On December 10, International Human Rights Day, ISAC participated in a press conference hosted by Defend Disability at Queen’s Park, urging the Province to protect the right of people with disabilities to an adequate standard of living. Defend Disability, a coalition of people with lived experience of disability, legal clinics, health care providers, experts and …
Policy Advocacy
ISAC Press Release: Response to the Auditor General’s Report on ODSP
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) cautions against relying on the Auditor General’s fundamentally flawed report on ODSP The report misunderstands the purpose of ODSP and relies on erroneous assumptions The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) provides monthly income supports and health benefits to low-income persons with disabilities who have no other means to pay for …
ODSP expenditures have increased because the program is better meeting the needs of Ontarians with disabilities: ISAC responds to the Auditor General’s Report
On December 4, 2019, the Auditor General released an audit of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). ODSP is a critical program that provides monthly income supports and health benefits to low-income persons with disabilities who have no other means to pay for their basic necessities such as food and shelter. The focus of the …
Fact Sheet: Social Assistance Update
It has been almost a year since the Ontario government announced a number of proposed changes to our social assistance programs on Nov. 22, 2018. Many of these changes have been cancelled or postponed as a result of community resistance. This fact sheet explains where we are today. Proposed changes that have been cancelled The …
ISAC Welcomes Decision to Reverse Cut to TCB / Se réjouit de la décision d’annuler la suppression de la Prestation transitoire pour enfants
** Français ci-dessous ** The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) welcomes the provincial government’s decision to reverse the cancellation of the Transition Child Benefit, a program that helps feed and clothe 32,000 Ontario children every month. The Transition Child Benefit (TCB) provides up to $230 per child to social assistance recipients who do not receive federal or …
New law allows migrant workers facing abuse to change jobs
On June 4, 2019, migrant workers in Canada working for an abusive employer finally got a process for changing jobs – a right that other workers can take for granted. In order to work in Canada, non-permanent residents or citizens must have a work permit. Most migrant workers are issued what are called “closed” work …
Benefit for Children To Be Cut from OW/ODSP
We have recently learned that the Ontario government plans on eliminating a benefit that allows some parents on Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Program to feed and clothe their children. The Transition Child Benefit provides up to $230 per child per month to parents on OW or ODSP who are not eligible for the …
Public Forum: Access to Justice for All!
If you are in Toronto, please join us for a public forum on funding cuts to legal aid and community legal clinics! When: Thursday, May 16, 7:00 pm Where: Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Room 309 RSVP via Eventbrite by clicking here or via Facebook by clicking here. Community legal clinics are facing 15% funding …
Defend Disability!
In November of last year, Minister MacLeod announced her intention to change the definition of disability that her ministry uses to determine if a low-income person is eligible for ODSP benefits. This is just one of a number of other changes that were announced at that time. Minister MacLeod’s proposal would make the definition more …
Take Action! Community Legal Clinic Services Under Threat
The provincial government’s recent budget made cuts to a number of public programs and services, which will hurt low-income people in Ontario. This includes cuts to social assistance, public health, library services, prescription coverage for children and youth, public education, and many others. It also includes a massive 30% cut to legal aid funding. And …
