Sean
Patrick Sullivan

Canadian Press

The thorny issue of public funding for treatment of children with autism
leapt into the Ontario election campaign yesterday, as the New Democrats
announced a proposal to provide blanket therapy for all children who need it
right in their classrooms – a strategy the Liberals say is unsustainable.

An NDP government would provide publicly funded Intensive Behavioural
Intervention – a very expensive, one-on-one treatment – in classrooms for all
autistic children, leader Howard Hampton said in Bradford.

Hampton said he would clear the current waiting list of 900 children within
three years. About 1,400 kids are funded for the IBI treatment; many other
families pay out of pocket.

"With our Ontario autism strategy, a child who qualifies for IBI treatment
will benefit from the day they qualify," he said.

"No more long waiting lists, no longer the need for families to mortgage or
sell their homes to pay for their children’s therapy."

But, in an interview, Children and Youth Services Minister Mary Anne Chambers
said the issue can’t be solved by tossing money around.

"There simply aren’t enough autism support providers in Ontario to provide
one-on-one treatment with every child who needs it," she said.

The Liberal government has been working to hire more specialists and
establish and expand college training programs for therapists, Chambers said,
noting that spending on autism has tripled since the party took power in
2003.

Also yesterday, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory made overtures to
the so-called 905 region by pledging up to $200 million annually for health care
by 2012.

Tory says Toronto’s ballooning outer layer is underserviced and has been
neglected by the Liberal government for years.

"Dalton McGuinty has refused to acknowledge the pressures faced by Ontario’s
fastest-growing communities, and as a result, residents are being forced to seek
treatments outside their own communities," he said at Oshawa’s Lakeridge
Hospital.

"McGuinty has allowed funding to fall behind population growth and needs in
this region," Tory said.

On another issue, the premier said yesterday he won’t roll back tuition but
will instead give post-secondary students an up-front tax credit at the start of
the school year.

Speaking to some 300 young Liberals, McGuinty also vowed to increase the
number of apprenticeship programs by 25 per cent.

He promised to work with Ottawa to extend the grace period graduates have
before they must start paying back their student loans.

McGuinty hopes to increase it from six months to one year, giving students
more time to establish themselves professionally before having to make
payments.