The Ontario government’s $11 million budget investment in interpreter and intervenor services will help provide more service to people who need it, improve the quality of services and improve wages to attract and keep people who provide interpreter and intervenor services.
The government funds non-profit agencies such as the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) for interpreter services for people who are deaf, deafened or hard-of-hearing, and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association (CDBRA) for intervenor services for people who are deafblind.
This year the Ontario government is committing $27.3 million for interpreter and intervenor services. This is nearly 65 per cent more than the previous year’s funding of $16.3 million.
This funding will:
- Enhance direct service available for individuals who are deafblind
- Improve wages for interpreters and intervenors
- Support efforts to make these services easier to access and quicker to book
- Improve training.
Agencies that provide these services will also receive a two per cent increase. The government will also explore opportunities to increase the availability of French sign language interpreters and intervenors in the coming year.
In addition, the government is investing $1.9 million to the Canadian Hearing Society, in partnership with the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association, to develop the interpreter and intervenor services database. This funding is through the Strengthening Our Partnerships program under the Ministry of Finance. The new database will improve services for people who use interpreters and intervenors by making services faster and easier to find and to book.