(rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard and Sheldon Spackman

Province ends funding

The Hub on Ross closes permanently

Oct 28, 2020 | 4:23 PM

After having their doors shut since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hub on Ross announced Wednesday morning they are closing for good.

A post on their Facebook page says that after careful consideration, the province’s Community and Social Services has decided not to resume operations.

“Thank you to the many community organizations and patrons of the Hub for your support over the years,” the Facebook post reads.

The Hub on Ross served Central Albertans with developmental disabilities and helped them become more involved with their community by promoting the breaking down of barriers through healthy interaction in a “home away from home.”

Mary Jane Morrison has two daughters with disabilities, Katherine, age 28, and Kylie, age 30. She says Katherine attended The Hub’s programs nearly five days a week, while Kylie volunteered there for the past 10 years.

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Morrison says it’s already been a long haul for her daughters since The Hub initially closed in March – especially for Katherine, who is legally blind, has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.

“My one daughter is out in the community almost every day, but my younger daughter who lives in a group home here in Red Deer, they are still in a type of lockdown and can only go out for appointments. She talks every single day to me about The Hub. She misses the people at The Hub and I was constantly promising her we can’t go today and maybe not next week, but someday soon The Hub will reopen.

“That’s the part that breaks my heart,” Morrison adds. “I’ve been telling her this now for seven months. It will take her a very long time before she realizes she can’t go back there and she won’t see her friends.”

In an emailed statement to rdnewsNOW, Community and Social Services spokesperson Jerry Bellikka says the model of The Hub on Ross, which was operated by Michener Services staff, does not reflect the government’s current objectives of creating more inclusive opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in their communities.

“Many of the activities previously provided by The Hub are offered through other agencies and organizations in the city including city run sports programs, day camps and other recreational activities,” Bellikka says. “Three staff members will be redeployed to other positions supporting the Michener Centre.”

Morrison, however, says her daughters don’t have much now in terms of community engagement options moving forward.

“There’s not a lot of adult programming that’s available in the day time where it’s not time sensitive,” she suggests. “Parkland Community Living and Support Society which we’re involved with, they do have a small group that meets I guess on a daily basis, although we’ve never really done it. They’re closed due to COVID as well, so there’s nothing there.”

The Hub on Ross was also a popular live venue for local musicians and performance groups.

Morrison recalled how various local musicians ran musical programs like choir singing, and drumming circles at The Hub for those with disabilities – pointing out free concerts held there during Friday afternoons.

“We attended all kinds of different markets and musical performances in the evening and they had a fun program there where the individuals got involved with acting,” she said. “There was a short film made there by one of the staff and they all got to act as a super hero in the film, so that was a big deal.”

Craig Scott, President of the Red Deer Arts Council, says The Hub on Ross offered opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to enjoy something in a social environment that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

“The fact that it’s going away is disappointing not only for them, but for the community as a whole,” says Scott. “The Red Deer Arts Council is going to look at opportunities to be able to help those individuals moving forward. We can’t promise anything at this point in time but we’re certainly aware of the issue and we want to help out.”

“I think it’s horrible that the people that are most vulnerable are the ones that are losing out,” added Scott.

However, Serena King, Executive Director for the Cosmos Group of Companies, says a lot of the programs they were previously delivering at The Hub, are now being offered at Cosmos (Unit 1, 7428 49 Ave.) or at other facilities located throughout the city.

“We just feel it’s really important that we share that there are some things going,” she points out. “Yes, it is modified, it is different because we had to make sure we can keep everyone safe, but we still want people to know that there’s opportunities. We want people to know that there are some things out there that are continuing to operate and that they don’t have to feel alone or isolated.”

For more information about the programs and services being delivered by Cosmos Community Support Services, visit www.cosmosreddeer.ca or call 403-343-0715.