This was sent to the main media on Sept 22 2008
Regarding Premier McGinty recently suggesting that the public’s expectations for a comprehensive plan for poverty reduction may have to be tempered as a result of the bleak economic outlook for the province.
In my opinion the provincial government’s resent poverty reduction consultations, headed by M.P.P. Deb Matthews was all smoke and mirrors, a sham.
The Liberals have known for some time that there may be a downturn in the economy and have been looking for ways of saving money for some time now.
The Mike Harris Conservative government did this, years ago when it gutted funding for welfare, education and medical care, and then paid a heavy price for doing so.
Now, on the welfare front the Liberals are continuing the process, only this time they are doing it without the vast majority of the public’s knowledge.
How will they do this? I’ll explain. First they had to accomplish two things.
a) get a lot of good media attention showing what a wonderful job they are doing on poverty reduction.
They announced a huge new initiative, an across Ontario poverty reduction consultation. They mistakenly let the cat out of the bag right from the beginning, no new money and no one that lives in poverty is invited. That was a bad move (showing there hand) that caused a reasonable amount of bad publicity. People quickly forgot this error and things moved along.
b) prepare the service providers for an onslaught of people needing help.
The Liberals had to make the service providers think that they were the ones that were going to lead the charge of helping to eliminate poverty. This way they couldn’t complain that the Liberals weren’t doing enough when things got worse.
Well things are definitely getting worse for people living on Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Not because of the alleged economic downturn Premier McGinty is talking about.
It’s the cuts the Liberals have already made to the benefits of welfare and disabled recipients. These cuts are already being implemented through the Ontario Works offices.
Behind closed doors and behind every ones back, the Liberals have completely redone the Ontario Works Policy Directives. These are documents that explain what the benefits are and how to apply for them.
My research, that was done here in Hamilton, shows that the local legal clinics and paralegal community are not aware of these changes and are in fact giving out wrong legal advice to their clients. Why haven’t the legal clinics community stepped up to the plate on this issue?
Even our local library was not aware of these changes. You would have to be a pretty good researcher to even find a hint of these changes on the Internet.
Now the vast majority of people living in poverty will have no idea what the benefits that they are entitled to and how to apply for them.
The provincial Liberals have already started to skim millions of dollars off of Ontario’s poor and disabled without anyone knowing that it is happening.
The implementation of these policy changes is certainly a clear example of the provincial government acting in bad faith. Especially when you take into consideration the fact that Welfare Legal has requested in writing twice for the government to supply us with a copy of these changes and has been told no.
Welfare Legal’s evidence is clear.
We have;
a) 2 separate documents on Ontario Works letterhead that talks about these secret policy changes.
b) 2 separate e-mails from our local legal clinics that show they are not aware of these policy changes.
c) A letter from the province saying they will not give us a copy of this new policies that they are in fact using as we speak.
Why isn’t someone somewhere doing something about this abuse of process by the province and the local municipalities that administrate the Ontario Works Program? Many heads should roll over this issue and I cannot believe I am the only one talking about it publicly. It is a complete failure of system that was designed to help not hurt people that live in poverty.
Welfare Legal is offering $100.00 to the first person that e-mails us a copy of the new Ontario Works Directive #7.4. This offer is only good for seven days after this letter goes public. The sender will have to prove the document is authentic.
For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/
Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
E-mail welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Saturday, September 27, 2008
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2 comments:
did you ever find the document, when one ask for OSDP, they first thing they ask is do you still have your children?
and name them. How would they even know childrens name, or even if I had children, they never asked.
The new policy is used called FEAR, child povery reduction, meaning if your in need, even to the point of stavation to feed your children and go without, to make sure you have roof over head, hope hyrdo rates and heating don't force you out into the cold, then its all deemed child neglect.
and Children without parents, i'e in foster care, and group homes, is seen as cost saving, after all it keeps others in work, we pay for.
The war on poverty, is a war against the poor. no question!
The reason why you're the only one talking about it (Well, you're not. Look up "David Lhoanes vs. Ontario Works" is because people who lost the battle with OW usually end up in the shelter.
Take my scenario. You've become homeless for the first time. You desperately seek aid from OW. You go to their office and are treated in a most reprehensible manner.
Everything is done to harass you and get you off the system. (The Woodbridge Office is very bad. Christine Davisohn was my worker, Angela DiNatella was her supervisor, Hal Roach was the manager and George Davidson was the supervisor).
You get frustrated from dealing with landlords and Ontario Works, they keep kicking you off OW for no reason, you get evicted because you can't pay the rent, you end up in the shelter.
You can't take on OW from the shelter.
I'll never forget I called Angela DiNatella one Friday and told her the money was not deposited into my account. she said "Oh you are not on our bank transfer list (Which was a lie) you have to come pick it up".
Now mind you I am Jewish and observe the Sabbath, and not only do they not give me an allowance for Kosher food which is expensive, I had to ride my bike there on a particularly hot summer day (40 Celsius) near the Sabbath Eve.
I road my bike along the dust, rubble, dirt and grit of highway 7.
When I arrived there, the man at the desk said that my check was being bank transfered and that I should not have come.
This is Nazism plain and simple. It's a complete sham, and only shows you the systemic and inherent corruption of this province and country.
For someone who was born here, a child of the holocaust, I will never forget the sheer hell that I had to go through in homeless shelters like Seaton (Satan) House because of Ontario Works.
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