2025 Election Engagement Toolkit & Templates
Since its launch last autumn, the #WaitingToBelong campaign has highlighted the unacceptable barriers faced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the Developmental Services waitlists, a situation exacerbated by decades of government underfunding. These obstacles prevent access to essential supports such as housing, employment, and community connections.
A central focus of the campaign so far has been sharing personal and local stories from people, families, agencies, and staff, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate government action.
With Ontario currently in the middle of an early election, your voice is more crucial than ever.
With this in mind OASIS and Community Living Ontario have worked to create a tool kit, which can be found HERE.
The kit is designed to empower OASIS and Community Living Ontario member agencies and allies to effectively raise critical issues facing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families during the 2025 Ontario Election.
This guide offers clear, step-by-step instructions to help you engage with the election process, ensuring that the unique challenges of our community are prominently featured in discussions with candidates and parties.
In a typical election cycle, our sector faces difficulty in gaining the attention it deserves. Given the current global circumstances, this task is even more daunting. Which makes it even more critical that as many as possible participate, and as many as possible vote.
People, families, and local member agencies can provide a non-partisan perspective to representatives of all parties on the importance of our priorities, hopefully secure commitments of support, and help establish a network of new and revitalized relationships with candidates who may soon serve in the Ontario Legislature.
By participating in this process, you are not only amplifying the sector’s priorities from a local perspective but also demanding that the next government commit to meaningful action, increased funding, and comprehensive support for those affected by long wait times. Together, let’s ensure that the needs of people with developmental disabilities—and the families and agencies that support them—remain a central focus of Ontario’s future.
In Addition to the Full Kit, Please find the Links to the Individual Templates, Key Messages and Q&As below