Ontario Must Not Violate the Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities Amid Labour Dispute

Inclusion Canada
Oct 10
3 min read

National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2025

Winnipeg, MB – The National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization, co-led by Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada, is deeply concerned by reports that, as Ontario’s developmental services labour dispute unfolds, some agencies are in the process of moving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from small care facilities into larger, congregated settings.

While details remain uncertain, information from families and advocates suggests that plans or preparations are underway to relocate residents from smaller institutionalized settings into a single large institutional facility. In some cases, families fear these relocations have already begun.

“If these actions are confirmed, this is unbelievable,” said Ben Rowley, Co-Chair of the National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization. “People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have spent the last 35 years fighting to take back control over their lives and advocating to close institutions, both small and large. To see how quickly and easily peoples’ rights again are violated because of a labour dispute, is scary.”

Even planning for mass relocations shows a dangerous return to an institutional mindset that never truly went away.

“We need a complete system review of even the smaller group homes that house individuals in congregate settings. We need a different approach, one that enables individuals to live independently, choose where they live and with whom, have choice and control and are provided with the supports to do so. If we did have this, the current situation happening in Ontario would not exist,” said, Janet Forbes, Co-Chair of the National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization.

This Is a Symptom of a Deeper Systemic Problem

The situation unfolding today is not an isolated event—it is a symptom of a system that continues to rely on institutional models of care. Even small “group homes” or “care facilities” often congregate people with intellectual disabilities together, restrict their autonomy, and place control of their lives in the hands of others. While these settings may look different from the large institutions of the past, they are rooted in the same structures that deny people real choice, control, and dignity.

People with disabilities are citizens. Their rights do not end when labour unrest begins.

“The fact that people can still be moved from one facility to another—without their input or consent—shows that institutionalization is not over in Ontario,” said Ben Rowley, Task Force Co-Chair.

Immediate Action Must be Taken

The National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization calls on:

Ontario government, Developmental service agencies, CUPE, and OPSEU to work collaboratively to protect residents’ rights and safety during this period of uncertainty; and
The public to stand in solidarity with people with disabilities and their families to prevent any regression toward institutionalization.
Federal and Ontario governments to honour its commitments under Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which Canada ratified in 2010, guaranteeing the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community.

Institutions Are Defined by Control, Not Size

The Task Force defines an institution as any place where people labelled with an intellectual disability are isolated, segregated, or congregated, and where they do not have—or are not allowed to exercise—control over their daily lives and decisions. Institutions are not defined by their size, but by their denial of freedom, choice, and inclusion.

About the National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization

The National Task Force on Deinstitutionalization, co-led by Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada, brings together national and provincial organizations committed to ending all forms of institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities in Canada. Through research, advocacy, and collaboration, the Task Force works to ensure that every person can live in their own home, be included in their community, and receive the individualized supports they choose—consistent with Canada’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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