Mentally disabled urge class suit over loss of government services at age 18
TORONTO — Making thousands of mentally disabled people wait indefinitely for provincial government supports after they turn 18 amounts to pushing them off a cliff without a safety net, an Ontario Superior Court heard on Tuesday.
In urging certification of their claim against the Ontario government as a class action, lawyers for the plaintiffs argued the province’s use of waitlists was arbitrary and violated their clients’ constitutional rights.
“It’s not about inconvenience. It’s not about frustration,” lawyer Kirk Baert told court. “It goes beyond that.”
The unproven lawsuit, which accuses the province of harm-causing negligence, seeks $110 million in damages along with a declaration the government has failed adults assessed as eligible for government help but who have instead been placed on indeterminate waiting lists.