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Open Letter from 150 community organizations / Lettre ouverte de 150 organismes communautaires

April 7, 2020

Download this letter in PDF format. Téléchargez cette lettre au format PDF.

– Français ci-dessous –

Income Security in the Time of COVID-19

Dear Minister Smith,

We are an umbrella group of low-income Ontarians, health care providers, and other organizations. We call on you to ensure the most vulnerable members of our Province have meaningful income security during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused illness, deaths and immense economic disruption and undermined the income security of many in Ontario. While federal and provincial governments have taken positive steps to provide additional income support during the pandemic, many low-income Ontarians are still falling through the cracks. If we are to weather this storm together, we must ensure that nobody in Ontario is left behind.

We ask for the following changes that will help low-income Ontarians, whose vulnerability to ill health during this emergency has worsened. We urge you not to wait any longer. The income support to our most vulnerable population is needed now.

Raise the Social Assistance Rates

First, social assistance rates should be immediately increased. These rates are far below the poverty line, and are less than the cost of food and housing alone. In the past year, the rates were not increased to keep up with inflation and are insufficient for coping with additional needs during a pandemic.

A single person in financial need, for instance, can receive up to a total of $733 per month from Ontario Works. If that person qualifies as a person with a disability, they can receive up to $1,169 from the Ontario Disability Support Program. These rates are far below the poverty line of $1,767 per month, which contributes to food insecurity, poor health, and the current homelessness crisis – a recipe for disaster during COVID-19.

Raising the rates would also lift up many Ontarians affected by the pandemic who do not currently qualify for income support. As a result of COVID-19, many people will struggle to get by when their incomes fall dramatically to hover just above the current inadequate rates. With a rate increase, these individuals and families who may not be eligible for federal emergency benefits could become eligible for social assistance.

Although Ontario has announced the availability of additional funds for discretionary benefits, this is simply not enough. It requires social assistance recipients to individually request overworked caseworkers for an unknown and entirely discretionary amount of additional funds to cover specific expenses like cleaning supplies. It is too uncertain, hard-to-access, and limited to be of any meaningful benefit to low-income Ontarians.

Substantially raising the rates, by contrast, is a broad-reaching, transparent, and long-term solution. It is the right thing to do ensure that everyone is able to feed and clothe themselves and live with health and basic human dignity.

Exempt Federal Benefits from Clawback

Second, earning exemptions for social assistance should be expanded. Currently, any income received from sources other than employment is generally deducted dollar-for-dollar from social assistance benefits. This prevents low income Ontarians from fully benefitting from Employment Insurance (EI) or the newly announced Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) at this critical time. We ask that these sources of income be exempt from clawback.

Federal income support programs are meant to benefit all Canadians who are affected by a global pandemic. The clawback effectively benefits Ontario’s coffers. The Ontario government should not deprive low-income Ontarians from much-needed federal benefits. Doing so would blunt Canada’s effort to inject money into our struggling national economy and hurt those most vulnerable to the pandemic.

We urge that all federal earnings replacement programs be immediately exempt from clawback. Certain other federal benefits, like the Canada Child Benefit, are already exempt. Expanding exemptions to EI and CERB would ensure that social assistance recipients who lose their employment can partake like all other Canadians in the assistance offered by our federal government to meet extraordinary expenses.

We appreciate that these are difficult times and are looking forward to your action on these issues.

Sincerely,

—

Sécurité du revenu au moment de la COVID-19

Monsieur le Ministre,

Nous sommes un groupe de coordination composé d’Ontariens à faible revenu, de fournisseurs de soins de santé et d’autres organisations. Nous vous demandons de veiller à ce que les Ontariens les plus vulnérables bénéficient d’une sécurité de revenu significative pendant la pandémie de la COVID-19.

Contexte

La pandémie de la COVID-19 a causé des maladies, des décès et d’immenses perturbations économiques, et a miné la sécurité du revenu de plusieurs personnes en Ontario. Bien que les gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux aient pris des mesures positives pour fournir un soutien supplémentaire du revenu pendant la pandémie, de nombreux Ontariens à faible revenu continuent de passer entre les mailles du filet. Si nous voulons affronter cette tempête ensemble, nous devons veiller à ce que personne en Ontario ne soit laissé pour compte.

Nous demandons les changements suivants qui aideront les Ontariens à faible revenu, qui risquent encore plus qu’avant d’éprouver des problèmes de santé. Nous vous exhortons à ne pas attendre plus longtemps. Le soutien du revenu à notre population la plus vulnérable est maintenant nécessaire.

Hausse des taux d’aide sociale

Premièrement, il faut augmenter immédiatement les taux des prestations d’aide sociale. Ces taux sont bien en-dessous du seuil de pauvreté et sont inférieurs au seul coût de la nourriture et du logement. L’année dernière, les taux n’ont pas été augmentés pour suivre l’inflation et sont insuffisants pour faire face aux besoins supplémentaires en cas de pandémie.

Par exemple, une personne seule dans le besoin peut recevoir jusqu’à 733 $ par mois du programme Ontario au travail (OT). Si elle y est admissible à titre de personne handicapée, elle peut recevoir jusqu’à 1 169 $ du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées (POSPH). Ces taux sont bien en deçà du seuil de pauvreté de 1 767 $ par mois, ce qui contribue à l’insécurité alimentaire, à la mauvaise santé et à la crise actuelle des sans-abri — une recette idéale pour causer un désastre pendant la COVID-19.

L’augmentation des taux permettrait également de venir en aide à de nombreux Ontariens touchés par la pandémie qui ne sont pas admissibles au soutien du revenu à l’heure actuelle. Pendant l’éclosion de la COVID-19, beaucoup de gens auront du mal à s’en sortir lorsque leurs revenus chuteront de façon spectaculaire pour passer juste au-dessus des taux inadéquats actuels. Avec une augmentation de taux, ces personnes et ces familles qui pourraient ne pas être admissibles à la Prestation canadienne d’urgence pourraient devenir admissibles à l’aide sociale.

Bien que l’Ontario ait annoncé la disponibilité de fonds supplémentaires pour les prestations discrétionnaires, elles ne sont tout simplement pas suffisantes. Il faut que les bénéficiaires de l’aide sociale demandent individuellement à des travailleurs sociaux surchargés de travail comment obtenir un montant supplémentaire inconnu et entièrement discrétionnaire pour couvrir des dépenses spécifiques comme les fournitures de nettoyage. Ce montant est trop incertain, difficile d’accès et limité pour que les Ontariens à faible revenu puissent en tirer des avantages significatifs.

Une augmentation substantielle des taux, en revanche, est une solution globale, transparente et à long terme. C’est ce qu’il convient de faire afin de pouvoir tous nous alimenter et nous vêtir, et de vivre en santé et dans la dignité humaine fondamentale.

Prestations fédérales exemptées de la récupération

Deuxièmement, il convient d’étendre les exemptions d’assistance sociale. Tout revenu provenant de sources autres que l’emploi est généralement déduit dollar pour dollar des prestations d’assistance sociale, ce qui empêche les Ontariens à faible revenu de bénéficier pleinement de l’assurance-emploi ou de la Prestation canadienne d’urgence nouvellement annoncée en cette période critique. Nous demandons que ces sources de revenu soient exemptées de la récupération.

Les programmes fédéraux de soutien du revenu sont censés profiter à tous les Canadiens touchés par une pandémie mondiale. La récupération profitant au trésor de l’Ontario, le gouvernement provincial ne devrait pas priver ses citoyens à faible revenu des avantages fédéraux dont ils ont grandement besoin. Il nuirait ainsi aux efforts déployés par le Canada pour injecter de l’argent dans notre économie nationale en difficulté et nuirait aux personnes les plus vulnérables à la pandémie.

Nous demandons instamment que tous les programmes fédéraux de remplacement des revenus soient immédiatement exemptés de la récupération. Certaines autres prestations fédérales, comme l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants, sont déjà exonérées. L’élargissement des exemptions à l’assurance-emploi et à la Prestation canadienne d’urgence permettrait aux prestataires d’aide sociale qui perdent leur emploi de participer, comme tous les autres Canadiens, à l’aide offerte par notre gouvernement fédéral pour faire face à des dépenses extraordinaires.

Nous sommes conscients du fait qu’il s’agit d’une période difficile et nous attendons avec impatience que vous agissiez en réaction à ces problèmes.

Veuillez agréer, Monsieur le Ministre, l’expression de mes sentiments respectueux.

—

List of signatories / Liste des signataires:

  1. Access2all
  2. ACORN Canada
  3. Action-Logement
  4. Advancement of Women Halton
  5. Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
  6. Agincourt Community Services Association
  7. Alliance for Healthier Communities
  8. Anglican Diocese of Niagara
  9. ARCH Disability Law Centre
  10. Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counselor/Advocate Program
  11. Banff Avenue Community House
  12. Campaign 2000
  13. Campaign Against the Cuts to Social Assistance
  14. Canadian Buddhist Civil Liberties Association
  15. Canadian Buddhist Healthcare Providers
  16. Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Ontario Council
  17. Canadian Mental Health Association York Region and South Simcoe
  18. Caregivers Action Centre
  19. Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation
  20. Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
  21. Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre
  22. Citizens for Public Justice
  23. City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
  24. Clinique juridique francophone d’Ottawa
  25. CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Ontario Division
  26. CMHA Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk Branch
  27. CMHA Champlain East
  28. CMHA Cochrane-Timiskaming Branch
  29. CMHA Durham Branch
  30. CMHA Fort Frances Branch
  31. CMHA Grey Bruce Branch
  32. CMHA Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge Branch
  33. CMHA Halton Region
  34. CMHA Hamilton Branch
  35. CMHA Kenora Branch
  36. CMHA Lambton Kent Branch
  37. CMHA Middlesex Branch
  38. CMHA Muskoka-Parry Sound
  39. CMHA Niagara Branch
  40. CMHA Ottawa Branch
  41. CMHA Oxford
  42. CMHA Peel Branch
  43. CMHA Sault Ste. Marie Branch
  44. CMHA Simcoe County Branch
  45. CMHA Sudbury-Manitoulin Branch
  46. CMHA Thunder Bay Branch
  47. CMHA Toronto
  48. CMHA Waterloo Wellington
  49. CMHA Windsor-Essex Branch
  50. CMHA York and South Simcoe Branch
  51. Collaborative Network to End Exploitation
  52. Community Advocacy & Legal Centre
  53. Community Food Centres Canada
  54. Community Legal Assistance Sarnia
  55. Community Legal Clinic – Brant, Haldmand, Norfolk
  56. Community Legal Clinic of York Region
  57. Community Legal Services of Ottawa
  58. COSTI Immigrant Services
  59. CUPE Ontario
  60. Daily Bread Food Bank
  61. Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre
  62. Defend Disability
  63. Downsview Community Legal Services
  64. Durham Community Legal Clinic
  65. EBO Financial Education Centre
  66. Enrichment Centre for Mental Health, Belleville
  67. Faith in the City
  68. Family Service Toronto
  69. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada
  70. Good Jobs for All Coalition
  71. Guineans United For Status
  72. Hamilton Community Legal Clinic
  73. Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction
  74. Health Providers Against Poverty Ontario
  75. HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
  76. Houselink Community Homes
  77. Income Security Advocacy Centre
  78. Jane Finch Community Legal Services
  79. Jewish Family Services Ottawa
  80. Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul
  81. Kingston Community Legal Clinic
  82. Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic
  83. Labour Community Services
  84. Lake Country Community Legal Clinic
  85. Lanark County Mental Health
  86. Lowertown Community Resource Centre
  87. Midwives Collective of Toronto
  88. Millennial Womxn in Policy
  89. Mississauga Community Legal Services
  90. National Coalition Against Poverty Ontario Chapter
  91. Naturopathic Doctors for Environmental and Social Trust
  92. Neighbourhood Legal Services
  93. Neighbourhood Legal Services (London & Middlesex) Inc.
  94. Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre
  95. North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services
  96. North York Harvest Food Bank
  97. OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
  98. ODSP Action Coalition
  99. OHIP for All
  100. Older Women’s Network
  101. Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses
  102. Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
  103. Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
  104. Ontario Public Health Association
  105. Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
  106. Open Policy
  107. Ottawa Community Food Partnership
  108. Ottawa Labour Council
  109. Overdose Prevention Ottawa
  110. PARC (Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre)
  111. Poverty Roundtable Hastings & Prince Edward
  112. PROMPT Muskoka’s Anti-poverty Group
  113. Provincial Council of Women of Ontario
  114. Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO)
  115. Save Your Skin Foundation
  116. Scarborough Community Legal Services
  117. Schizophrenia Society of Ontario
  118. Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services
  119. Shelter and Housing Justice Network
  120. SKETCH Working Arts
  121. Social Assistance Action Committee
  122. Social Assistance Coalition of Scarborough (SACS)
  123. Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton
  124. South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
  125. South Etobicoke Community Legal Services
  126. Spinal Cord Injury Ontario
  127. Stand Up for Health
  128. Street Health
  129. Sudbury Community Legal Clinic
  130. The Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination
  131. The Help Centre
  132. The Neighbourhood Organization
  133. The Office of Ottawa City Councillor Catherine McKenney
  134. The Office of Ottawa City Councillor Shawn Menard
  135. The Office of Ottawa City Councillor Theresa Kavanagh
  136. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association
  137. The Stop Community Food Centre
  138. Voices from the Street
  139. West Neighbourhood House
  140. West Scarborough Community Legal Services
  141. West Toronto Community Legal Services
  142. Willowdale Community Legal Services
  143. Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke
  144. Working for Change
  145. York North Lyme Disease Support Group
  146. YWCA Cambridge
  147. YWCA Hamilton
  148. YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo
  149. YWCA Sudbury
  150. YWCA Toronto

[List updated April 27, 2020 / Liste mise à jour le 27 avril 2020]

 

Media contacts: 

  • Arash Ghiassi, Lawyer at Income Security Advocacy Centre, at ghiassia@lao.on.ca, 416-597-5820 ext. 5151
  • Andrea Hatala, Recipient Co-Chair, ODSP Action Coalition, at ahatala@yahoo.com
  • René Guitard, Clinique juridique francophone d’Ottawa at guitardr@lao.on.ca, 613-744-2892 ext.1107
  • Talia Bronstein, VP Research & Advocacy, Daily Bread Food Bank, at tbronstein@dailybread.ca, 416-903-1028

Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Employment Insurance (EI), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Ontario Works (OW), Policy Advocacy, Social Assistance Rates

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1500 – 55 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5J 2H7
Tel: (416) 597-5820 • Toll Free: 1-866-245-4072 • Fax: (416) 597-5821

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This site contains general legal information for people in Ontario, Canada. It is not intended to be used as legal advice for a specific legal problem. ISAC is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization. ISAC is funded by Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). The funding for this website is also provided by LAO. The views expressed in any of ISAC’s publications (including written, oral, or visual) are the views of the clinic and do not necessarily reflect those of LAO.