On April 29th, 2012 Guy Mitchell was found dead in a cistern located on the property of the assisted living home where he had lived for nearly 30 years. Inside the house there was no heat or running water. Toilets and tubs were overflowing with human waste, feces smeared on the walls, floors and furniture. The smell was overpowering. The home was run under the oversight of CHOICES, a non profit, that is geared towards supporting adults with developmental delays.

Multiple complaints and concerns involving the well-being of the three developmentally delayed people residing at the home went unchecked. Despite several months of complaints and the fact that the SPCA removed animals from the property for neglect and the Children's Aid Society had removed vulnerable children from the home due to poor care, they only opened an investigation into the home after they received pictures of the squalor inside. Two days before his death his case worker from Choices visited the home and gave it a passing grade, even after receiving complaints of soiled clothing, moldy and expired lunches and unexplained injuries. None of these agencies made a report to the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

The Jurors at the recent inquest into the death of Guy Mitchell have come up with a list of 16 recommendations to prevent something like this from happening again. They can be read HERE.

Current legislation does not have adequate protection for adults with disabilities. We need your help in pushing the government and the agencies involved to adopt these recommendations and force legislation to protect our vulnerable. Six other Provinces already have legislation to protect vulnerable adults while Ontario has nothing. Adults with disabilities are 2 to 4 more times more likely to be abused than members of the general population.

Please sign this petition and email your MPP (find your MPP HERE) as well as email the relevant agencies listed below. Feel free to use the letter provided below.

publichealth@hamilton.ca, mballantyne@oacas.org, attorneygeneral@ontario.ca, jeanne.joly@ontario.ca, cbeesley@communitylivingontario.ca, president@oasisonline.ca, vicepresidentED@oasisonline.ca, kwynne.mpp@liberal.ola.org, jim.wilson@pc.ola.org,swong.mpp@liberal.ola.org, tmaccharles.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org, hjaczek.mpp@liberal.ola.org

I am writing you today to discuss the recommendations made at the inquest into the death of Guy Mitchell. The jurors have recommended 16 urgently needed changes to prevent events like these from happening in the future. They can be found here:

https://app.box.com/MItchellJuryRecommendations

Unfortunately similar instances have occurred before and will continue to happen until policy makers and the government implement the recommendations.



On April 29th, 2012, Guy Mitchell was found dead in a cistern on the property of his assisted living home. The police found the inside of the home covered in feces, toilets and tubs overflowing with human waste, and no heat or running water. Numerous complaints were made to multiple agencies before Guy's death regarding his care, soiled clothing, moldy lunches, and unexplained injuries. They either responded inappropriately or didn't have the legislation needed to ensure adults with developmental delays are protected. His death could have been prevented.



Current legislation does not have adequate protection for adults with disabilities. Adults with disabilities are 2 to 4 more times more likely to be abused than members of the general population. Six other Provinces already have legislation to protect vulnerable adults while Ontario has nothing. The Canadian Charter of Right says:

"15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability."



Why then, are we not protecting our vulnerable adults in the same capacity as our children and youth?



We urge you to establish a working group in consultation with Community Living Ontario, Host Family Coordinators Association, People First, Provincial Network on Developmental Services, The Ministry of Community of Social Services and any other stakeholders as a first step to policy reform.

Furthermore, we urge government, the ministry and the agencies they oversee to adopt the recommendations of the jury in full. We urge the government to create and revise legislation that protects vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect, as outlined in the recommendations.

Guy will never be forgotten. His death should never have happened. His life mattered.