Latest news with #developmentalDisabilities
CBC
09-07-2025
- CBC
Hamilton support worker arrested after $277K stolen from clients' bank accounts: police
A Hamilton support worker has been arrested after police say she stole more than $277,000 from clients with developmental disabilities. The 44-year-old woman was arrested on June 19 and charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, police said in a news release Tuesday. The support worker was caring for residents at Community Living of Hamilton — a not-for-profit organization that assists people with development disabilities — from Dec. 15, 2022 to Jan. 16, 2025, said police. She "was able to gain access to the residents' bank accounts for the purposes of assisting them with their finances," police said. Then she took money for her own personal use. Police said they arrested her after a "lengthy investigation." Community Living Hamilton's executive director Sylvia D'Intino said when they became aware of the allegations against the support worker, they immediately put her on a leave of absence and informed police. They also informed all those potentially impacted. "We are confident there is no ongoing risk to the people we support in connection with this alleged incident," D'Intino said in an email to CBC Hamilton.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Parents fighting to save Algonquin College's special needs program
Social Sharing Eric Burgin had planned to send his daughter Angie to Algonquin College in Ottawa, where he'd hoped a program for adults with developmental disabilities could help put her on equal footing with her friends. "The biggest thing for her is the college experience," Burgin told CBC. "It's just sort of that next step after high school. She doesn't see herself as different than others, even though, you know, society tends to see her differently." Burgin said there's no other program in Ottawa like it. But his plan hit a snag in May when the school announced it plans to end the program by April 2026. Now, Bergin hopes to organize other concerned parents in an attempt to change the college's decision. He's organized a town hall hosted by Ottawa West-Nepean NDP MPP Chandra Pasma, scheduled for later this month, and is planning to hold a protest later this fall. "Ultimately, what we would like is for the college to reverse the decision and continue to offer the program," he said. College points to financial challenges Algonquin College's website says the academic assistance for adults with developmental disabilities program offers students the opportunity to further develop their academic skills, as well as build social skills within a college environment. In a statement to CBC, the college said it's winding down the program, which was first launched in 1997, to "focus on ministry-approved, credentialed programs that align with its core mandate." It also pointed to its recent financial challenges, which the college blames on a shift in immigration policy and a lack of funding support from the provincial government. In April, the college approved its budget with a $34.8-million deficit. In February, its board decided to suspend or cancel 37 programs and four dormant ones, and to close its Perth campus. 'It keeps parents up at night' Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of community outreach with the Ontario Autism Coalition, said the news of the program's cancellation has parents worried. "It keeps parents up at night," she told CBC. "It's giving those young adults with developmental disabilities a foundation ... to be able to maybe get a job, to be able to live independently." Dudley-Logue added that community day programs are another education option for adults with disabilities, but those lack the academic component available at the college. "It really puts up a wall for for what young adults with developmental disabilities might be able to achieve moving forward, not having access to a program like this," she said. In a letter posted to social media, Pasma, who is her party's education critic, called on the Ontario government to step in and fund the program. "The net cost of the program after tuition is $80,000 a year. This would be more than offset by cost savings to the province based on graduates' ability to participate in the workforce and to live with greater independence," she wrote.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Algonquin College to phase out adult special needs program amid continuing financial challenges
Algonquin College says a program for adults with special needs will be phased out as the school continues to face financial challenges. The Adult Assistance for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (AAADD) program has been offered at the college since 1997, providing academic and social skills for adults with developmental disabilities. The college says the program will conclude on April 30, 2026 to allow students currently enrolled to finish their studies. Seventy-three students are currently enrolled in the program but no new students have been accepted in three years. AAADD students are given a certificate of completion and not a formal credential approved by the Ministry of Education when they finish their studies. The college says amid its financial difficulties, it is focusing on credentialed programs that align with its mandate. 'We have made the decision, given the financial and fiscal challenges that we are facing, to exit out of other activities that did not fit that particular mandate,' said Julie Beauchamp, Algonquin College's senior vice-president of academics, in an interview. The school says no other alternative programming is being planned at this time. 'The reason we are announcing it now is to give not only the students ample time to be accommodated, but the parents amble time to find alternative opportunities for these students and to find accommodations that will meet their needs,' Beauchamp said. AAADD runs 40 weeks per year, according to its website. Students can attend day or night courses part-time for a maximum of four years. Courses are facilitated by a coordinator and adult development counsellors. Beauchamp and Jane Trakalo, Dean of the School of Wellness, Public Safety and Community Studies, say staff in the AAADD program will be accommodated through to its last day. 'Any staffing issues that would result from the changes would be addressed through the respective collective agreements,' Beauchamp said. The college already announced wider cuts earlier this year, including the suspension of 41 active and dormant programs, the closure of the Perth Campus and the offering of voluntary exit packages to staff, citing a drop in international student enrollment and a tuition freeze. Staff say enrolment is projected to drop 11 per cent in 2025-26. Algonquin College reported in January that it was projecting a $32 million loss in revenue for 2024-25, and a $60 million loss in 2025-26 and $93 million for 2026-27. The board of governors approved the $479 million 2025-26 school year budget last month, using $41 million in reserves to cover the multi-million-dollar budget deficit and to support projects and initiatives at the college for the next school year. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
