New Brunswick joins Ontario, Alberta, NWT in committing to accessible library services

CNIB appeals to remaining provinces to meet urgent funding request

February 11, 2010 (Toronto, ON) - New Brunswick has joined Ontario, Alberta and the Northwest Territories as the fourth Canadian jurisdiction to commit funding to support CNIB’s accessible library service for blind and partially sighted Canadians.

“Four governments have now demonstrated their belief in fair public funding to support accessible library service” said CNIB President and CEO John M. Rafferty. “We are calling on the federal government and remaining provinces and territories to join the partnership and support this lifeline to literacy.”

On January 19, CNIB launched a campaign urging Canadians to visit www.cnib.ca/righttoread and send a letter to the Prime Minister and their premier asking for a commitment of funding for accessible library services in their upcoming budgets. Since the launch, more than 25,000 letters have been sent.

The $10 million annual operating cost of the CNIB library is currently covered entirely by charitable dollars. CNIB is seeking a total of $8 million in funding from governments to support the service for blind and partially sighted Canadians, and is committing the remaining $2 million.

Over 836,000 Canadians have significant vision loss and a further 3.4 million more have sight-threatening eye diseases that could limit their ability to read printed material. These numbers are projected to double within 20 years.

For more information, please visit www.cnib.ca/righttoread.

For interviews, please contact:
Yeena Peng, Specialist, Media Relations, CNIB
Office: 416-486-2500, ext. 8355 Cell: 416-529-1628 yeena.peng@cnib.ca