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…
The Ontario Divisional Court granted the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) intervener status in Ministry of Community and Social Services v. Robinson-Cooke. This legal challenge concerns whether the strict training and accreditation requirements for the Guide…
To receive a post-secondary education, students living with disabilities require support and accommodation that costs more than what abled students need. Accordingly, students living with disabilities in Ontario rely on various grants to help finance…
Last week, the Ontario government tabled a $214 billion budget for 2024-25, the largest in the province’s history. But if you are among the hundreds of thousands of low income working age Ontarians struggling to…
People who receive Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D) benefits may be interested inand able to work to some degree but may have concerns about how this will impact theirbenefits. Our new info sheet on CPP-D…
Ontario is in a state of unprecedented crisis. While the province recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced shock on its socio-economic structure, Ontario’s low-income and vulnerable population have seen their poverty and marginalization increase in almost…
Ontario’s social assistance system is in the midst of a “modernization” process that aims to “build a more responsive, efficient, and person-centred” system. The modernization process essentially involves two parts – Social Assistance Renewal (SAR)…
On October 23, 2023, Adrian Merdzan, ISAC Staff Lawyer, joined a panel of experts on an Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development webinar to discuss the Canada Disability Benefit. Adrian joined the first of two…
On November 2, the Ontario Government released the 2023 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, titled “Building a Strong Ontario Together”. Aside from a provision for low‐income seniors, the Review contains glaring omissions in recognizing…
Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) offer a monthly Guide Dog Benefit for routine care of a guide dog. Those on social assistance could receive $84 per month only if the…
When an Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipient turns 65, they may qualify for Old Age Security (OAS) benefits. In addition, OAS recipients with low income may also receive additional income support via the Guaranteed…