Advisory Panel to report to government in December The Ontario government appointed a Minimum Wage Advisory Panel in June 2013 to give advice on how to set the minimum wage. Although ISAC mainly works on…
ISAC has made a written submission on Ontario’s next poverty reduction strategy, which is expected to be made public later this year or early next. We focused on issues of income security and social assistance…
The provincial government started consultations on a new Poverty Reduction Strategy for Ontario in August, and a series of consultation meetings across the province will soon be wrapping up. Now’s the time to make your…
Community consultations have been taking place across Ontario on the provincial government’s next five-year Poverty Reduction Strategy. ISAC has prepared a Toolkit for Community Legal Clinics to use to prepare for and participate in –…
Today is Budget Day in Ontario – later today the new Finance Minister, Charles Sousa, will introduce the next provincial budget in the legislature. What can we expect from this year’s budget? Ontario’s politicians have…
The new Wynne government and the Opposition parties have returned to the Ontario Legislature and the Throne Speech has been read. The next significant milestone will be the 2013 provincial budget. This year’s budget may…
In October 2012, the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario issued its final report, complete with 108 recommendations. That report is suddenly getting a lot of attention. Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak…
ISAC has partnered with the Wellesley Institute to create an online tool to track the impact on individuals across Ontario of the loss of the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB). The tool allows for the collection of information about individuals’ circumstances, what expenses were required, the availability and adequacy of municipal replacement programs, and the outcomes and impacts. A geographic mapping function will show the impacts graphically.
On December 27, 2012, the provincial government announced $42 million in one-time funding for local housing and homelessness initiatives. The announcement says that the money “will assist eligible municipalities as they develop and implement their Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) plans. Funds will be allocated to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Ontarians – including social assistance recipients – to ensure their stability through this period of transition as plans are developed.” The funds will be provided to municipalities for the period January 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014. What does this announcement mean?
This page provides links to a number of documents and pieces of information about CSUMB, the transfer of partial CSUMB funding to municipalities, the creation of local housing and homelessness plans, and the struggle to reinstate this benefit within social assistance.
Brighter Prospects, the final report of the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario, was issued October 24, 2012. In this webinar, Jennefer Laidley of the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) provides an understanding of the content of the report and recommendations; an analysis of the impact of the recommendations; the policy and political context surrounding the report; and, thoughts on opportunities for action over the short, medium, and longer term.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Ontario’s first-ever Poverty Reduction Strategy. The 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction has issued its fourth annual progress report on poverty reduction – see below. The report notes that child…