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Income Security Advocacy Centre

ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario

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Litigation

Test-case and appellate litigation are key tools that we use to advance our strategic plan. We work closely with caseworkers in community legal clinics across the province to identify issues and potential legal cases, and apply an equity framework and a human rights lens to guide our decision-making around which cases to take on and which legal arguments to make. Our litigation efforts focus on resolving systemic problems in provincial and federal income security programs.

Click on the links below for information about the cases we are currently working on and have worked on in the past. Our Case Selection Criteria is available here. Our policy advocacy and community organizing pages have information on other areas of our work.

  • Ontario Court of Appeal to hear appeals arguing that Mandatory Victim Surcharge is “cruel and unusual punishment” March 9, 2017 - On March 14-15, the Ontario Court of Appeal will hear three appeals challenging the mandatory victim surcharge. Every person who is convicted of a criminal offence in Canada is required to pay a “victim surcharge”, regardless of whether or not they can afford to pay the fine. This mandatory fine can be very difficult for ...
  • Increase won to ODSP / OW medical travel mileage rate January 11, 2017 - Self-employment business travel rate also going up this month Major progress has been made on improving supports for people on social assistance to get to medical treatment. The Ministry of Community and Social Services has just announced an increase in the medical travel mileage rate to pay for the costs people on social assistance have ...
  • ODSP: Human Rights Challenge to Group Homes Exclusion from Special Diet Allowance November 24, 2015 - The Special Diet Allowance is available to Ontario Works and ODSP recipients who have medical conditions which require a therapeutic diet. Qualifying medical conditions are listed on a Schedule in the ODSP Regulations, with corresponding monthly amounts. The Allowance is meant to cover additional dietary costs that result from a person’s disability and in this ...
  • ODSP: Medical Reviews November 2, 2015 - The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) does not require applicants to be permanently disabled in order to qualify for benefits. This aspect of the program is very important because it means that those who are experiencing temporary disabilities can be eligible for benefits. But it also means that ODSP has to have a way of ...
  • Ontario Works: Immigration status and access to social assistance June 12, 2015 - In 2013, ISAC noticed that there was a sharp increase in the number of Ontario Works recipients who were being cut off because of their immigration status. ISAC was concerned that many of these recipients were entitled to Ontario Works and were improperly being denied income supports that they needed. ISAC worked closely with a ...
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