“We’re Not Okay”: Ontario’s Most Vulnerable Living in Tents and Exploited into Crime

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWednesday, March 4, 2026 Toronto, ON – Leaders in Ontario’s developmental services sector are raising urgent concerns about a system they say is in crisis, with more than 53,000 Ontarians currently on provincial waitlists for critical supports. In Sudbury on Tuesday, local leaders reported individuals with developmental disabilities are experiencing homelessness and exploitation, including involvement in crime and … Read More

When it Comes to Disability, Specialization Often Leads to Stigmatization

A recent article from ICES and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reported that people with developmental disabilities make up 22% of the 1,466 people who have spent more than a year in a non-forensic psychiatric inpatient bed in Ontario, despite accounting for less than 3% of the population. The article’s authors note that this is a problem caused in part by a shortage of appropriate community-based settings into which people can transition from health and … Read More

PRESS RELEASE: Community Living Ontario calls on the province to act immediately on Ombudsman recommendations re: inappropriate hospitalization of adults with developmental disabilities 

For Immediate Release//Toronto, Ontario, November 25, 2025 Today, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé released a new report on the inappropriate hospitalization of adults with developmental disabilities. The report contains harrowing stories of people living in hospital for years, where they were physically and chemically restrained, and where their health and quality of life declined precipitously.    “I am saddened but unfortunately not … Read More

PRESS RELEASE: Living in Poverty, Homeless and Being Lured into Crime and Human Trafficking – People with Intellectual Disabilities Falling Through the Cracks

For Immediate Release//Toronto, Ontario, November 12, 2025 “It’s not right this is happening!” “This is heartbreaking…”** These are the voices of Ontarians reacting to the escalating crisis in our province’s Developmental Services sector, a crisis that’s been decades in the making.  More than thirty years of chronic underinvestment have led to over 53,000 adults with intellectual disabilities waiting for essential supports and services. Some of our … Read More

Kids Not Ready for School, Schools Not Ready for Kids

Autism and Early Education in Ontario  Community Living Ontario’s Crisis in the Classroom report paints a disturbing picture of students with disabilities being isolated, physically restrained, and excluded from their community schools. The document highlights the ways in which schools are not meeting the needs of children and youth with developmental disabilities: too few educational and support staff, too little training to understand the learning and emotional needs … Read More

PRESS RELEASE: Community Living Ontario and Inclusion Canada Call for Urgent Action Amid Labour Dispute Impacting People with Disabilities

For Immediate Release//Toronto, Ontario, October 10, 2025 In light of the deteriorating labour situation across many agencies, Community Living Ontario and Inclusion Canada urge the Ontario government, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), to recognize that people with intellectual disabilities must never be treated as bargaining chips or collateral damage in … Read More

Crisis in the Classroom: Children with Disabilities Isolated, Held Down & Sent Home

For Immediate Release//Toronto, Ontario, April 23, 2025 Crisis in the Classroom: Children with Disabilities Isolated, Held Down & Sent HomeNew report details disturbing treatment in Ontario Schools A new report published by Community Living Ontario is shedding new light on the exclusion, seclusion, and restraint of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. Numerous authorities are calling on the Premier and … Read More

Coalition of disability organizations calls on parties to make Ontarians with disabilities a priority in Ontario election

Coalition of disability organizations calls on parties to make Ontarians with disabilities a priority in Ontario election Twelve organizations host election debate with more than 500 attendees  TORONTO, ON (February 20, 2025) – On February 19, 2025, a coalition made up of a broad cross-section of disability organizations hosted an Ontario election debate with a record-breaking audience, focused on issues … Read More