FAIR

<BGSOUND SRC="farawayplaces.mid"> FAIR

A SELF-HELP SUPPORT GROUP FOR GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN and DENIED ACCESS GRANDPARENTS.

GRANDPARENTS   DEMANDING   FAIR   TREATMENT;      PROTEST   PLANNED   AT   QUEEN'S   PARK   NEXT  MONTH
                                         'SPECIAL   PROTEST RALLY '  IN APRIL                WE NEED EVERYONE THERE !

THE WELLAND TRIBUNE     ALLAN BENNER     MARCH 13, 2007

GRANDPARENTS DEMANDING FAIR TREATMENT;
PROTEST PLANNED AT QUEEN'S PARK NEXT MONTH

GRANDPARENTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE WILL GATHER AT THE STEPS OF QUEEN'S PARK HOPING FOR FAIR TREATMENT.

THEY'LL BE HOLDING A RALLY, LIKELY IN APRIL, TO ASK THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT NOT TO LEAVE THEM OUT OF NEW LEGISLATION OFFERING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN.

"WE REALLY NEED TO GET EVERYONE TOGETHER," SAID SHEILA VOLCHERT FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS, A NIAGARA-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN LOBBYING THE PROVINCE FOR ASSISTANCE FOR YEARS.

THEY WANT AS MANY GRANDPARENTS AS POSSIBLE AT THE RALLY, ALONG WITH THE GRANDCHILDREN THEY'RE RAISING, TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT THAT A NEW PROGRAM TO ASSIST GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN ISN'T ENOUGH.

PLANS FOR THE RALLY WERE LAUNCHED AS A RESULT OF A MEETING HELD LAST WEEK WHEN ABOUT 100 GRANDPARENTS DISCUSSED THE ISSUE, ALONG WITH PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES INCLUDING NIAGARA FALLS MPP KIM CRAITOR. "THERE CERTAINLY WAS A LOT OF DISPLEASURE AMONG THE GRANDPARENTS, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS," VOLCHERT RECALLED. "WE ALL FEEL THAT WE'VE REALLY BEEN MISLED HERE."

IN LATE JANUARY, THE PROVINCE ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO OFFER GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN THE SAME PAY PROVIDED TO FOSTER PARENTS - ABOUT $900 A MONTH.

IT WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT CELEBRATED BY GRANDPARENTS LIKE VOLCHERT ALL OVER ONTARIO - UNTIL THEY LEARNED IT ONLY APPLIES TO GRANDPARENTS WHO TAKE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN INTO CARE FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM'S LAUNCH.

VOLCHERT SAID THE LEGISLATION IS GREAT NEWS FOR GRANDPARENTS WHO TAKE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN INTO CARE FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM'S LAUNCH, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?"

MANY OF THE GRANDPARENTS ARE LIVING ON PENSIONS AND FIXED INCOMES, WHILE OTHERS HAVE HAD TO RETURN TO WORK TO COVER THE COST OF CHILD REARING.

AND THE SAME PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN LOBBYING THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE FUNDING PROGRAM IN THE FIRST PLACE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE BEING LEFT OUT, SHE ADDED.

WHILE THE NEW PROGRAM IS A GOOD FIRST STEP, "IT DOESN'T FEEL TOO GOOD WHEN YOU'RE NOT PART OF IT," VOLCHERT SAID.

IN ADDITION TO THE RALLY THE GRANDPARENTS ARE PLANNING, FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES NIAGARA IS HOLDING A PUBLIC FORUM REGARDING THE NEW LEGISLATION MARCH 26 FROM 9 TO 11 A.M., AT NIAGARA REGION COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

"THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE US AN OUTLINE OF WHO'S COVERED AND WHO'S NOT COVERED," VOLCHERT SAID. "BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, NO, WE'RE NOT COVERED."

ALTHOUGH THE MARCH 8 MEETING GAVE THE GRANDPARENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE ON THEIR NEXT STEPS, THEY DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING ELSE REGARDING THE DISAPPOINTING LEGISLATION.

"BASICALLY ALL WE WERE TOLD THAT NIGHT IS JUST WHAT WE KNEW ALREADY, NOTHING'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING," VOLCHERT SAID.

THE WELLAND TRIBUNE     ALLAN BENNER     MARCH 12, 2007 , UPDATED
GRANDPARENTS DEMANDING FAIR TREATMENT
GROUP PLANNING QUEEN'S PARK RALLY

Grandparents from throughout the province will be gathering at the steps of Queen’s Park hoping for fair treatment.

They’ll be holding a rally, likely in April, to ask the provincial government not to leave them out of new legislation offering financial assistance to grandparents raising their grandchildren.

“We really need to get everyone together,” said Sheila Volchert from Second Chance for Kids, a Niagara-based organization that has been lobbying the province for assistance for years.

They want as many grandparents as possible at the rally, along with the grandchildren they’re raising, to make it clear to the provincial government that a new program to assist grandparents raising their grandchildren isn’t enough.

Plans for the rally were launched as a result of a meeting held last week when about 100 grandparents discussed the issue, along with provincial representatives including Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor.

“There certainly was a lot of displeasure among the grandparents, for obvious reasons,” Volchert recalled. “We all feel that we’ve really been misled here.”

In late January, the province announced a plan to offer grandparents raising their grandchildren the same pay provided to foster parents – about $900 a month. It was an announcement celebrated by grandparents like Volchert all over Ontario – until they learned it only applies to grandparents who take their grandchildren into care following the program’s launch.

Volchert said the legislation is great news for grandparents who take their grandchildren into care following the program’s launch, “but what about the rest of us?”

Many of the grandparents are living on pensions and fixed incomes, while others have had to return to work to cover the cost of child rearing.

And the same people who have been lobbying the government for the funding program in the first place are the ones who are being left out, she added.

While the new program is a good first step, “it doesn’t feel too good when you’re not part of it,” Volchert said.

In addition to the rally the grandparents are planning, Family and Children’s Services Niagara is holding a public forum regarding the new legislation March 26 from 9-11 a.m., at Niagara region council chambers.

“They’re going to give us an outline of who’s covered and who’s not covered,” Volchert said. “But the bottom line is, no, we’re not covered.”

Although the March 8 meeting gave the grandparents an opportunity to decide on their next steps, they didn’t learn anything else regarding the disappointing legislation.

“Basically all we were told that night is just what we knew already, nothing’s going to be happening,” Volchert said.

They were hoping Craitor could tell them “that they realized the made a mistake and they were going to grandfather it, that’s what we were all hoping to hear but it didn’t happen.”

And for now, all Volchert and the grandparents can do is “keep putting the word out there.”

From THE WELLAND TRIBUNE
BY ALLAN BENNER    TRIBUNE STAFF     MARCH 02, 2007 UPDATED
MEETING SET FOR GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE RAISING GRANDKIDS

AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING FOR THE FAIR TREATMENT FOR GRANDPARENTS, THEY'RE STILL FIGHTING. NIAGARA-AREA GRANDPARENTS HAVE SPENT YEARS LOBBYING THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. THEY RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED IN JANUARY - THE VERY SAME CHANGES THEY FOUGHT FOR - DON'T APPLY TO THEM. IT'S A PLAN THAT OFFERS GRANDPARENTS THE SAME PAY PROVIDED TO FOSTER PARENTS - ABOUT $900 A MONTH - BUT THE PROGRAM ONLY APPLIES TO GRANDPARENTS WHO TAKE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN INTO CARE FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM'S LAUNCH. BUT THE GRANDPARENTS ARE NOT ABOUT TO QUIETLY ALLOW THE PROVINCE TO PULL THE WOOL OVER THEIR EYES, SAID SHEILA VOLCHERT, FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS - AN ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING ABOUT 80 FAMILIES. "WE WANT TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD," VOLCHERT TOLD THE TRIBUNE. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN." MEMBERS OF SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS ORGANIZED A MEETING NEXT THURSDAY IN THE AUDITORIUM AT LINHAVEN HOME FOR THE AGED, 403 ONTARIO ST., ST. CATHARINES, FROM 7 TO 9 P.M. AREA RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROVINCIAL PROGRAM ARE INVITED TO ATTEND, ADDED VOLCHERT, WHO IS RAISING HER NINE AND 11-YEAR-OLD GRANDCHILDREN IN HER PELHAM HOME. AND LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHER GRANDPARENTS THROUGHOUT NIAGARA, VOLCHERT HAS FOUND THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RAISING THE CHILDREN EXTREMELY HARD TO BEAR. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN THE GRANDPARENT IS RETIRED AND LIVING ON A PENSION OR ANOTHER FORM OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE. VOLCHERT SAID THE ORGANIZERS FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS HAVE ALSO INVITED ALL NIAGARA AREA MPPS TO THE MEETING. MOST OF THE POLITICIANS HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR ATTENDANCE, OR AT LEAST THEY WILL BE SENDING REPRESENTATIVE FROM THEIR OFFICES. DURING THE MEETING, VOLCHERT SAID THEY ALSO HOPE TO PUT TOGETHER PLANS FOR THE NEXT STEPS, SUCH AS STARTING PETITIONS AND LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGNS CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE ITS PROGRAM FAIR FOR ALL GRANDPARENTS AND CAREGIVERS. "WE'RE TRYING TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER," SHE SAID.

From THE WELLAND TRIBUNE
BY ALLAN BENNER     TRIBUNE STAFF     MARCH 02, 2007 UPDATED
THEY SPENT YEARS LOBBYING THE GOVERNMENT FOR ASSISTANCE.

GRANDPARENTS WANT FAIR TREATMENT
MANY WHO ARE RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN ARE STRUGGLING

AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING FOR THE FAIR TREATMENT FOR GRANDPARENTS, THEY'RE STILL FIGHTING.

NIAGARA-AREA GRANDPARENTS HAVE SPENT YEARS LOBBYING THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. THEY RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED IN JANUARY – THE VERY SAME CHANGES THEY FOUGHT FOR – DON'T APPLY TO THEM.

IT’S A PLAN THAT OFFERS GRANDPARENTS THE SAME PAY PROVIDED TO FOSTER PARENTS – ABOUT $900 A MONTH – BUT THE PROGRAM ONLY APPLIES TO GRANDPARENTS WHO TAKE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN INTO CARE FOLLOWING THE PROGRAM’S LAUNCH.

BUT THE GRANDPARENTS ARE NOT ABOUT TO QUIETLY ALLOW THE PROVINCE TO PULL THE WOOL OVER THEIR EYES, SAID SHEILA VOLCHERT, FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS – AN ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING ABOUT 80 FAMILIES.

“WE WANT TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD,” VOLCHERT TOLD THE TRIBUNE. “WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN.”

MEMBERS OF SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS ORGANIZED A MEETING NEXT THURSDAY, MARCH 8, IN THE AUDITORIUM AT LINHAVEN HOME FOR THE AGED, 403 ONTARIO ST., ST. CATHARINES, FROM 7 TO 9 P.M.

AREA RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DISAPPOINTING PROVINCIAL PROGRAM IS INVITED TO ATTEND, ADDED VOLCHERT, WHO IS RAISING HER NINE AND 11-YEAR-OLD GRANDCHILDREN IN HER PELHAM HOME.

AND LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHER GRANDPARENTS THROUGHOUT NIAGARA, VOLCHERT HAS FOUND THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RAISING THE CHILDREN EXTREMELY HARD TO BEAR – ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE RETIRED AND LIVING ON A PENSION OR ANOTHER FORM OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE.

VOLCHERT SAID THE ORGANIZERS FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS HAVE ALSO INVITED ALL NIAGARA AREA MPP'S TO THE MEETING.

MOST OF THE POLITICIANS HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR ATTENDANCE, OR AT LEAST THEY WILL BE SENDING REPRESENTATIVE FROM THEIR OFFICES.

DURING THE MEETING, VOLCHERT SAID THEY ALSO HOPE TO PUT TOGETHER PLANS FOR THE NEXT STEPS, SUCH AS STARTING PETITIONS AND LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGNS CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE ITS PROGRAM FAIR FOR ALL GRANDPARENTS AND CAREGIVERS.

“WE’RE TRYING TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER,” SHE SAID.

ALLAN BENNER / TRIBUNE STAFF , FEBRUARY 21, 2007

'THEY'VE REALLY WHACKED US THIS TIME'
THEY SPENT YEARS LOBBYING THE GOVERNMENT FOR ASSISTANCE.

AND FINALLY, IT SEEMED THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT WAS READY TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN.

BUT NOW, LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER THE PROGRAM WAS ANNOUNCED, THOSE GRANDPARENTS FEEL BETRAYED.

IN LATE JANUARY, MARY ANNE CHAMBERS, MINISTER OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES, ANNOUNCED THAT GRANDPARENTS RAISING CHILDREN WOULD RECEIVE ABOUT $900 PER MONTH FROM THEIR LOCAL CHILDREN'S ASSOCIATIONS SUCH AS FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES NIAGARA.

IT'S THE SAME FUNDING PAID TO REGISTERED FOSTER PARENTS. IT'S PRECISELY WHAT PELHAM RESIDENT SHEILA VOLCHERT AND SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS - AN ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING ABOUT 80 FAMILIES - HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS.

FOR THE GRANDPARENTS, MANY OF THEM RETIRED LIVING ON PENSIONS OR OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RAISING A CHILD ARE HARD TO BEAR.

"YOU'VE GOT DIAPERS, CLOTHES, SHOES, FOOD, YOU'VE GOT THIS AND YOU'VE GOT THAT. AND KIDS AREN'T GOING TO STOP GROWING," SAID ANNA LACHAPELLE, A WELLAND RESIDENT RAISING HER 16-MONTH-OLD GRANDSON WHILE LIVING ON A DISABILITY PENSION.

THE GOVERNMENT'S NEW PROGRAM WAS SOMETHING THEY WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO WITH ANTICIPATION.

BECAUSE OF THE ADVOCACY WORK VOLCHERT HAD DONE, SHE WAS EVEN ASKED TO SPEAK DURING THE MEDIA CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE FUNDING, AN EVENT SHE SAID SHE WAS HAPPY TO BE PART OF.

VOLCHERT, WHO IS RAISING HER NINE AND 11-YEAR-OLD GRANDCHILDREN, WAS ALSO CONGRATULATED BY NUMEROUS PEOPLE ON THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW PROGRAM, ACKNOWLEDGING THE YEARS OF WORK SHE DEDICATED TO GETTING GRANDPARENTS FAIR TREATMENT.

BUT WHEN WEEKS HAD PASSED AND NOTHING HAPPENED, VOLCHERT STARTED TO WORRY.

GRANDPARENTS HOPING TO SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAM CONTACTED LOCAL FACS OFFICES, AND WERE REFERRED TO OTHER AGENCIES. THEIR EFFORTS TO ACCESS THE NEW FUNDING PROGRAM LED ONLY TO FRUSTRATION.

LAST WEEK, VOLCHERT AND TERRY HRANKOWSKI FROM SECOND CHANCE FOR KIDS WENT TO TORONTO HOPING FOR SOME ANSWERS.

THEY MET WITH CHRIS CARSON, THE POLICY ADVISER TO THE MINISTER, AND LEARNED THE GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAM DOES NOT APPLY TO GRANDPARENTS WHO TOOK THEIR GRANDCHILDREN INTO CARE PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM'S LAUNCH. AS A RESULT, NONE OF THE GRANDPARENTS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION IN THE FIRST PLACE WILL BENEFIT FROM IT, SHE SAID.

"IT IS SO DISCRIMINATING."

SHE SAID THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT GRANDPARENTS, WAS NOT GRANDFATHERED.

MEANWHILE, THE GOVERNMENT "COMMENDED US FOR TAKING ON THE CARE OF THE CHILDREN BECAUSE IT'S REALLY SAVING TAXPAYERS A LOT OF MONEY," SHE SAID. "WHAT A SLAP IN THE FACE."

THEY LEFT THAT MEETING WITH CARSON "FEELING SO DEJECTED," SHE RECALLED.

"SHAME ON THIS LIBERAL GOVERNMENT. THEY'VE REALLY WHACKED US THIS TIME."

FOLLOWING THEIR MEETING WITH CARSON, VOLCHERT AND HRANKOWSKI ALSO MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF CARP (CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR RETIRED PEOPLE), WHICH HAS "REALLY BEEN BEHIND US THESE LAST COUPLE YEARS, REALLY ADVOCATING FOR SENIORS' RIGHTS," VOLCHERT SAID. "THEY WERE THE FIRST ONES THAT CALLED US WHEN WE HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT."

REPRESENTATIVES OF THAT ORGANIZATION WERE "JUST ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED THAT THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE FUNDING THERE FOR US."

CARP, SHE ADDED, PLANS TO MEET WITH PROVINCIAL OPPOSITION PARTIES, AS WELL AS PREMIER DALTON MCGUINTY, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, "AND REALLY TRY TO ADVOCATE FOR US."

CARP ALSO ADVISED VOLCHERT AND HER COLLEAGUES THAT THEY NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD THROUGHOUT THEIR COMMUNITIES.

"EVERYBODY THINKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING THIS $900 PER CHILD AND IT'S JUST NOT HAPPENING," SHE SAID.

LACHAPELLE WAS ALSO EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED, BUT NOT THAT SURPRISED. "THAT'S THE GOVERNMENT FOR YOU - TOTALLY, UTTERLY STUPID. THIS GRANDPARENT THING IS JUST ANOTHER BIG HOAX, ANOTHER BIG FAT LIE JUST TO GET PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR THEM."

VOLCHERT PLANS TO CONTINUE ADVOCATING FOR HER FELLOW GRANDPARENTS.

"WE'RE NOT GOING AWAY. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE AND ADVOCATE."

NIAGARA CENTRE MPP PETER KORMOS IS ALSO ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF AREA GRANDPARENTS.

"HE'S REALLY IRATE ABOUT IT," VOLCHERT SAID.

HE RECENTLY WROTE A LETTER TO CHAMBERS EXPRESSING HIS OUTRAGE.

"GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR HELP FROM THIS GOVERNMENT. TALK IS CHEAP, MINISTER," HE WROTE. "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE THIS A REAL PROGRAM RATHER THAN THE BAIT AND SWITCH THAT IT CURRENTLY IS?"