It is a great privilege for us at the Hamilton Family Network to announce Mary Law as Honourary Patron of the Hamilton Family Network.

Mary Law, Ph.d., FCAOT

Co-founder of CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research

John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood Disability Research 

Professor and Associate Dean (Health Sciences) Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University

It is a great honour to present Sandra Barbadoro with the Hamilton Family Network Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sandra Barbadoro

Co-founder Hamilton Family Network

Co-founder Family Alliance Ontario

Co-founder Parents of Children with Special Needs

Director of Future Directions 

It is a great honour for us to present the first Hamilton Family Network Life Time Membership to Bryan Shields.

Bryan Shields

Executive Director

Community Living Hamilton

Community Builder, Advocate, Innovative Leader, Friend

Brendon Pooran

Similar to a Registered Education Savings Plan, the RDSP is a long-term savings plan that will allow funds to be invested tax-free until withdrawal. Contributions into the plan will be permitted by anyone, including friends and family, with a lifetime limit of $200,000 which does not include government contributions or interest. While contributions may be received from anyone except the provincial government and have no annual limit, all contributions must be received before the beneficiary's 60th birthday.

As an incentive for people to set up an RDSP and contribute into the plan, the Government of Canada has created the Canada Disability Savings Grant and the Canada Disability Savings Bond. The Grant was designed to encourage friends and family to contribute by providing generous matching contributions, while the Bond was designed to help those who may not have any friends and family in the position to help.

Highlights of the Canada Disability Savings Grant

When annual net income is equal to or less than $74,357 the grant will contribute:

    $3 for every $1 contributed on the first $500.

    $2 for every $1 contributed on the next $1,000.

When annual net income is over $74,357, the grant will contribute:

    $1 for every $1 contributed up to $1,000.

The Grant can be received up to a maximum of $70,000 over a person's lifetime, and only until the beneficiary turns 50 years of age.

For more information go to www.family-alliance.com

Reproduced with permission from the Family Alliance Ontario www.family-alliance.com

No End in Sight for Families on Wait Lists!

There are many Ontario families waiting to receive SSAH funding with no end in sight for them.  We are very concerned about what we perceive as a new direction on SSAH taken by the government.  This new direction took effect April 1, 2009 and includes:

·         there will be no new approvals

·         new applicants will be placed on a wait list.

·          the 2009-10 approvals of existing contracts will be based on the amount spent last year.

·          any approved additional funds will go on a wait list.

·          where a family received both SSAH and ACSD funding and no longer qualifies for ACSD, the SSAH renewal amount will not increase to offset the loss.

·          any approval that is not actively used within 6 months of the date of the approval will be cancelled.

·          applications for renewal that are received 3  months past the renewal date will not be approved.

·          an appeal to the regional director will not result in increased funding.

Did you know there has been no new SSAH funds since 2006; for the last 3 years all new funding from MCSS has been allocated to wage increases for workers employed by agencies.

There are many families with NO funding, waiting for SSAH contracts.

Families are the backbone of support for people with disabilities in Ontario.

The new direction for SSAH savings target families who provide the most support with the least resources.

Government should invest in families; Increase SSAH funding; Don’t Claw it back!

What Can You Do? 

Let your MPP hear from you how important this program is to families and how important it is to continue to invest in SSAH. 

Find your MPP at: http://www.ontariotenants.ca/government/mpp.phtml

Provided with permission from the SSAH Coalition of Ontario:  www.ssahcoalition.ca

The Ontario government is developing a long-term affordable housing strategy to make it easier for Ontario families to find and maintain their own homes.  The government is seeking your opinion on the proposed vision, principles and goals that will ultimately frame the strategy, and to help identify initiatives that can be taken to support these directions.

You can share your ideas in a variety of ways — complete the online questionnaire, review the Long-Term Affordable Housing Consultation Document and/or send in your opinion to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.