2 0 1 6 — S P R I N G
E D I T I O N
The Advocate
Y O U R
C O M M U N I T Y
C O N N E C T I O N
Syrian Refugees Get to ‘Check it Out’
Since 2009, Terry King, Resource Teacher at Community Living Hamilton, has been involved with ‘Check It Out’,
drop-in sessions that are open to families with children from ages 0-6.
The sessions are held throughout the City of Hamilton and include various professionals such as speech language
pathologists, public health nurses, mental health workers, and resource teachers, all of whom are all available to
collaborate to assist with any concerns families may have. Referrals can be made to other professionals such as
occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dental hygienists, as well as behavior management groups.
“I have enjoyed collaborating with various community partners and other disciplines and I have personally learned
a lot from them. We have been a team for some time and work well together,” said Terry, about her
participation in Check it Out.
During the last week of January, Terry was involved with an emergency Check
It Out session that was arranged specifically for the influx of Syrian refugees
who arrived in the Hamilton area.
The event was arranged over a 48-hour period and was specially tailored for
the refugee children. Several interpreters were brought in, forms were made
available in Arabic, and a large number of professionals were brought in, with
specialties in mental health, special needs resourcing, dental hygiene, nursing,
and of course, resource teachers.
Terry King has been a Resource
Teacher with Community Living
Hamilton for over 35 years.
Families were welcomed and had an opportunity to ask questions about their
children’s needs and development. The onsite gymnasium was available for the
children to play and early childhood educators were on hand to engage with
the children.
The goal of the day was to help connect families with the resources their children would need within the
community and expose the families to services available to them.
Terry said another session for Syrian refuges will be offered when the families become more settled in Hamilton
and barriers have been addressed. She noted that families who attended the session in January enjoyed the social
aspect of the day.
A special thanks to Terry King for being a part of this much-needed service in
Hamilton. This is just another way we are Helping Build Great Lives.
The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
York Program Shows Off Renovations
The York Program continues to
transform their space at 191 York Blvd.
The program has recently added walls,
created an exercise space, and game
tables. The program also hosted an Open
House for Unsworth staff and clients,
families and friends. York clients
welcomed everyone with tours of the
program and a pasta lunch.
See more photos of the Open House on
the next page.
A new wall was constructed and an entertainment area and exercise
area were added in the York Program.
Scott, of the York Program, shows off the new space at 191 York
Blvd.
Games and creative arts are part of
the everyday activities at the York
Program.
Randa, one of the York Program tour guides, was happy to welcome
families and friends.
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
York Program Shows Off at an Open House
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Employee & Volunteer
Recognition Evening
Join us as we celebrate Employees & Volunteers
who achieved milestone years of service in 2015.
SAVE THE DATE
THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2016
Courtyard Marriott
1224 Upper James St.
Congratulations to all Employees and
Volunteers who Achieved Milestone Years of
Service in 2015!
5 Years-Employees
Bethany Newman
10 Years-Employees
Marie Allan
Shane Case
Nancy Clarke
Cessi Dirienzo
Nancy Oommen
Betty-Jean Taylor
Margaret Williams
15 Years-Employees
Linda Boucher
Frank Caprani
Gary Consunji
Elaine Gordon
Vincent Hoang
Noel Ocampo
Mary Sicurella
Irene Wenzel
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20 Years-Employees
Evelyn Jansen
Andrea Lewis
Brenda McLaughlin
25 Years-Employees
Linda Alaimo
Karen Bouverat
Joanne Brown
Steve Mesaglio
30 Years-Employee
Alison Binns
Kelly Stewart
35 Years-Employee
Karen Almas
Paul Noon
5 Years-Volunteers
Ololade Arinfemiwa
Lori Broughton
Kim Cote
Peter Jones
10 Years-Volunteers
Tina Cheeseman
45 Years-Volunteers
Jessie Poulton
Retirees
Janet Monahan
Anna Romanchych
The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Initiative Earns Drew a Job Closer to Home
Drew Wade started working on the HSR Crew in 2012
where he worked for 10 years until the HSR contract
ended. Upon which time Drew started attending the
York Program to develop his employment skills.
In 2014 Drew decided he wanted to pursue his goal of
competitive employment. Drew applied and was
successful in attending The Taking Aim Program. As
part of this program he got classroom experience,
unpaid work experiences, job development and on the
job coaching and support.
Drew was successfully employed by Wendy’s for his lot
and lobby skills, some of his duties included sweeping,
mopping, garbage and degreasing the drive thru. For
Drew to work at this Wendy’s location it required him
to take 3 buses and 2 hours to get there but he did it 3
times a week and was never late. Drew worried what
this trip would be like come the winter months. Drew
began distributing his resume independently to local
businesses closer to home without telling anyone. He
was successfully employed by Tim Horton’s closer to
home where he performs lot and lobby duties 5 days a
week 7am-10am. On February 15, 2016 Drew was
offered additional hours and duties because of his outstanding work ethic Drew now works
Monday to Friday 7am- Noon. He continues to do lot and lobby duties but now also cleans
inside the restaurant.
One of Drew’s newest successes was on March 4, 2016 he was awarded a Tim Horton’s Gift
Card from the corporate head office, they had received a email from a customer at Drew’s
location complimenting him on the outstanding work he does and how welcoming and
friendly he is every morning.
Drew says there is lots of positives to working in the community some of them being “
making money and helping the community”.
What Drew likes the best about his job is “working outside and being able to talk to people”.
What Drew likes best about having a Community Placement Specialist is “helps me be
successful, job coaches me so I understand everything”.
-Leslie Smith, Employment Supports
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Overcoming Barriers and Achieving Goals
In 2009, Laura Kaler was married with a child. Laura was on ODSP
Income Supports and was looking for a job. Laura had, had several
part-time jobs but none had been long lasting.
This is where Laura’s employment begins.
Laura has Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and chronic
depression. For Laura, the GAD and depression affects the way
she sees herself, often causing her to misinterpret what others are
saying, and impacts her self perception.
Laura came to Employment Access and started where all our clients
start, with our employment assessment classes. Laura did well in
balancing her home and family commitments to attend classes.
When she became pregnant with her second child, her goal of
finding employment was put on hold.
Laura returned to Employment Access with a new addition to her
family and she was more determined than ever to find employment.
Laura participated in an Unpaid Work Experience at the Drop and
Shop. With the support of Community Living Hamilton, Laura acquired her First Aid/CPR,
WHMIS, and through Employment Hamilton, an Excellence in Customer Service Skills
Certificate.
Laura then decided to focus on food services. At Boston Pizza, Laura was involved in food
preparation, portioning, and dishwashing. At Wendy’s, Laura challenged herself by working
with the public, taking customer orders and working on cash. Both work experiences had
different challenges for Laura; the first day jitters, meeting new people, being required to wear
a uniform that was different from everyone else’s, wearing a hat and hairnet.These would
cause anyone to feel uncomfortable but for Laura, it caused her a great deal of anxiety, and
almost kept her from moving forward on her employment journey.
With the help of her Community Placement Specialist, they worked together to create coping
tools to help her through anxious moments. Laura was ready for employment.
In 2011, Laura got a job at a popular restaurant in Jackson Square, working in the kitchen.
Laura demonstrated that she did not require her Community Placement Specialist to visit her
at work however she reached out for support and assistance in interpreting workplace
situations.
“It feels good to have a lot more money. I enjoy the steady employment and all that it allows
me. I’m no longer worrying about when and how I will find a decent job. Even though my
family situation has changed, I still have balance in my life and maintain good relationships with
my children. I have found Employment Access has really given me the help and support I
needed. Thank You.”
-Ann Manning, Employment Supports
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Happy 70th Birthday to Don at Delancey!!
Don Macpherson, a resident at Delancey, recently
celebrated his 70th birthday with family and friends
which took place at East Side Marios on February
11th, 2016.
As part of Don's PDP goal it was important for him
to cordially invite his family and friends to celebrate
his 70th birthday party, which he has successfully
completed.
Donald with perfection, wrote several crafty invites
and mailed them out to his family and friends. We
had a total of 25 people who rsvp'd.
During Donald's celebration dinner he received
a Community living Hamilton plaque, that states " Community Living would like to wish Don
Macpherson, a Happy 70th birthday
and hope that he countinues to live,
laugh and love for many years to
come". This plaque was very
symbolic for Don and meant a lot to
him.
Malanie Dani & Dee Peebles are
very proud of all of Donald's
accomplishments and wishes him
nothing but happiness, peace and
prosperity. "He will always be our
rock that holds our Delancey family
together."
Interested in Being a CLH Board Member?
We are always pleased to receive applications from people who
want to join our Board of Directors. If you’re interested in
joining our Board please let us know.
You can call our main office and ask to speak with Danielle
Meville; Danielle will have one of our current Board members
call you back. Or, if you’d like, you can forward a letter of
interest and your resume to [email protected].
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Patti Harvey Becomes a Mohawk Advisor
Congratulations to Patti Harvey, Community Living Hamilton’s
Coordinator, Recruitment and Onboarding for becoming a
member of the Social Service Worker Advisory Committee at
Mohawk College. The committee enables Mohawk College to
ensure high academic standards needed to prepare students for
the workplace.
Patti was invited by the college to join the committee because
of her wealth of knowledge and experience she has gained
while working at Community Living Hamilton. For over 30
P a tti Har ve y ha s b een a
years, Patti has been an instrumental piece of the organization’s
Community Living Hamilton
employee for over 30 years.
success. Patti began her tenure at CLH working with children at
Charlton and currently manages a full Human Resources
portfolio that includes all aspects of recruitment and onboarding of all CLH staff,
management of the volunteer program and Best Buddies program, coordination of
incoming student placements, and also volunteers with CLH activities such as the United
Way Committee.
Congratulations Patti! We are proud to have you represent Community Living Hamilton.
Around the Bay with Patrick and Clare
"That's the most fun I've had in long time" said a happy
but tired Patrick Keddie as he held up his finisher's
medal for the camera after finishing the 5KM walk in The
Around The Bay Road Race on Sunday, April 3rd.
Patrick was accompanied by Clare Sandig, an employee
of Community Living Hamilton. The two of them
finished the race in fifty-two minutes which was pretty
quick, considering the weather conditions and the
thousands of other racers they had to contend with.
The Around The Bay Road Race is the oldest race
in North America and now attracts over 11,000
racers each year. After the race Patrick and Clare
warmed up over cups of coffee at nearby Tim
Horton's and discussed plans to participate in next
year's race.
Congratulations Patrick and Clare!
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Best Buddies Wraps Up For Another Year
The Best Buddies have been busy again this
year. Activities included the annual Meet
and Greet, Halloween and Christmas
events, and of course the Hoop It Up
fundraising event at McMaster University.
The Carnival-themed wrap up event took
place in mid-March.
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Did You Live at Any of the Following Institutions or Know Someone Who Did?
St. Lawrence Regional Centre
Between
April 1, 1975 - June 30, 1983
Oxford Regional Centre
Between April 1, 1974 - March 31, 1996
or in the “Mental Retardation Unit” or “MR
Unit” between
January 1, 1969 - March 31, 1974
Durham Centre for Developmentally
Handicapped
Between
April 1, 197 - September 28, 1986
Northwestern Regional Centre
Between April 1, 1974 - March 31, 1994
L.N. Penrose Centre
Between
April 1, 1974 - March 21, 1977
D’Arcy Place
Midwestern Regional
Centre
Between September 1, 1963 March 31, 1998
Adult Occupational Centre
Between January 1, 1996 March 31, 1999
Muskoka Centre
Between August 28, 1973 June 30, 1993
Prince Edward Heights
Between January 1, 1971 December 31, 1999
Bluewater Centre
Between April 1, 1976 December 20, 1983
Pine Ridge
Between September 1, 1963 August 31, 1984
Between
Sept. 1, 1963 - December 31, 1996
A Lawsuit and Proposed Settlement May Affect You
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice
decided that a class action on behalf of
people who lived at the above institutions is
allowed to go forward. There is also a
proposed settlement to end the class action.
What is this case about?
The lawsuit says the Province of Ontario
failed to properly care for and protect
people who lived at the Institutions. The
Province of Ontario denies these claims. The
parties have reached a proposed settlement
to end the lawsuit.
If you are having a difficult time dealing with
these issues, you can call 1-866-442-4465
(TTY: 1-877-627-7027)/
Are you included:
You are included in this lawsuit if:
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
You lived at one or more of the Institutions between the dates listed above and
were alive as of June 16, 2012: or

You are an estate trustee of someone
who lived at one of the Institutions but
who died after June 16, 2012.
Who represents the former residents?
The Court has appointed Koskie Minsky LLP
(KM LLP) to represent the former residents
as a Class.
The proposed Settlement
The proposed settlement includes:
 An approximately $35.9 million settlement fund;
 A paper based claims process that will
not require anyone to testify in court;
and
 A release by class members of all claims
against the Province of Ontario stemming
from the Institutions.
The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Further Details Related to Class Action Lawsuit
Compensation and Legal Fees
Stay in the Class Action but Object to the
Settlement: If you want to stay in the lawuit
but don’t want the settlement approved, you
can object to the settlement. If you want to
object to the settlement, you have to write
to the Court and tell them why. You must
send your written objection to the Class
Action Administrtor. You can ask to talk at
the court hearing on April 25, 2016.
If the settlement is approved by the court,
there will be a claims process allowing
former residents who are part of the Class
to ask for compensation.
KM LLP agreed that it would only be paid if
there was a settlement or a successful
judgement. KM LLP will seek the court’s
approval of its legal fees of $3.7 million plus
$481,000 for taxes.
Approval Hearing
All payments to the class members will come
from the settlement, after payment of legal The settlement, claims process and counsel
fees, tax and a mandatory payment to the fees are subject to court approval. The
Class Proceedings Fund of $2.9 million.
approval hearing shall be heard on April 25,
2016 at the Superior Court of Justice in
Your legal rights and options
Toronto, ON. Class members may attend
the hearing. Any class members who wish to
Do Nothing: be doing nothing you object to the proposed settlement should
automatically stay in the class action and wait provide written notice of the objection to
to see if the settlement is approved on April the Claims Administrator by April 4, 2016.
25, 2016. You can then make a claim if the
settlement is approved. Staying in this class
Contact Information
will not impact the residence or supports
received from community-based agencies If you need more information or wish to
which are funded by Ontario.
object, please contact the Class Action
Administrator, toll-free, at 1-866-442-4465
Get Out of the Class Action: if you do not or TTY: 1-877-627-7027, write to Schedule I
want to be part of the settlement and want Class Action Administrator, 3-505, 133
to keep your rights and sue Ontario Weber Street North, Waterloo, Ontario,
individually over the claims in this case, you N2J 3G9, or by email at:
need to remove yourself. If you remove [email protected].
yourself, you cannot get money from this
lawsuit. To ask to be removed, send a letter
Getting Notice to Former Residents
to the Class Action Administrator,
postmarked no later than April 15, 2016 Family members, caregivers and friends of
that says you want to be removed from former residents are asked to help in getting
Clegg v. Province of Ontario. Include your information to former residents. Please show
name, address, telephone number, and this notice to people who are impacted by
signature. You can also get an Opt Out Form this lawsuit or their caregivers.
at www.schedule1facilities.ca.
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The Advocate - 2016 - Spring Edition
Another Successful United Way Campaign
This year’s United Way campaign was a big success!
We had a 50/50 raffle, Dress Down Fridays, Pajama Days,
International Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, Muffin Sales, Guess the
Gumballs, a Spaghetti Dinner and don't forget about the Dances
and Karaoke parties! Our goal this year was $10,000 and we are
thrilled to say that we beat it!
Our 2015 United Way campaign raised $11,174!
Congratulations and Thank you to everyone at Community Living
Hamilton for helping us reach and exceed our goal!
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