MEDIA RELEASE: S-CAP 11 Trial Starts on Monday, October 28

For Immediate Release: Oct. 24, 2013.
        
For Further Information Contact:  The  Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) at 249-878-7227
        
        S-CAP 11 trial starts on Monday, October 28th
        
        At 9:30am on Monday, Oct. 28th the trial of 11 members and supporters of the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) begins. The trial takes place in Committee Room 11 (C-11) at Tom Davies Square. The S-CAP 11 were charged with 'trespassing' on Nov. 9th 2012 for converting the waiting room of Liberal MPP Bartolucci (he was then also a cabinet minister) into a mock emergency homeless shelter to dramatize what the cut to the important Community Start Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) would lead to for people living in poverty. The S-CAP 11 are represented by lawyer Donald  Kuyek and are pleading not guilty to the charges.
        
        On October 18th six of the 11 members of the S-CAP 11 (the others were at work or out of the city) returned to Bartolucci's officed to ask three questions. Why did Bartolucci never respond to S-CAP on the repeated submissions of information to his office on how the cut to the CSUMB would affect people living in poverty? Why did he deceive people in Sudbury about the detrimental impact of this cut by suggesting it would lead to an "enhancement of services" rather than the significant cut it has led to? And finally why rather than come to speak to the people gathered in his office did he have us arrested instead? (see statement attached).  
        
        S-CAP and the S-CAP 11 are asking for all supporters to sit in the court room to show their support and to join the S-CAP 11 for a support rally and media event at the end of the proceedings for the day on Monday. On Monday court is scheduled to sit for half a day on this topic. The trial resumes on Thursday, Oct. 31st for a full day session and S-CAP and the S-CAP 11 are again urging supporters to attend the court proceedings and the support rally and media event at the end of the proceedings for that day.
        
        Contact:  The  Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) at 249-878-7227    
        
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        S-CAP 11 Statement for Friday October 18th, 2013:
        
        We are here today hoping that our call for the restoration of the Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit as a provincially funded program will finally be heard by Mr. Bartolucci and the Liberal government.  This was a vital benefit for those on the Ontario Disability Support Program and on Ontario Works.  It was the only fund available to maintain housing, prevent homelessness, to allow women and children to flee violence and abuse and to establish new housing.  
        
        We, the S-CAP 11, have some questions for Mr. Bartolucci.  We want to know why Mr. Bartolucci has not responded to any of the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty’s requests to talk to us about the cut to the CSUMB?  S-CAP and supporters were here for almost an hour in April 2012 shortly after the cut was announced in the provincial budget.  We delivered statements from people personally affected by the cut and from S-CAP.  These were left here and we did not leave the office until they were faxed to Mr. Bartolucci at Queen’s Park with the clear request that he respond to our concerns.  He never did!
        
        We, the S-CAP 11, would also like to know why Mr. Bartolucci deceived people by arguing that the cut to the CSUMB would result in “more effectiveness of the delivery of the program.”  More effectiveness for whom?  Certainly not for those who are now having difficulties  accessing community start up funding and whose needs are being ignored.  Despite this cut to the CSUMB, Mr. Bartolucci claimed that there would be “no reduction in services”.  He even argued that “there is an enhancement of services” and that people would get “more bang for your buck.”  What has happened since then completely contradicts what Bartolucci stated on the day of our arrest.
        
        Our arrests were part of a wave of protests across the province against the cut to the CSUMB and as a result the provincial government was even forced to recognize that this would be a significant cut that would hurt vulnerable people and they had to allocate an extra $42 million to the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) funding for 2013 to replace the CSUMB program. In Sudbury S-CAP and allies have had to fight hard to maintain CSUMB rates and polices for CHPI. This past spring the City tried to slash exceptional circumstances funding for CHPI funding until S-CAP and our allies turned this back. There is now a patch-work of different support programs across the province. What you get depends on where you live as the universality of this social program has been destroyed. And the City of Sudbury is planning for major cuts to CHPI funding in 2014 as the $42 million runs out. So we ask Mr. Bartolucci why did you intentionally deceive people about the impact of this cut?
        
        Lastly, why rather than talk to us did Mr. Bartolucci allow us to be arrested last November 9th?  We were here in this constituency office to speak with you, Mr. Bartolucci, about a very important issue.  You were in the backroom, and were aware of us being here.  But instead of coming out to talk to us, you decided to let the police arrest us.  Mr. Bartolucci you stated at the time that “in a democracy, governments have a right to make decisions that we believe to be in the best interests of the people involved”.  How do you know anything about what is in our best interests and those of others affected by the cut of the CSUMB if you will not even come out to speak with us?
        
        The struggle to restore the CSUMB continues and Mr. Bartolucci we hope you are finally listening!