Income Security Advocacy Centre
ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario
Times of crisis are also times for tough decisions, as Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said in his economic statement last week. The province has already made the tough but smart decision to stick with its economic stimulus plan. Standing firm on the commitment to early learning is another tough but smart choice.
The next bold move the government must make is to stick to its guns on a comprehensive review of Ontario’s broken social assistance system.
People with addictions to drugs and / or alcohol may now be eligible for benefits from the Ontario Disability Support Program. Background: Until now, people who have disabling conditions caused only by drug and /…
On June 23, 2009, the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) held a forum on the government’s upcoming review of the provincial social assistance system. This review is part of Ontario’s new Poverty Reduction Strategy and was restated in the 2009 budget.
The media in your community is an important way to get the message out. Local newspapers and radio stations are read and listened to by many people in your community. The stories they cover –…
Crystal Chin knows well the problems associated with the current Social Assistance system. As a young adult with cerebral palsy, Crystal receives benefits from the Ontario Disability Support Program. But these benefits are inadequate, both…
The Ontario government included the Social Assistance Review in its Poverty Reduction Strategy in Chapter 4: Smarter Government. The commitment reads: “We will undertake a review of social assistance with the goal of removing barriers…
On May 6, the Ontario legislature unanimously passed Bill 152: The Poverty Reduction Act.
This legislation is particularly significant because it acknowledges that poverty is not inevitable and that government can and should create policy to reduce poverty.
There are 3 key facets of the legislation.
On May 6, 2009, all parties in the Ontario Legislature voted unanimously to approve an amended Bill 152: The Poverty Reduction Act, 2009. The Bill was originally introduced by government on February 25, 2009. Two…
The McGuinty government’s budget has taken important steps to reduce poverty in Ontario. However, fundamental reform of social assistance remains a necessity, particularly as growing numbers of Ontarians lose their jobs.
The government has made a commitment to poverty reduction. And all of the political parties in the Ontario Legislature voted in favour of poverty reduction legislation. They can now demonstrate their commitment – by setting up a Review…
Ontario finally has a poverty reduction strategy. It’s about time.
For years, anti-poverty activists have been pleading with government to take poverty seriously. Teachers have talked about how poorly children do in school when they are hungry and distracted. Health practitioners have listed the ways poverty makes people sick and costs the health-care system millions of dollars. Low-income people have insisted that they should not be blamed for their poverty, but rather that the root causes of poverty such as low wages, lack of child care, discrimination and low levels of training and education should be addressed.
On December 4, 2008, the Ontario government released Breaking the Cycle: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. In this Strategy, the province has committed to reducing child and family poverty in Ontario by 25% in the next…