The Ontario Court of Appeal has declined to revisit the Divisional Court’s finding that the strict training and accreditation requirements for the Ontario Disability Support Program’s (ODSP) Guide Dog Benefit are discriminatory, on the basis…
On Friday, January 24, 2025, ISAC was invited to provide a deputation on our priorities for the 2025 Ontario Budget at a Ministry of Finance budget consultation in North York. Members of the panel included…
A lot has happened with the CDB in the last few months! The Federal Government released proposed CDB rules: A lot of new information was released about the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) in the federal…
The Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) first launched Centralized Intake for Ontario Works in 2020 under the Social Assistance Renewal (SAR) plan, which is part of the government’s multi-year social assistance “modernization”…
The Ontario Government’s 2024 Fall Economic Statement (FES) has revealed that the province is in an improved fiscal position compared to earlier projections in the 2024 Budget. This is mainly due to an overall deficit…
ISAC is launching a survey on social assistance today, aimed at gathering data and stories from individuals who are receiving or who have recently received provincial social assistance (OW and ODSP specifically.) We intend to…
This op-ed piece was written by Robin Nobleman and Claudia Calabro Last week, Doug Ford told people living in homeless encampments to “get off your a-s-s and start working like everyone else”. Premier Ford was…
The Robinson Huron Treaty Settlement is a settlement agreement between different levels of government and several First Nations, which has come out of a unique and important court case on treaty obligations. The settlement agreement…
The Divisional Court has found that the strict training and accreditation requirements for the Ontario Disability Support Program’s (ODSP) Guide Dog Benefit are discriminatory, on the basis of disability, contrary to Ontario’s Human Rights Code. On June…
As of July 2024, Ontario Works (OW) sees no increase or inflation-based adjustment. For the sixth year and counting, OW rates have remained the same despite the ongoing impacts of high inflation on the cost…
On June 12, 2024, the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) intervened in Ministry of Community and Social Services v. Robinson-Cooke at the Ontario Divisional Court. The case was about whether the strict training and accreditation requirements for…
Many people who depend on Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support live in deep poverty. They may rely on panhandling to make ends meet, because their income assistance is inadequate to survive. However, for over…