Jennifer and Andrew Nickerson's carefully balanced life had been teetering for months. It finally collapsed in March when they found themselves living in a city shelter.
Andrew was laid off in March 2024. The couple left their Kanata townhouse in June 2025 to live with Jennifer's mother, Geraldine, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Jennifer has been on mental health leave from her job as a legal assistant with the federal government since last September. Geraldine died in December, and the couple learned in March that their family of six could not remain in Geraldine's subsidized townhouse.
That was when another major brick was pulled from the Jenga tower that was their life. The Nickersons learned their daughter Arizona, four years old, who has autism and other disabilities, would likely only qualify for 25 per cent of an education assistant when she enters senior kindergarten next September.
Before she entered junior kindergarten last September, Arizona had one-on-one support at daycare. Without a full-time education assistant, she has not been able to attend school full time. Which means her parents have been unable to work full time.
"I never thought that life would get to this point," said Andrew. "I always thought we would get to a point where we couldn't move one step forward."
Political spotlight on special education funding
The Nickersons' situation ended up in Question Period at Queen's Park this month, when NDP education critic Chandra Pasma, the MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, charged that the province has failed students like Arizona.
Education Minister Paul Calandra responded that the province has appointed supervisors to school boards struggling with their finances and is channelling money back into the classroom. According to a report from the Ontario East Regional Internal Audit Team, which provides independent assessments for school boards, the OCDSB spends 25 per cent more on special education than it receives from the provincial government.
The OCDSB supervisor has put a student-first model in place, said Calandra. "They are reviewing every single budget item with one singular focus to plow more money back into the classroom, to eliminate waste and duplication, to stop the infighting that's happening between trustees, and to ensure that the students, parents and teachers have what they need to ensure the best possible outcomes."
But for families of children who need full-time classroom support, the question is not waste and duplication, but a child's right to a full-time education.
Daily struggles for Arizona
Arizona, who attends Arch Street Public School, needs full-time support for safety reasons, said Jennifer. She can become dysregulated easily and overwhelmed by loud noises.
"She'll cover her ears, she'll cry," said Jennifer. "She'll self harm, punch herself in the head. She'll pinch herself. She'll hit you. The EA will just remove her from the situation and calm her by singing to her. She loves to sing. So they sing to her calmly, and that will bring her back to base level."
A few years ago, the Nickersons were in a good place. At 30, Jennifer did not have a high school diploma. She got her equivalency, completed a two-year law clerk program at Algonquin College, then embarked on a one-year paralegal program. After she was certified, she landed a job with the federal government. Now, the family is living in a shelter, struggling to find stability.
