New facility will reduce wait times and connect more children to care in Southwestern Ontario
BRANTFORD — The Ontario government is beginning planning work to build a new, modern facility for the Lansdowne Children’s Centre that would increase access to services for children and youth with special needs and their families in Brantford, Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk counties, Six Nations of the Grand River, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Lansdowne Children's Centre Executive Director Rita-Marie Hadley stands with Hon. Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa, and MPP Brantford-Brant Will Bouma, on Friday January 12 at Lansdowne's site in Brantford - 39 Mount Pleasant Street - for the announcement that Lansdowne will be building a new home in the city of Brantford.
News Release submission from the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), click here to view on the news.Ontario.ca website
“Our government is working hard to improve the lives of children and youth with special needs, and their families,”
said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.
“A larger, state-of-the-art Lansdowne Children’s Centre will have the ability to serve more children and youth in Brantford and surrounding areas, ensuring enhanced accessibility, shorter wait times and improved service delivery.”
Once built, the new Lansdowne Children’s Centre would provide the additional space needed to treat more children beyond the current 3,500 being served in the area and will reduce wait times for a range of children’s rehabilitation and respite supports. The centre would offer a range of specialized services and supports in a safe and accessible space, including:
speech-language pathology
occupational therapy
physiotherapy
services for children and youth impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
audiology
respite services
autism services
services for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs
As part of the planning process, Lansdowne Children’s Centre will work with the Ontario government to determine the project scope, budget, location and timeline for construction. Once the planning work is complete, the province will work with the Centre on the next phase of the project to hire a construction firm.
Developing a new Lansdowne Children’s Centre builds on recent investments in modernized facilities at children’s treatment centres across Ontario, including Grandview Kids in Ajax, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent, and the relocation of Health Sciences North Children's Treatment Centre in Sudbury.
Quick Facts
Lansdowne Children’s Centre has received Stage 1 planning approval to complete the necessary planning work for the development of a new facility.
When children in Ontario begin school, almost 30 per cent have at least one developmental vulnerability that could affect their lifelong health, learning and behaviour.
Special needs can include, but are not limited to, communication disorders, physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and chronic and/or long-term medical conditions. They can include specific diagnoses such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Families with questions about their child’s development and support needs can contact their local children’s treatment centre or Surrey Place in Toronto.
Quotes
"Current and future families served by Lansdowne Children’s Centre appreciate our government’s investment in their children’s potential. For over 50 years, we have grown in serving area infants, children and youth living with physical, communications and/or developmental disabilities. We recognize the leadership over the years that brought us to this important juncture and the local advocacy to ensure every kid counts. Having appropriate space to deliver critical rehabilitation and child development services sets the stage for success at the individual and community level."
- Rita-Marie Hadley
Executive Director, Lansdowne Children’s Centre
"We’re making sure we’re building spaces so children can receive the care they need in Ontario. By expanding access and reducing wait times, the Lansdowne Children’s Centre facility will help us meet the increasing demand for these specialized services and supports. We will continue to build the critical infrastructure people across the province need and rely on."
- Kinga Surma
Minister of Infrastructure
"The new Lansdowne Children’s Centre will ensure children and families in Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations have reliable and efficient access to the care they need, close to home. Our government is dedicated to the health and well-being of all children and families in Southwestern Ontario and across the province."
- Greg Rickford
Minister of Indigenous Affairs
"From day one, improving the lives of children with special needs and helping their families has been a top priority for myself as MPP as well as our government. Lansdowne Children’s Centre (LCC) is near and dear to many families in our community and the new and improved LCC will serve more families and children while reducing wait times. I also want to publicly congratulate Executive Director Rita-Marie Hadley and the Board for their tireless advocacy and dedication to the new centre’s approval."
- Will Bouma
Brantford-Brant MPP
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