PRESS RELEASE: Arbitrary Relocation of Residents with Developmental Disabilities Due to Labour Dispute Violates Rights and Endangers Safety at Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS)

October 9, 2025

(Oakville, Ontario) - As parents and siblings of people living on Central West Specialized Developmental Services (CWSDS) properties, we are deeply concerned that decisions taken in response to the current labour dispute are violating the rights of our loved ones with developmental disabilities and endangering their physical and emotional safety. Residents were, without choice, relocated from their homes in Mississauga, Milton, Georgetown, and Burlington into one large Oakville facility without their usual services and supports to aid daily living. This sudden displacement, disruption, and uprooting from their homes and communities, is having harmful and significant impacts on residents with developmental disabilities, many of whom have complex care needs. 

Currently, all residents from CWSDS supportive living homes have been arbitrarily moved to one central location at 53 Bond Street in Oakville. “The plan to relocate all residents to one location means residents will be forced to live with strangers. They will lose the ability to take part in their daily activities and community programs that bring them joy, health, and connection.” — Rabia Khedr

The rights of people with disabilities are enshrined in provincial, federal, and international law. Ontario’s  Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities all affirm the inherent dignity, equality, and respect owed to people with disabilities. We will not allow these fundamental human rights to be dismissed or violated. People with developmental disabilities have the right to live with dignity and respect. The relocation of all residents to one congregated location without consent is a fundamental breach of trust and a severe violation of rights.

“It is unconscionable for people with disabilities, in violation of their rights and with the potential for devastating consequences, to be moved from their homes without their consent as a way to navigate an evolving labour dispute”, says Robert Lattanzio, Executive Director of ARCH Disability Law Centre. 

OPSEU Local 249 which represents the developmental support workers at all of CWSDS supportive living homes reports that on September 17, CWSDS management requested a “No Board” report to put the Employer in a legal lock out position as of October 09, 2025 at 12:01am.

CWSDS management will replace the highly trained and skilled locked-out workers with untrained and unfamiliar agency staff. This presents serious physical and emotional safety concerns for the residents who have been forced into 53 Bond Street. In addition, it is unclear if 53 Bond Street even meets fire code regulations for the significant increase in the number of persons who are now living there. Emails about health and safety at 53 Bond Street have been sent by concerned parents to CWSDS CEO Patricia Kyle, with no response.

Meanwhile, anecdotal reports indicate that locks have been changed at all CWSDS properties, further pointing to an imminent lock out on Thursday, October 9th.

Contacts:

Rabia Khedr 905-270-9679 

Alena Malina 775-771-2669

Sheree Burnett-Gualtieri 519 212-5614

Nancy Gamble 519-498-4559