Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

Mayor Accepts Challenge from Sarnia Mayor
“Do the Right Thing” – Hire Individuals with Disabilities

On March 5, 2010, Mayor Gary McNamara was handed a challenge from Jessica Martin and Andrew Laliberte to “do the right thing and take up the challenge from Sarnia Mayor, Mike Bradley. Mayor Bradley is challenging Mayor’s in Ontario to do the right thing and take up the challenge of hiring person who have a disability.

Both Jessica and Andrew are interested in pursuing job opportunities and look forward to making money and becoming a bigger part of the community. They both indicated they would be a good employee, if just given the chance.

Statistics Canada pegs people who have a disability at 15.9% of the Canadian population. That’s Canada’s largest minority at almost 5.3 million people; equal to combined populations of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Furthermore, disability is a factor of aging and 43% of seniors have disabilities growing to 56% for 75 year olds. Statistics Canada has projected that by 2021 Canadians over the age of 65 will grow from the 2006 level of 13.7% to between 20 and 24% of the population.

Currently there are almost 1.8 million working age people who have a disability in Ontario alone. According to Statistics Canada, this group faces an unemployment rate of 49%, although we know that if people who have never been able to access the labour market were included, this figure would be considerably higher.

Besides a 2001 Royal Bank Study that showed Canadians who have a disability control over $25 billion in disposable income, we must surely be concerned that as many people who have a disability as possible contribute to the workforce and the tax base. The alternative is these people live on social assistance payments, which is untenable.

Mayor Gary McNamara will discuss with Administration the possibility of job opportunities within the municipality for those with a disability. In addition, he encourages other businesses in the Town of Tecumseh to consider hiring an employee with intellectual challenges. You will be surprised at what you find. Individuals with disability are full of energy, outgoing, reliable, motivated and dependable. Inclusion and working within the community gives people with disability a tremendous amount of pride, which in turn can only benefit a business.

If you are interested in learning more about this very important opportunity, please contact Ms. Debby DeGroote, Manager of Supports, Community Living Essex County at 519-979-6275 or debby@communitylivingessex.org.

More information about Community Living Essex County is available on the website at: http://www.communitylivingessex.org