Update, October 27, 2026
A new government. The same mission.
When we started advocating for Autistic and non-Autistic disabled children in BC, the NDP was in power. Now our province will be governed by the BC Conservatives.
Who's in government doesn't change our mission. Our community-funded legal opinion with Arvay Finlay LLP continues, and we will keep advocating until every disabled child has the support they need.
We know many of you are worried about funding, and about more than just funding. Disabled children's rights are human rights, and our community includes Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ children and families. Their rights matter to us too.
Here is what we know in regard to funding
- The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has postponed its information sessions on the BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit. No new dates yet.
- No new changes to the Benefit, the Supplement, School Aged Extended Therapy or Autism Funding have been officially announced.
- Until the new cabinet is sworn in, ministry staff can't speak to the new government's plans.
That is why, before the election, we asked the leader of every party with seats in the legislature to put their plans in writing.
What Lorne Doerkson told us in writing
Lorne Doerkson replied that a Conservative government will extend the Autism Funding Program for at least one year, as families know it today. Every child receiving funding keeps it, and children diagnosed after the election are eligible on the same terms.
He did not answer our questions about the Benefit and Supplement. We asked him twice whether children who qualify for them, including children with disabilities other than Autism, will keep that support. We are still waiting.
- Autism Funding extended for at least one year
- Every child receiving it keeps it
- Children diagnosed after the election are eligible
- Will children who qualify for the Benefit and Supplement, including children with disabilities other than Autism, keep that support?
We asked twice. We're still waiting.
Half of an answer is not good enough.
Autism Funding on its own is only half the answer. We'll keep asking until every family knows where their child stands.
Disabled children's rights are human rights.
The record
His full reply, and the questions we asked, are below. Sharing it is not an endorsement. It is a record of what was promised, and of what was left unanswered.
Our letter to Lorne Doerkson
Sent October 17, 2026, 11:24 a.m.
Dear Mr. Doerkson,
We are Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society, a parent-led, cross-disability advocacy group made up of families from across the province, including rural communities.
On October 16, 2026, your party's "Get BC Moving" release committed to extend the Autism Funding Program and to review the move of Autism support to the Children and Youth Disability Benefit (CYDB) and the Children and Youth Disability Supplement (CYDS). Families are reading that sentence right now. Many of them will vote in advance polls, which close on October 21.
We are asking you to set out, in writing and before advance voting ends, the details behind that commitment. Specifically:
- How long would the Autism Funding Program be extended, and which children would it cover? Would a child diagnosed after the election be eligible?
- What would the annual cost be, and where will that figure appear in your costed platform?
- Would every child who now qualifies for the CYDB or CYDS, including children with disabilities other than Autism, keep that support during and after the review?
- Who would carry out the review, and on what timeline? Would Autistic and disabled people and their families take part, and would the findings be published?
This matters because families plan therapy, support workers and school arrangements months ahead, and families should know the answers to these questions before they vote.
We will publish your written answer in full. If a short call with one of our parent volunteers would be easier, we can arrange that at short notice.
We would be grateful for your reply by Tuesday, October 20.
Sincerely,
Director, Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society
Lorne Doerkson's reply
Received October 18, 2026, 9:31 p.m.
Hi [name removed],
Please find below a response to your inquiry from Lorne Doerkson, Leader of the Conservative Party of BC:
Dear Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society,
Thank you for writing, and for the work your families do every day for children across this province. You asked direct questions before advance voting closes, so here is a direct answer.
A Conservative Party of BC government will extend the existing Autism Funding Program for at least one year. The program would continue as families know it today: every child receiving funding keeps it, and a child diagnosed after the election is eligible on the same terms as a child diagnosed before it.
Alongside the extension, we will increase disability assistance by $100 a month, with annual reviews so it keeps pace, and raise the single-person earnings exemption to $30,000.
Every commitment in our platform is costed, and the full costing will be published before election day so families can see the numbers for themselves.
Families plan therapy, support workers and school arrangements months ahead. You should be able to plan around a government that keeps its word. When I make a promise to British Columbians, I keep it.
All the best,
Lorne Doerkson
Leader of the Conservative Party of BC
Our follow-up: asking a second time
Sent October 18, 2026, 11:23 p.m.
Dear Mr. Doerkson,
Thank you for your prompt reply. It clarifies three important points for families: the Autism Funding Program would continue for at least one year, every child currently receiving funding would keep it, and children diagnosed after the election would be eligible on the same terms.
Three questions remain. A short response to each would help families before advance voting closes on October 21.
- Would the new Disability Benefit and Supplement continue alongside Autism Funding, so children who qualify for them, including children with disabilities other than Autism, keep that support?
- When would the one-year extension start, and would the review of the transition be finished and published before it ends? For reference, the Autism Funding Program is scheduled to end on March 31, 2027.
- How does the $200 million in your platform cover these commitments?
Your platform allocates $200 million a year at full implementation for "Support children and families who need our help" (page 62). Our calculations raise questions:
- Based on the 132,236 disability assistance cases reported for August 2026, a $100 monthly increase would cost about $159 million a year if paid once per case.
- That would leave about $41 million of the $200 million for the Autism Funding extension, rural supports, the higher earnings exemption and the change to spousal income rules.
- Your platform allocates only $20 million in new spending to this line in 2027/28, reaching $200 million a year in 2030/31 (Table B1, pages 64 and 65).
- Budget 2026 counts on repurposing $170 million of existing program funding in 2027/28, including direct funding, as programs like Autism Funding are phased out (Table 1.2.3).
How much of the $200 million is allocated to each commitment, and what existing funding would be kept or redirected to pay for the Autism Funding extension while maintaining the new disability benefits?
Thank you again for your responsiveness. We would appreciate a written reply before advance voting closes on October 21.
Sincerely,
Director, Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society
Our letters to the other parties
We also wrote to the leaders of the BC NDP and the BC Green Party on October 19, 2026. We have not received a reply from either party. Both letters are below.
Our letter to David Eby, BC NDPSent October 19, 2026, 12:57 a.m.
Please forward to the Leader's office and the campaign media team. Time sensitive: response requested by Tuesday, October 20.
Dear Premier Eby,
We are Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society, a parent-led, cross-disability advocacy group made up of families from across the province, including rural communities. We are asking each party with seats in the legislature about its plans for Autism and disability funding before advance voting closes on October 21.
Your government's current plan ends the Autism Funding Program on March 31, 2027, and transitions families to the Children and Youth Disability Benefit and the Children and Youth Disability Supplement. Your election platform has not clarified whether your government would reconsider this transition if re-elected.
Families are making decisions now about therapy, support workers and school arrangements for next spring. They need to know what financial support they can expect.
Other parties have now set out their positions. Lorne Doerkson replied to us in writing on October 18, confirming that a Conservative government would extend the existing Autism Funding Program for at least one year, that every child now receiving funding would keep it, and that children diagnosed after the election would be eligible on the same terms.
The BC Green platform commits to "maintaining the current Autism Funding stream while co-designing a disability strategy that supports ALL families within the disability community." It also states that the Disability Benefit criteria set "an unreasonably high and deficit-focused threshold that excludes too many who need support."
Families would like to hear directly from you as well. A short answer to each of the following questions would help before they vote:
- If re-elected, would your government still end the Autism Funding Program on March 31, 2027?
- Would families receive funding during the gap between March 31 and July 2027?Autism Funding is scheduled to end March 31, 2027, but Disability Supplement payments are not scheduled to begin until July 2027. For families who do not qualify for the Disability Benefit and whose only replacement financial support would be the Supplement, would your government provide interim funding to bridge that gap?
- Would your government consider changes to the transition?In particular, would you reconsider the transition timeline or the Disability Benefit's eligibility criteria to prevent families from losing established supports?
- Would you commit to an independent review of the transition?Would that review examine the consequences for children and families losing existing direct funding, include meaningful participation by Autistic and disabled people and their families, and result in publicly available findings?
We will publish your written response in full, as we will for every party. If a short call with one of our parent volunteers would be easier, we can arrange that at short notice.
We would be grateful for your response by Tuesday, October 20, before advance voting closes.
Sincerely,
Director, Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society
Our letter to Emily Lowan, BC Green PartySent October 19, 2026, 1:30 p.m.
Dear Ms. Lowan,
We are Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society, a parent-led, cross-disability advocacy group made up of families from across the province, including rural communities. We are asking each party with seats in the legislature about its plans for Autism and disability funding before advance voting closes on October 21.
Your platform (page 35) commits to "maintaining the current Autism Funding stream while co-designing a disability strategy that supports ALL families within the disability community." It also states that the Disability Benefit criteria set "an unreasonably high and deficit-focused threshold that excludes too many who need support." Families are reading those commitments now and want to understand what they would mean in practice.
Other parties are also setting out their positions. Lorne Doerkson replied to us in writing on October 18, confirming that a Conservative government would extend the existing Autism Funding Program for at least one year, that every child now receiving funding would keep it, and that children diagnosed after the election would be eligible on the same terms. We have also written to the BC NDP.
Families would like to hear directly from you as well. A short answer to each of the following questions would help before they vote:
- How long would the Autism Funding stream be maintained?Autism Funding is now scheduled to end on March 31, 2027. Would it continue past that date, and until when? Would a child diagnosed after the election be eligible on the same terms?
- What would it cost?Your costing table (page 73) lists $69 million for MCFD commitments. Budget 2026 counts on redirecting $170 million of existing funding in 2027/28 as programs like Autism Funding are phased out. Does the $69 million include maintaining Autism Funding? If not, where is that cost in your platform?
- Would children who now qualify for the Disability Benefit or Supplement keep that support?Would children who qualify, including children with disabilities other than Autism, keep that support while the new strategy is designed? Would you change the Disability Benefit's eligibility criteria, and if so, how?
- How would the co-design work?Who would take part, and on what timeline? Would Autistic and disabled people take part alongside families, and would the results be published?
We will publish your written response in full, as we will for every party. If a short call with one of our parent volunteers would be easier, we can arrange that at short notice.
We would be grateful for your response by Tuesday, October 20, before advance voting closes.
Sincerely,
Director, Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC Society