Opening Doors Magazine

Treasury Board President, Joan Marie Aylward, held a reception today to recognize the production of the magazine "Opening Doors to Success", which promotes public service employees with disabilities. "I am very pleased today to celebrate the production of this magazine which highlights some of our public service employees with disabilities, who began their careers in the public service through the Opening Doors Program," said the minister.

The Opening Doors Program was introduced by government in the late 1980s to increase the number of persons with disabilities employed in our public service and has continued to be supported by government. The program currently comprises 55 permanent positions throughout departments across the province. In the last provincial budget, an additional $600,000 was added to the budget of Treasury Board�s Employment Equity and Strategic Initiatives Division over the next three years for the Opening Doors Program. This increases the total budget for the program to $2.6 million. It also reaffirms government�s commitment to the employment of persons with disabilities by increasing to 75 the number of permanent, full-time employment opportunities for members of this employment equity group in the public sector of our province.

The minister said employing persons with disabilities is an investment in our people. "It is an investment that is helping to create a public service that is representative of the public we serve and it is an investment that provides people with disabilities the opportunity to become fully productive and contributing members of our society," said the minister. "The Opening Doors Program has assisted people with disabilities to pursue their careers in the public service and demonstrates how our departments have benefited from the skills and knowledge these employees have brought to the workplace. It is my hope this magazine will be an employment equity educational resource, bringing our public service one step closer to that time when the Opening Doors Program is no longer necessary."

Media contact: Glenn Bruce, Communications, (709) 729-6793.

2002 03 14                          1:35 p.m.