Important Commitment on Social Assistance Reform Announced Today There was important news today about the future of social assistance reform in Ontario. Ted McMeekin, the Minister of Community and Social Services, said today that OW and…
On November 19, 2013, the Federal Court of Appeal ordered the Office of the Umpire to re-hear each of 102 cases wherein migrant workers were denied Employment Insurance parental benefits.The applications had been denied on…
On October 16, the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) and Niagara North Community Legal Assistance will go before the Federal Court of Appeal to argue that 102 seasonal agricultural workers were wrongly denied EI parental benefits. These workers are…
La version française suit. The 2013 Ontario budget included a number of changes to social assistance, most of which kicked in as of September 1, 2013. ISAC has prepared several fact sheets on these changes…
Positive changes to social assistance are slated to go ahead, following this morning’s announcement by opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath that her party will provide the support required in the Legislature for the 2013 provincial budget to…
Moving Forward on Positive Social Assistance Reform Budget 2013 has begun to make positive changes to a social assistance system that has continued to impoverish and cause hardship for low-income Ontarians. The majority of these…
We’ve recently been hearing a number of misleading claims about the administration of the Special Diet Allowance program – such as the notion that doctors “just fill out the forms for people because benefit rates…
Are you on OW or ODSP? Do you have: Hepatitis C; Prader Willi Syndrome; Unintended Weight Loss due to renal failure? You may now be eligible for the Special Diet Allowance. Changes have recently been…
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…
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.