Welfare Legal

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

What People On ODSP Are In For According to The Conservatives

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said

“Each person on social assistance should have a personalized plan that sets out certain activities they need to perform in order to receive their benefits”
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/18/ontario-tories-to-cut-welfare-to-long-term-benefit-collectors-as-motivation-to-find-work/

Would someone kindly remind him that Ontario Works already has this in place? It is called a Participation Agreement. It was designed by his Conservatives.

This guy really doesn't have a clue does he.

Ontario Works Regulations state

Participation Agreement Required for Application for Income Assistance

18. (1) An application for income assistance, other than an application related solely to temporary care assistance, shall include a participation agreement for the applicant and for his or her spouse included in the benefit unit. O. Reg. 134/98, s. 18 (1); O. Reg. 32/00, s. 4; O. Reg. 294/05, s. 5.

(2) The administrator may also require other dependants included in the benefit unit to complete a participation agreement. O. Reg. 134/98, s. 18 (2).

Participation in Employment Assistance Activities

27. (1) Subject to subsection (2), every participant is required to participate in one or more employment assistance activities in accordance with sections 28 and 29. O. Reg. 134/98, s. 27 (1).

(2) The administrator shall temporarily defer the requirement under subsection (1) with respect to a participant who meets at least one of the following criteria:

1. The participant is a sole support parent with at least one dependent child for whom publicly funded education is not available.

2. The participant is a sole support parent with at least one child for whom,

i. temporary care assistance is being received, and

ii. publicly funded education is not available.

3. The participant is a caregiver for a family member and the administrator is satisfied,

i. that the family member requires daily physical assistance on an ongoing basis because of a disability, illness or old age, and

ii. that, based on documentation from persons providing support services to the household, the assistance required to be provided by the caregiver makes participation impracticable.

4. The participant is 65 years of age or older.

5. There are exceptional circumstances, approved by the Director, that apply to the participant.

Ron Payne

Welfare Legal

Hamilton, Ontario

Ontario Tories to cut welfare to long-term benefit collectors as motivation to find work

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

This Is The Real Story From The Conservatives

Put the disabled on Ontario Works and then kick them off’

TORONTO — Ontario should claw back welfare for able-bodied people who’ve been collecting benefits for a long time to motivate them to find a job, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said Thursday.

Other ideas include merging Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program into a single program, which would still be funded by the province but administered by municipalities. Another idea, taken from the United States, is introducing a debit card that could only be used to buy food.

Money could be saved by reducing “management layers” and supervisors to make the system more efficient, as well as allowing non-profits, charities and the private sector to bid on contracts to administer social programs.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/18/ontario-tories-to-cut-welfare-to-long-term-benefit-collectors-as-motivation-to-find-work/

news.nationalpost.com

Each person on social assistance should have a personalized plan that sets out certain activities they need to perform in order to receive their benefits

http://sareview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Webinar-3-Merging-OW-and-ODSP.pdf

Information About The Merger.

For more information regarding the merger.

Scroll down to page 13.
http://sareview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Webinar-3-Merging-OW-and-ODSP.pdf

sareview.ca

Ron Payne

Welfare Legal

Hamilton, Ontario

Ontario PCs aim to back Liberal bills in bid to set agenda

Will The Liberals Join The Conservatives And Merge ODSP with OW?

Will the Liberals join the Consevatives and pass Bill 27 that will merge ODSP and OW?
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet&BillID=2744

I don't know but the stage is set don't you think.

Hudak stays leader and....

The Tories will offer to help fast-track several of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s bills, plus at least three of their own, party sources told The Globe and Mail Sunday. The plan would ensure Liberal legislation – on tanning beds, local food, co-op housing and mobile-phone contracts – would pass the assembly by the end of the year. PC bills that would be pushed through include a measure that would free construction company EllisDon from having to use unionized labour and a law to put carbon-monoxide detectors in all homes.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-pcs-aim-to-back-liberal-bills-in-bid-to-set-agenda/article14459560/

www.theglobeandmail.com

One PC source said the aim is to clear away non-contentious legislation that is before the assembly

The Fight for ODSP: A Public Meeting & Meal

The Battle Begins, ODSP merging with OW.

The battle begins, regarding ODSP merging with OW.

By Parkdale Community Legal Services

The Fight for ODSP: A Public Meeting & Meal

The Ontario government intends to merge Ontario Works and ODSP. If they succeed, even more disabled people will be denied benefits and pushed into the lowest paying jobs. To stop them, we must organize our communities in Parkdale and beyond. Join us for a meal and discussion of how we can build a movement to defend ODSP and to raise social assistance rates.
https://www.facebook.com/events/160584520807939/

Parkdale Community Legal Services's photo.

Yesterday at 6:30pm

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, 1499 Queen St. West

You went

Welfare reform minister commits to changing system

Of particular concern is the report’s controversial call to merge Ontario
orks and the Ontario Disability Support Program and develop a single welfare rate. Eliminating a special dietary supplement and working supplement for the disabled are also controversial.
But McMeekin, a former community development worker who lead the Burlington Social Planning Council and worked for the United Church of Canada, is committed to pushing forward.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/01/welfare_reform_minister_commits_to_changing_system.html

Welfare reform minister commits to changing system | Toronto Star

www.thestar.com

The job of reforming Ontario's $8.3-billion social-assistance system falls Ted McMeekin, a Hamilton MPP with deep commitment to social justice.

Is the Ontario Government Planning to Merge Ontario Works & ODSP? YES THEY ARE - and WE PLAN TO...

Trouble on the horizon! Merging ODSP With OW

It is our clear understanding, from a well-placed source within Queen’s Park, that we will see legislation being introduced in the fall on the OW/ODSP merger. It is a very serious attack and people should be very concerned. However, we want to stress that we are putting out this information because we believe that we can organize to defeat the Government’s plans and stop this merger from going through.

Trouble on the horizon!

ocap.ca

August, 2013 Disabled people who have to rely on ODSP know what an inadequate and discriminatory system it is. You have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to get onto it and the level of income it provides comes nowhere close to meeting your basic needs.