About 100 parents of children with autism waved signs and chanted as they held a protest at the corner of Erie St. and McDougall St.
That's where the Ministry of Children and Community Services office is, the ministry that handles the autism program.
They're upset with the new program announced by Minister Lisa McLeod that will limit funding to $140,000 up to age 18.
April Pare's daughter is at the severe end of the autism spectrum.
She says the new program will end up hurting a lot of children and their parents.
"I think what the PC government is doing is wrong on so many different levels. You are not only leaving these families out in the cold but you're leaving them to live out of their means to be able to support their children"
Pare says the costs to care for her child are well over the amount the new program will provide.
"If you consider the cost of occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy our kids have a multitude of diagnosis. My daughter alone has epilepsy, autism, ADHD, she has sensory processing disorder so she needs an occupational therapist to help her know where she is in space and time and build her core muscles all of that costs money"
Deon Denneau takes his grand-daughter to care every day and can't believe what the government is doing.
"I was shocked because I'm a witness to it every day, I take Sophia to her program and pick her up and the difference these local places help, Thames Valley, Summit Centre. The difference I see in her every day is outstanding so I was shocked to see this"
For children at the severe end of the spectrum the annual cost is in the range of $80,000.
Among the signs protesters were carrying "Our children deserve more" "Respite is not treatment" and "Always fighting for her future."
Meanwhile, Premier Doug Ford says he won't be asking his social services minister to resign after an association of behavior analysts said she pressured them to support changes to the province's autism program.
Ford says he hasn't spoken with Lisa MacLeod about the allegations made by the Ontario Association for Behavior Analysis.
The group says the minister told the association it would be a long four years for them if they did not publicly support the revamped autism program, which they say will leave many children without adequate levels of therapy.
MacLeod's office has not denied the group's allegations and has said its priority is supporting families of children and youth with autism
The head of province's largest public sector union, opposition politicians and parents of autistic children are calling on MacLeod to resign over the matter.