Latest news with #KeithMoore
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Grande Prairie disability advocates frustrated with province
Keith Moore, Inclusion Grande Prairie president, stops for a photo next to the empty reserved chairs for local MLAs during the disability town hall at the Pomeroy Hotel in Grande Prairie, Alta. on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Photo by Jesse Boily) Inclusion Grande Prairie held a town hall on Saturday to hear concerns regarding changes to the province's funding for people with disabilities. The two chairs reserved for local MLAs remained empty. 'It's so important to have a loud voice when speaking with this government because they have a tendency to ignore most of us,' said Keith Moore, Inclusion Grande Prairie president. Underfunding for disability programs, access to funds, upcoming AISH changes with the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program, and the province 'clawing back' the federal Canada Disability Benefit from individuals were among issues raised at the public event. The province is introducing the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) expected to begin in July next year, but locals say there is not enough information for those who will be able to use it. 'We don't know what that new support level would be because there's just no information, and we have asked repeatedly,' said Moore. 'The trends with this government seem to be, let's just cut and cut and cut, people who are more vulnerable in our society are the ones that are targeted.' The province says ADAP will allow people with disabilities to pursue jobs while receiving the financial, medical, and personal support they need. It says ADAP will work alongside the current Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program. 'ADAP is going to be a lower monthly support but allow people to earn more income without it being deducted off their support,' said Moore. Currently, those on AISH have deductions from their monthly living allowance if they have income. Moore said currently AISH clients receive about $1,900 per month for food, rent and utilities. He noted the poverty line is about $2,400 a month in Edmonton. The Canada Disability Benefit (CBD) which could provide up to $200 a month was expected to help those with disabilities have more access to funds, but in Alberta CBD may add more barriers. Inclusion Alberta said in a media release that the province is requiring people on AISH to apply for the CBD but will then reduce their AISH payment by the received CBD amount. It says no other province is doing this. 'The CDB is meant to be a top-up, not a replacement for provincial disability income support,' said Trish Bowman, Inclusion Alberta CEO. 'Taking away a benefit that was intended to help reduce poverty for adults with disabilities is beyond comprehension.' About 77,000 Albertans are accessing AISH. The CBD has a $250 application fee, and approved clients need to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit that requires a medical assessment that may also come with a cost. 'It doesn't make sense,' shouted a person from the crowd at the town hall. Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) and Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) funding is also underfunded, says Moore. He cited the latest publicly available annual report from the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (2022-23). 'The budget for 2025 did add some money in, but it didn't even keep up with inflation or the population growth,' he said. 'Every year, we're falling further and further behind, and that is basically what the advocates report for 2022 says — insufficient funds.' People at the town hall voiced their frustrations with a system some called 'dehumanizing.' Moore says he sent invites to Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck and Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Ron Wiebe. 'We're going to present everything that was brought forward by families,' said Moore, 'we're going to get folks to write out their stories and everything and will go to the MLAs and again, requesting them specifically to respond to us.' 'We expect them to do their job as allies represent us; they were not elected to represent Premier Smith or the caucus,' said Moore. Moore says contact with the local MLAs has been difficult. 'They're not very accommodating for people who want to meet with them,' he said, noting the MLA offices indicated that they limit meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes, won't meet after 7 p.m. and won't meet with more than six people at a time. Giving each person five minutes isn't long enough to illustrate how funding is affecting a person, he said. Moore, who served on the board of the Inclusion Alberta until last month, said there was no consultation done regarding AISH or the upcoming changes with ADAP. He said he wanted to see Inclusion Alberta included in the changes to legislation, noting the organization represents families across Alberta and that Inclusion Grande Prairie represents many people in northwestern Alberta from Edson to LaCrete. He said it's not uncommon for the province to include stakeholders before making changes to legislation noting oil and gas companies were included in legislative changes to abandoned wellsites. Family Resource Centre closure In March, the Family Resource Centre in Grande Prairie was closed after provincial funding cuts. 'When we lost the Family Resource Centre, one of the responses from the province was, we do not fund advocacy we fund supports,' said Moore. 'We helped over 200 families, during the time it was operational, find a way around the community, connect them with supporting organizations within the community, help guide them through inclusive education.' He said that parents don't know how to navigate the system. The centre helped them navigate funding, ensuring their children received proper education and aid and parents got the education they needed. 'The interesting thing is that the (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) PDD office in Grande Prairie often referred people to us,' he said, 'that's basically because the PDD office is understaffed; they're maybe 50 per cent of what they were five years ago, in numbers.' Funding to the Family Resource Centre was cut from about $120,000 a year to $64,000, said Moore. He said the province has also stipulated the centre would need to provide courses that follow 'provincial scripts' every month, that would include provincial audits for compliance. Moore said after some conversations, the province indicated it is still funding the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. The website stated that the office would visit communities and talk to organizations. 'I invited them to come out to Grande Prairie to talk with (Inclusion Grande Prairie), also the Autism Society - because they're in the same boat we are - and two weeks later, I got a phone call and the lady said they were unable to come out because they didn't know what their budget was and couldn't travel.' Moore then asked if they could accommodate a Zoom meeting and was told it would need to be before 7 p.m. Town & Country News reached out to the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services but did not receive a response before press time. By Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Grande Prairie disability advocates frustrated with province
Inclusion Grande Prairie held a town hall on Saturday to hear concerns regarding changes to the province's funding for people with disabilities. The two chairs reserved for local MLAs remained empty. 'It's so important to have a loud voice when speaking with this government because they have a tendency to ignore most of us,' said Keith Moore, Inclusion Grande Prairie president. Underfunding for disability programs, access to funds, upcoming AISH changes with the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program, and the province 'clawing back' the federal Canada Disability Benefit from individuals were among issues raised at the public event. The province is introducing the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) expected to begin in July next year, but locals say there is not enough information for those who will be able to use it. 'We don't know what that new support level would be because there's just no information, and we have asked repeatedly,' said Moore. 'The trends with this government seem to be, let's just cut and cut and cut, people who are more vulnerable in our society are the ones that are targeted.' The province says ADAP will allow people with disabilities to pursue jobs while receiving the financial, medical, and personal support they need. It says ADAP will work alongside the current Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program. 'ADAP is going to be a lower monthly support but allow people to earn more income without it being deducted off their support,' said Moore. Currently, those on AISH have deductions from their monthly living allowance if they have income. Moore said currently AISH clients receive about $1,900 per month for food, rent and utilities. He noted the poverty line is about $2,400 a month in Edmonton. The Canada Disability Benefit (CBD) which could provide up to $200 a month was expected to help those with disabilities have more access to funds, but in Alberta CBD may add more barriers. Inclusion Alberta said in a media release that the province is requiring people on AISH to apply for the CBD but will then reduce their AISH payment by the received CBD amount. It says no other province is doing this. 'The CDB is meant to be a top-up, not a replacement for provincial disability income support,' said Trish Bowman, Inclusion Alberta CEO. 'Taking away a benefit that was intended to help reduce poverty for adults with disabilities is beyond comprehension.' About 77,000 Albertans are accessing AISH. The CBD has a $250 application fee, and approved clients need to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit that requires a medical assessment that may also come with a cost. 'It doesn't make sense,' shouted a person from the crowd at the town hall. Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) and Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) funding is also underfunded, says Moore. He cited the latest publicly available annual report from the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (2022-23). 'The budget for 2025 did add some money in, but it didn't even keep up with inflation or the population growth,' he said. 'Every year, we're falling further and further behind, and that is basically what the advocates report for 2022 says — insufficient funds.' People at the town hall voiced their frustrations with a system some called 'dehumanizing.' Moore says he sent invites to Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck and Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Ron Wiebe. 'We're going to present everything that was brought forward by families,' said Moore, 'we're going to get folks to write out their stories and everything and will go to the MLAs and again, requesting them specifically to respond to us.' 'We expect them to do their job as allies represent us; they were not elected to represent Premier Smith or the caucus,' said Moore. Moore says contact with the local MLAs has been difficult. 'They're not very accommodating for people who want to meet with them,' he said, noting the MLA offices indicated that they limit meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes, won't meet after 7 p.m. and won't meet with more than six people at a time. Giving each person five minutes isn't long enough to illustrate how funding is affecting a person, he said. Moore, who served on the board of the Inclusion Alberta until last month, said there was no consultation done regarding AISH or the upcoming changes with ADAP. He said he wanted to see Inclusion Alberta included in the changes to legislation, noting the organization represents families across Alberta and that Inclusion Grande Prairie represents many people in northwestern Alberta from Edson to LaCrete. He said it's not uncommon for the province to include stakeholders before making changes to legislation noting oil and gas companies were included in legislative changes to abandoned wellsites. In March, the Family Resource Centre in Grande Prairie was closed after provincial funding cuts. 'When we lost the Family Resource Centre, one of the responses from the province was, we do not fund advocacy we fund supports,' said Moore. 'We helped over 200 families, during the time it was operational, find a way around the community, connect them with supporting organizations within the community, help guide them through inclusive education.' He said that parents don't know how to navigate the system. The centre helped them navigate funding, ensuring their children received proper education and aid and parents got the education they needed. 'The interesting thing is that the (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) PDD office in Grande Prairie often referred people to us,' he said, 'that's basically because the PDD office is understaffed; they're maybe 50 per cent of what they were five years ago, in numbers.' Funding to the Family Resource Centre was cut from about $120,000 a year to $64,000, said Moore. He said the province has also stipulated the centre would need to provide courses that follow 'provincial scripts' every month, that would include provincial audits for compliance. Moore said after some conversations, the province indicated it is still funding the Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. The website stated that the office would visit communities and talk to organizations. 'I invited them to come out to Grande Prairie to talk with (Inclusion Grande Prairie), also the Autism Society - because they're in the same boat we are - and two weeks later, I got a phone call and the lady said they were unable to come out because they didn't know what their budget was and couldn't travel.' Moore then asked if they could accommodate a Zoom meeting and was told it would need to be before 7 p.m. Town & Country News reached out to the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services but did not receive a response before press time.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AutoScheduler Introduces GenAI-Driven Orchestration
Session to Showcase Latest Innovation on the AutoScheduler Platform Austin, Texas, May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- an innovative Warehouse Orchestration Platform and WMS accelerator, is offering an exclusive session where CEO Keith Moore will demonstrate the latest innovation on the AutoScheduler platform: GenAI-Driven Orchestration. The session takes place on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 10:00 AM CDT. 'With GenAI-Driven Orchestration, companies can move beyond optimization to create operations that learn, evolve, and unlock new levels of efficiency,' says Keith Moore, CEO of 'This session will showcase how GenAI-Driven Orchestration helps our customers identify margin gaps, streamline execution, and make smarter, faster decisions that drive measurable impact.' At the session, attendees will discover how Generative AI is enhancing warehouse orchestration by enabling: Site accountability and performance tracking to surface margin gaps and drive consistent improvement. Enhanced decision making to reduce manual inputs and maximize throughput. Harmonized visibility to eliminate blind spots and drive smarter, real-time decisions. At the recent Gartner® Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, AutoScheduler and PepsiCo discussed how PepsiCo uses AI and optimization to improve warehouse efficiencies, including an average of 9 – 14% productivity gains per facility. 'This demonstration isn't a PowerPoint – it's a live look at how GenAI is orchestrating real-time warehouse execution at scale,' adds Moore. To register for the free event, visit: About empowers you to take full control of your warehouse with a cloud-based solution that seamlessly integrates with your existing WMS/LMS/YMS or any other solution. We automate critical tasks like labor scheduling, dock management, and task sequencing, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. You've already invested in the software to run your warehouse—what we do is provide the orchestration layer that ties it all together to make real-time data driven decisions. With you get smart orchestration for a smarter, more agile warehouse. For more information, visit: Contact: Becky BoydMediaFirst PRBecky@ (404) 421-8497Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Washington Post
30-04-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Do you know where your tax dollars are going? Take our quiz.
Keith Moore is head of editorial at Gapminder Foundation, a Swedish group that promotes access to reliable facts and data. Federal government spending each year is a 13-digit number: about $6.8 trillion in the 2024 fiscal year. For many of us, that is unfathomably large. When every part of the budget is big, featuring hundreds of individual agencies, programs and departments with outlays of millions, billions, and even trillions of dollars, it can be difficult to know what represents the lion's share. And so it is little wonder the public has some major misconceptions about government spending. Take our quiz and test your own understanding of the trends and proportions behind the U.S. federal budget. ✓ Check Yourself The Post partnered with Gapminder, a Swedish nonprofit, to survey 600 people ages 18 to 65. The sample was balanced to reflect U.S. demography. 1 of 5 In the 1980s, federal government spending was around 21 percent of the entire U.S. economy (GDP). What was it in 2024? Around 23 percent Around 41 percent Around 53 percent Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 2 of 5 What is the biggest single item of U.S. federal government spending each year? Buying and maintaining new weapons Social security for retired workers Debt interest 3 of 5 What share of U.S. federal government spending was on foreign aid in 2023? Around 1 percent Around 21 percent Around 41 percent 4 of 5 Which federal government department or agency has the most civilian employees? Defense Department (not including active military) Social Security Administration Department of Veterans Affairs 5 of 5 The federal government is the biggest single employer in the U.S. What percentage of all workers do they represent? Around 1.5 percent Around 15 percent Around 35 percent 0 of 5 Your score:
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
K2 Cyber teams up with TransUnion to enhance cyber insurance offerings
K2 Cyber, a division of K2 Insurance Services, has joined forces with TransUnion to bolster its commercial cyber services and cyber claims management. The collaboration will provide K2 Cyber policyholders with access to TransUnion's TruEmpower CyberScout solution, which assists companies in mitigating cyber incident risks. K2 Cyber CEO and founder Keith Moore said: "At K2 Cyber, we are committed to delivering unparalleled protection and support to our policyholders. Partnering with TransUnion allows us to enhance our offerings with cutting-edge solutions that not only address current cyber threats but also empower our clients to proactively safeguard their digital environments, helping us redefine cyber risk management for the SMB sector.' The partnership aims to strengthen K2 Cyber's services by including cyber claims management, incident response, forensics consultation, identity theft prevention tools and a dedicated crisis hotline. TransUnion Global Cyber Insurance Business head Matt Cullina stated: 'The aftermath of a data breach can feel chaotic for a business owner, and it is difficult to even know how to begin addressing the situation. CyberScout's services are both technical and consultative to assess and repair the damage, while helping small business owners navigate the process – so they can focus on protecting their customers as well as their brand.' TransUnion is a global insights company with more than 13,000 associates in 30-plus countries, offering actionable consumer insights in credit, marketing, fraud and analytics. Earlier this month, K2 Insurance Services launched K2 Cyber, which operates as a managing general agent focusing on cyber insurance for small and medium-sized businesses. It employs a data-centric approach that integrates AI, real-time threat intelligence, behavioural analytics and automated risk assessments. "K2 Cyber teams up with TransUnion to enhance cyber insurance offerings " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
