Krista Carr, executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada, met with Lloydminster’s Robin Acton, president of Inclusion Canada, last Wednesday to thank area residents for their support for persons with intellectual disabilities and their families. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
The arrival of Krista Carr, executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada in Lloydminster, was well-timed and heralded.
Carr was in town last Wednesday to help Inclusion Canada President and local resident, Robin Acton, thank local donors and supporters of Inclusion Lloydminster.
She showed up the day after Parliament passed Bill C-22 to create the first-ever Canada Disability Benefit.
The benefit will extend to persons with intellectual disabilities supported by the inclusive federation of local, provincial and federal levels of Inclusive Canada.
“It is an incredibly historic, I think, exciting moment for people with disabilities in Canada. It’s been a long time coming,” said Carr.
“We know the poverty rates of people with disabilities are huge and very disproportionate to the rest of the population.”
In fact, 73 per cent of working-age adults with an intellectual disability live in poverty.
“As the parent of a young woman with a disability, I know the benefit will have a significant and lasting impact on the financial security of individuals with an intellectual disability across the country,” said Acton in the news announcement.
The government has committed to sit at the table with persons with disabilities and respective organizations to fine-tune the benefit details including payment amounts and eligibility criteria.
“There’s lots of hard work still to do, but we’re pretty excited about it,” said Carr, who lives in New Brunswick.
She was invited by Acton to the Lloyd appreciation event along with the two co-chairs of the Inclusion Canada Foundation, including city residents, Zuhy Sayeed and Claudia Semaniuk from B.C.
“We’re here to meet with people who’ve been supporting us for several years, basically to say ‘thank you,’” said Acton.
“We have a small event planned Thursday evening (June 22) and beyond that we are going to be meeting with Inclusion Lloydminster.”
Acton was a former president of the local organization before becoming the national president.
“My focus when Krista’s here is mostly Inclusion Canada, but my roots never leave me. I’m a Lloydminsterite.”
Acton says being a former president of Inclusion Lloydminster enables her to see what happens at Inclusion Canada, which makes a difference on the ground in Lloydminster and vice-versa.
“We are all trying to go in the same direction,” she said.
Carr thinks Lloydminster is quite progressive with what has been accomplished here for persons with intellectual disabilities.
“I think that’s very much due to the strength of the local association here in Lloydminster and all of the families and individuals that are involved,” said Carr.
She says they’ve made some amazing strides in our community and have got a lot of community support for the efforts they have made.
Carr highlighted the work of the Lloydminster U13 Blazer female hockey team. They won Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup in the 2021-22 season by advocating for a new rink that is barrier-free and accessible for para hockey.
“So the Good Deeds Cup work around the arena is one example, but there’s been lots of other examples around employment and building an inclusive community right here in Lloydminster,” explained Carr.
She says that type of involvement makes Lloydminster a model for inclusivity and also a model around how well all levels in the Inclusive Canada Federation can work together.
She also pointed out there have been three national presidents from Lloydminster, which she says speaks to the work done here and the progressive nature of the work.
For more information on Inclusion Lloydminster, visit www.inclusionlloydminster.com
