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Income Security Advocacy Centre

Income Security Advocacy Centre

ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario

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Transforming Ontario Works: An Information Symposium

May 29, 2011

Many people in Ontario agree that Ontario Works needs to be fixed. One of the ways it could be fixed is to give people more help to get a job, so they can get out of poverty and the trap of social isolation.

Some people call this fix ‘opportunity planning’. Others call it ‘human capital development’, or a ‘personalized approach’ with ‘wrap-around services’.

But what do these words mean? What are the pros and cons of ‘opportunity planning’? Are there models for how it might work? And how would it work given the kinds of jobs available now? What policies would the government have to change? And what does this mean for people from disproportionately disadvantaged groups?

A full-day symposium was hosted by ISAC and the Ontario community legal clinic system’s Social Assistance Action Committee (SAAC) in March 2011 to explore these issues.

We videotaped the presentations that were made at the symposium – click on the links below to access the various presentations as well as the question and answer sessions.

Welcome: Transforming OW and “Opportunity Planning”

  • Mary Marrone, Director of Advocacy and Legal Services, ISAC
  • Melodie Mayson, Co-Director, Neighbourhood Legal Services

 

Intro from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

Panel 1: The New World of Work: Labour Market Trends in Toronto and Ontario

Moderator: Naomi Ives, Parkdale Community Legal Services

  • Tom Zizys, Independent Researcher
  • 4-Tom_Zizys from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

  • Karen Charnow Lior, Toronto Workforce Innovation Group
  • 2_Karen_Charnow_Lior from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

  • Sheila Block, Wellesley Institute
  • 3-Sheila_Block from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

Question and Answer Period

5-Q&A from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

 

Panel 2: Opportunity Planning: The Big Picture

Moderator: Mary Marrone, Income Security Advocacy Centre

  • Andrew Mitchell, Social Assistance in the New Economy project
  • 6-Andrew_Mitchell from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

  • Allison Bramwell, Munk School of Global Affairs
  • 7-Alison_Bramwell from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

 

Panel 3: Opportunity Planning: On the Ground

Moderator: Melodie Mayson, Neighbourhood Legal Services

  • Josie Di Zio, COSTI
  • 9-Josie_Di_Zio from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

  • Steve Johnston, Dixon Hall
  • 10-Steve_Johnston from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

  • Douglas Bartholomew-Saunders, OMSSA
  • Karen Wilson, Toronto Employment and Social Services
  • 8 – Karen Wilson from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

 

Wrap Up: Question and Answer and Next Steps

12-Q_&_A_and _ending from Michael Thiessen on Vimeo.

Policy Advocacy, Public Education, Social Assistance Reform

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1500 – 55 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5J 2H7
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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.