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
Will Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy Actually Reduce Human Trafficking?
The Government of Ontario’s recent work to address human trafficking is laudable and noteworthy. There is a new anti-human trafficking strategy with funding attached, and the four pillars of the strategy (i.e., raising awareness, supporting survivors, holding offenders accountable, and preventing it from happening in the first place) seem pretty logical. The strategy’s prevention pillar is focused mainly on children … 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
Track the Movement – Fall 2025 (September – November)
What happened in September? YAC Members Take the Stage at the Inspiring Possibilities Conference On September 18th, four of CLO’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) members – Arshiaa Bhayana, Nathan T., Megan den Dekker, and Moira Robertson – presented ‘Truths of Institutionalization: Sincerely, Youth Trying to Stop History from Repeating Itself’ at the annual Community Living Ontario (CLO) Inspiring Possibilities Conference. … Read More
Employment Support Services in Ontario – Under pressure, Underperforming, Underwhelming
Will anything change after more than five years of criticism? Community Living Ontario has published two reports on Ontario Progressive Conservative changes to employment programs (now called ‘Integrated Employment Services’) over the past few years. The reports were published in partnership with the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) under the banner of “Tangled in Red Tape,” and they offer a discouraging picture. For those who aren’t up to speed: starting in 2019, the province gave up direct control over employment … 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
Council Newsletter: Fall 2025 (September-November)
Introducing the 2025–2026 Council Members We are pleased to announce the Council members for the 2025–2026 term! This year, we had 16 candidates competing for six open positions. The election took place during the CLO Conference on September 18, with participants joining both online and in person. The results were announced the same day at the closing ceremony. In addition, the Council … 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
