In an important decision released on January 25, 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that families can make arrangements to ensure that, after their death, their loved ones with disabilities will be financially…
The provincial government has asked for input into the upcoming 2019 provincial Budget. There are currently two pre-budget consultation processes that you can plug into: The Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is…
An important consultation is happening right now on the way that Canada measures poverty. The federal government has said that it will make the Market Basket Measure (MBM) Canada’s official poverty line, and will use…
A full year of big changes to labour law in Ontario has just passed. Newly released jobs numbers let us measure the impact of these changes, and gauge whether the nightmarish predictions of job losses…
On December 8th and 9th, the Income Security Advocacy Centre joined nearly 60 representatives of 35 organizations in Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Mississaugas of the New Credit territory (Toronto). Today, December 18th, 2018, International Migrants Day,…
In a landmark group of cases, the Supreme Court today struck down the mandatory victim surcharge, finding that it was cruel and unusual in its effects on people living in poverty. The mandatory victim surcharge…
On November 22, 2018, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services announced proposed changes to the social assistance system in Ontario. One change would make the ODSP definition of disability more like definitions used…
On November 22, Minister Lisa MacLeod announced a number of changes to Ontario’s social assistance programs. One of these is a change to the way that earned income will be deducted from the benefits of…
On November 22, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, Lisa MacLeod, announced a number of changes to Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). These changes include: changing the definition…
Minister Lisa MacLeod’s announcement today about a new direction for social assistance in Ontario shows promising directions for Ontario Works, but leaves many unanswered questions and creates serious risks for people with disabilities. There is…
On October 23, Ontario’s government tabled Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act. The legislation, which will repeal portions of Bill 148 (the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act), is a major setback for…