June 26, 2025
 
As we prepare to celebrate Canada Day, we want to take a moment to reflect on what it means to live in a country that values human rights, dignity, and inclusion – and how Karis Disability Services is actively contributing to that vision.
 
At Karis, we believe that all people are created in God’s image, with inherent dignity and human rights. Everybody is worthy of the support and access they need to thrive in community and pursue their goals as full citizens. Our core values serve as the foundation of our advocacy work across Canada, in Ontario and Saskatchewan, and in the local communities where we live and work.
 
Here are just a few ways we’ve been living out these values through advocacy:
 
National Advocacy
  • On June 25th, we co-hosted a webinar with the  Our Voices Matter Council  to explore the potential impact of the Canada Disability Benefit on people supported by Karis and others across the country. You can watch the recording of this webinar here: Canada Disability Benefit Webinar. 
  • Through our membership in  OASIS and Community Living Ontario (CLO), Karis was represented in letters to the newly elected Prime Minister, calling for a future with a dedicated Cabinet Minister for Persons with Disabilities and urgent action on the developmental services waitlist.  

 Provincial Advocacy 

  • Janet Noel-Annable, our Chief Executive Officer, continues to represent Karis on our sector’s advocacy strategy committee alongside leaders from OASIS, CLO, and CLTO. 
  • Eugene Versteeg, our Senior Vice President, represented Karis at  CLO’s Day at the Legislature on May 27th, meeting with Minister Michael Parsa to advocate for increased investment to address the 52,000 people waiting for services in Ontario. 
  • Dwayne Milley, our Vice President of Operations, recently met with Minister Michael Parsa to describe the importance of investing in Community Participation Supports, along with our growing partnerships with colleges (highlighting Humber College) in education for people with disabilities.  

Local Engagement 

  • Our Belongathon event on June 7th brought together community members and local politicians to raise awareness about the importance of belonging and the urgent need for accessible supports. We heard positive feedback from them about how the event has grown, and they expressed gratitude that our Family Camps are also supporting families waiting for services.  
  • We’re celebrating an Ontario-wide billboard campaign through Waiting to Belong (waiting2belong.ca) that aims to spark public conversations about the developmental services waitlist crisis. 
  • Through the Waiting to Belong campaign, we’re developing a new public service announcement (PSA) to amplify the voices of people still waiting for the supports they need. 

On Canada Day, we celebrate not only the country we live in, but the work we are doing together to make it more inclusive, more just, and more responsive to the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a Karis team, your contributions to this advocacy are appreciated and we thank you!  

For more information about this article, please contact communications@karis.org.