Aid for mentally disabled adults cut if IQ over 70
'Interim' order quietly signed by premier, minister
Lindsay Kines
Times Colonist
July 24, 2008

The B.C. government has reversed course and quietly given itself the right to deny services to developmentally disabled adults with IQs over 70.

In a move critics say will put vulnerable young adults at risk, Premier Gordon Campbell and Childrens' Minister Tom Christensen signed an order making an IQ of 70 or under one of the criteria for receiving services.

The rule change allows government to get around a B.C. Court of Appeal ruling last year that found the province had no authority to turn its back on people simply because their IQ was above a certain threshold.

Only a few months ago, Christensen told reporters that changing the law to circumvent the court decision would be the wrong thing to do….

Coleman claims the new regulation is simply an "interim" measure…

But advocates are skeptical.

The B.C. Association for Community Living said it's been working with the government for months and received no warning of the rule change.

"This was done behind closed doors a while back and nobody's talked to us about it," executive director Laney Bryenton said….

NDP critic Nicholas Simons called the decision "another assault on people with developmental disabilities and their families." ... "It just flies in the face of what people in the community living sector have been asking for."