* La version française suit * End Employment Insurance discrimination against women In the mid-1990s, Canada’s unemployment insurance system underwent a massive change. At that time, whether or not an unemployed worker qualified for payments was based on the number of weeks that they had worked before they lost their job. Although there were lots …
Policy Advocacy
Changes Ontario is Proposing to OW and ODSP
On November 22, Minister Lisa MacLeod announced a number of proposed changes to the Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) system. We have prepared several backgrounders to help you understand particular proposals and what they could mean for low-income people in Ontario. We also hosted a one-hour webinar to share our analysis of …
Ontario 2019 Pre-Budget Consultations: Have your say!
The provincial government has asked for input into the upcoming 2019 provincial Budget. There are currently two pre-budget consultation processes that you can plug into: The Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is conducting hearings across the province and accepting written submissions until 5:00pm on January 29. The Minister of Finance is hosting …
Important Survey on How Canada Measures Poverty: Jan 31 deadline
An important consultation is happening right now on the way that Canada measures poverty. The federal government has said that it will make the Market Basket Measure (MBM) Canada’s official poverty line, and will use the MBM to measure its progress on meeting its poverty reduction goals. But if the MBM isn’t set up properly …
Open Letter to Minister MacLeod: Five Principles for the 100-day Review
More than 1100 people and nearly 100 organizations from across Ontario have signed this letter to Minister Lisa MacLeod, which we sent today to her office and the offices of all Ontario’s MPPs. If you missed signing this letter and want to take action, please send an email to Minister MacLeod voicing your support for …
100 Days: Take Action Before November 8!
The new Ontario government recently announced that they will reveal a new direction for social assistance, based in part on “compassion for people in need,” after a 100-day review. Take action now to help ensure their November 8 announcement moves Ontario’s social assistance programs – Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) …
No Child Should Live in Poverty / Aucun enfant ne devrait vivre dans la pauvreté
New report calls for end to discrimination in the Canada Child Benefit – la version française suit dessous – As kids across Canada go back to school this month, a new report details how some low-income families are excluded from a government program that would help them afford school supplies, as well as rent and …
Federal government releases national Poverty Reduction Strategy
On Tuesday, August 21, the federal government released Canada’s first-ever national Poverty Reduction Strategy. Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (CPRS), entitled Opportunity for All, sets targets and timelines for reducing poverty, puts in place a new National Advisory Council on Poverty, and establishes an official national poverty line. The CPRS also commits to public reporting on …
There is nothing compassionate about Minister MacLeod’s announcement: Ontario’s cuts to social assistance will hurt the most vulnerable in Ontario
Minister MacLeod’s announcement to cut social assistance rates by 1.5 per cent will take approximately $150 million out of the hands of people who are among the most vulnerable in Ontario. “People on social assistance continue to live well below the poverty line and would have used the additional much-needed money to pay for basic …
Future of OW/ODSP Changes Uncertain: Take Action!
– la version française suit dessous – A few weeks ago, we circulated information about changes that are slated to take effect in Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program starting this fall, and others that are already in place. Since then, over 7,100 of you have downloaded this information, showing us that these changes are …
