This Labour Day weekend marks eight months since Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, came into effect. Bill 148 increased the minimum wage from $11.60 to $14.00 an hour, gave all workers access to ten job-protected personal emergency leave days (the first two of which are paid), legislated equal pay for equal work …
Public Education
Ontario’s Social Assistance System: 100 days to fix it or to break it?
This post, by Jennefer Laidley at ISAC, originally appeared on the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) blog on Thursday, August 16, 2018 Eleven years ago, I started work at the Income Security Advocacy Centre, a legal clinic advocating for improvements to the income benefit programs available to low-income Ontarians, with social assistance as a …
Future of OW/ODSP Changes Uncertain: Take Action!
– la version française suit dessous – A few weeks ago, we circulated information about changes that are slated to take effect in Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program starting this fall, and others that are already in place. Since then, over 7,100 of you have downloaded this information, showing us that these changes are …
Important Changes Coming to OW and ODSP / Changements importants aux programmes d’OT et du POSPH
NOTE: As of June 31, 2018, all of these changes are now “on pause” and will not come into force this fall as scheduled. Please see these links for more information: http://incomesecurity.org/policy-advocacy/ontarios-cuts-to-social-assistance-will-hurt-the-most-vulnerable/ http://incomesecurity.org/public-education/ontarios-social-assistance-system-100-days-to-fix-it-or-to-break-it/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ – la version française suit dessous – A number of changes to Ontario Works and ODSP rules have recently been made or are …
Ontario’s Political Parties on Income Security & Social Assistance Reform
– la version française suit dessous – The outcome of the June 7 provincial election will be very important for low-income people in Ontario. We sent four political parties in Ontario – the Liberals, NDP, Progressive Conservatives, and Greens –questions on where they stand on five important issues: What they would do to improve OW and ODSP …
Election 2018: Tools That You Can Use
ISAC’s election kit and associated resources are ready for you to use in your community. Election Day is June 7, and the official election campaign started on May 9. An election period provides a vital opportunity to advocate on issues that are important for low-income people across Ontario. It’s a time when the political parties …
Ontario Budget 2018: ISAC Analysis and Budget Details
Important First Steps to Transformation but No Meaningful Progress on Rates The 2018 Ontario Budget introduced today proposes to make a number of critically important changes to social assistance and other benefit systems, which would start to move the system away from the punitive, intrusive system that currently exists and toward the supportive approach that …
Federal Budget 2018: Income Security Highlights
The federal Liberal government introduced its third budget last Tuesday, February 27. The Budget and all associated documents are available at this link: https://www.budget.gc.ca/2018/docs/nrc/2018-02-27-en.html Here are a few highlights on income security and related issues. This list is not exhaustive – some helpful resources are included at the end of this email that can provide …
Ontario Budget 2018: Take Action on Income Security / Passons à l’action pour la sécurité du revenu
– la version française suit dessous – It’s pre-Budget time in Ontario. As we noted recently, now’s the time to tell the Government and the Opposition parties that they must take bold steps on income security in Ontario. These steps must include major investments in transforming social assistance, starting with raising the rates, and employment standards enforcement. …
Our Response to “A Roadmap for Change”
The new report called “Income Security: A Roadmap for Change” was released in November, as we have mentioned in previous emails. The provincial government is looking for feedback on the Roadmap report by January 5, 2018. ISAC and the legal clinic system’s Steering Committee on Social Assistance have written a joint submission to the Minister …
