba wants to become friends with an institution and keep it open to house people with intellectual disabilities. Read More>> News 2010-07-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.60/title.update-on-huronia-regional-centre-class-action-process The Honourable Justice Cullity has decided that the claims of the two women who were sent to Huronia as small children met virtually all of the requirements for a class proceeding, especially for the years 1961 to 1979. The law team would now like to find people who were in Huronia before 1961 and after 1979 who experienced similar mistreatment. That way no one will be left out of the potential claims. The legal team would also welcome people placed in other institutions in Ontario to come forward and swear affidavits about their treatment. We know that when Huronia got too big and the province opened other institutions such as Rideau and the Mid-western Regional Centre that staff from Orillia were sent to those institutions and carried on the same abusive practices. People placed in these other institutions will not benefit directly from this lawsuit but this legal action sets the very important precedent and the legal team is prepared to now launch further actions if people come forward. It is our goal to ensure that no one is excluded from the benefits that this action seeks. The Judge also ruled that we must file an amended litigation plan to determine the process to follow to assist former residents, once a judgment is rendered. We know that it is a huge responsibility to make sure we support the rights of all of the very vulnerable class members in this case. The lawyers have such a plan ready to take to the Judge. A date will be set for these matters to be addressed in court. In all other respects, the Huronia case met the test for certification under the Class Proceedings Act, 1992.   Information can also be found at http://www.kmlaw.ca/Case-Central/Overview/Court-Documents/?rid=99   For legal assistance, please contact David Rosenfeld Koskie Minsky LLP Barristers & Solicitors 20 Queen Street West, Suite 900 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3R3 Tel: (416) 595-2700 Fax: (416) 204-2894 email: drosenfeld@kmlaw.ca website: www.kmlaw.ca   News 2010-04-29 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.59/title.european-union-funds-being-used-to-perpetuate-the-social-exclusion-of-people-with-disabilities-according-to-new-report  On 24 March 2010, the European Coalition for Community Living (ECCL) published a new report highlighting that European Union funding is being used in some EU Member States of Central and Eastern Europe to renovate, or build new, residential institutions for people with disabilities. This means that disabled people continue to be segregated from society and puts them at risk of serious human rights abuses.   ECCL's report points out that such use of EU funding (known as the Structural Funds) continues despite EU and Member States' policies that emphasise the need to protect the rights of disabled people and promote their social inclusion. Numerous reports over the last decade have brought to light the horrific reality of institutional care for many disabled adults and children in Central and Eastern Europe. They have shown the appalling living conditions; use of physical restraints, physical and sexual abuse of some residents by other residents and sometimes staff; inadequate clothing; involuntary placements subject to no independent review; the lack of privacy and the absence of rehabilitative or therapeutic activities.   The report, ‘Wasted Time, Wasted Money, Wasted Lives ... A Wasted Opportunity?’, argues that the practice of using Structural Funds to maintain the system of institutional care is contrary to EU policy objectives, EU law and European and international human rights standards.   Camilla Parker, the main author of the report, commented: ‘The continued institutionalisation of disabled people is not acceptable in the Europe of the 21st Century. Residents are often subjected to severe human rights violations and generally their quality of life is very poor. Investing in such long term residential institutions is therefore not a good use of public funds. Structural Funds should not be used to maintain this archaic system of institutional care.’   ECCL's report notes that Structural Funds have the potential to provide the resources and expertise to help Governments shift from the current system of institutional care to providing support to disabled people to live in their own homes and participate in community life. The report comments that failure to use Structural Funds to develop community-based alternatives to institutional care will be a wasted opportunity and an inefficient use of substantial amounts of money. Of more fundamental importance, those most in need for these changes to take place - the disabled adults and children placed in residential institutions - will be the ones to suffer. They will continue to be segregated, excluded from society; denied the opportunity to live their life as other citizens do.   In the report, ECCL outlines a number of recommendations addressed to Member States and the European Commission. These include the urgent review of the current use of Structural Funds in relation to services for disabled people, in particular the need to end investments in residential institutions. In addition, EU funded projects in this area must make explicit how they will support the implementation of EU social inclusion policies, the national strategies for social inclusion of people with disabilities and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.   The Report and the Executive Summary can be downloaded from the ECCL website www.community-living.info. Please reply to this e-mail if you would like to receive the Plain Text version.   News 2010-03-26 http://www.institutionwatch.ca/index/news-app/story.58/title.huronia-residents-seek-justice By TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN Joe Lambert says he tried to escape from Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia 114 times during a six-year period and is now standing up for justice in a Toronto courtroom. Read More >> News 2010-03-05