Review of Social Assistance in Ontario - Canadian Social Research Links

See these related Canadian Social Research Links pages:

Guide to Welfare in Ontario
Ontario Government Links
Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (A-C)
Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W)
Spouse-in-the-house : The Falkiner Case
The Ontario Special Diet Allowance

Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns (incl. Ontario links)
Early Learning and Child Care (for all Ontario ECD links)
Case Law / Court Decisions / Inquests
Provincial-Territorial Political Parties and Elections in Canada - incl. Ontario election links
Government Budget Links - incl. Ontario budget links

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Skip directly to the NGO links section - further down on this page, also includes links to the latest news about the review.

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150+ Submissions to the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario (mostly August/September 2011)
- this link takes you further down on the page you're now reading

Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario

NOTE: The links immediately below are from the Government of Ontario social assistance review website.
Clicking this link will take you further down on the page you're now reading to the latest information on the social assistance review.

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Commission for the Review
of Social Assistance in Ontario

[ Version française du site:
Commission d'examen du système d'aide sociale de l'Ontario ]

Led by Frances Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh, the Commission is charged with examining social assistance in Ontario through engagement, research and analysis to provide the government with a concrete action plan to improve the system for the people who need it.

The latest from the Commission:

February 3, 2012

Small fixes to Ontario’s welfare system not enough, says progress report
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/1125640
February 2, 2012
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Small fixes will not be enough to bring about the transformational change Ontario’s social assistance needs, says a progress report by the province’s social assistance review commission. More employment support for those on welfare, including those with disabilities; streamlined delivery and new benefits available to all low-income people outside the welfare system are some of the ideas the commission is exploring. “Across the province, people asked us to be bold in thinking about how to reform the social assistance system,” says the report being released Friday [Feb. 3) by commissioners Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh. (...)
The commission, established in November 2010, is aimed at removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. It is expected to release its recommendations in June. The progress is the result of 11 community meetings across the province with more than 2,000 participants, numerous informal meetings and 700 written submissions. Rather than a comprehensive report on options for reform, the update discusses different approaches and highlights areas for more discussion.
Source:
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/

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NOTA : Pour la version française du Document de discussion et des liens connexes ci-dessous, voir
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/publications-de-la-commission
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New from the
Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario:

Message from the Commissioners
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/a-message-from-the-commissioners
February 2012
With the release of Discussion Paper 2: Approaches for Reform we are entering the second phase of our engagement process. Our purpose with this paper is to seek your perspective on the different approaches to improving social assistance that we are considering based on what we heard and learned through our research. We hope you will take the time to send us your thoughts, which you can do through this website.
(...)
We have summarized the feedback we received [to the first discussion paper] in What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance, also available on the Commission's website. We encourage you to read the summary as a companion to the second discussion paper.

The Commission's progress report:

Approaches for Reform
Discussion Paper 2
February 2012

PDF version (1.2MB, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/RyvnX

Word version (445K, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/iMydq

(...) This paper advances the dialogue with Ontarians that we began in our first discussion paper “Issues and Ideas” [ http://goo.gl/wa1qx - 478K, 50 pages] in June 2011, and continued over the summer and fall through community visits and other opportunities to engage with people and organizations with diverse perspectives on social assistance.
(...)
Our purpose in this paper is to discuss different approaches to improving some of the key areas of the social assistance system. This paper provides
opportunities for further discussion, as opposed to final recommendations. (...) We would like to receive your input by Friday, March 16, 2012.
---
NOTE : See the References section of the report (p. 67) for links to eight related studies from various sources.
---

Also just released by the Commission:

Feedback in response to the first discussion paper
The Commission has summarized the feedback received in response to the first (June 2011) discussion paper in What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance. We encourage you to read the summary below as a companion to the second discussion paper.

What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance
February 2012

PDF version (696K, 44 pages)
http://goo.gl/uwKUU

Word version (1.1MB, 44 pages)
http://goo.gl/p5XaZ

Source:
Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/

Commission d'examen du système d'aide sociale de l'Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/accueil

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The first discussion paper:

A Discussion Paper: Issues and Ideas
June 2011
PDF version - 478K, 50 pages
Word version (.doc) (404K, 50 pages)
Context:
In the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Ontario government committed to reviewing social assistance — Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) — with a focus on removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. It subsequently appointed the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council (SARAC) to provide advice on a proposed scope for the review. Taking into account the advice of the Council, the government established the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario in November 2010. The Commission’s task is to carry out a comprehensive review and provide specific recommendations and a concrete action plan for reforming the social assistance system. The Commissioners are expected to submit a final report to the government by June 30, 2012.
[Excerpt, page 7]

Related material:

Summary and Workbook
June 2011
PDF version (343K, 34 pages)
Word version (.doc) (241K, 34 pages)

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From the
Review Commission website:

Hosting a Community Conversation
If you would like guidance on organizing a community meeting, a Guide to Hosting a Community Conversation is also available.

Guide to Hosting a Community Conversation
PDF version (119K, 6 pages)
Word version (.doc) (78K, 6 pages)

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Selected Reports on Key Social Assistance Issues
- links to over a dozen relevant reports from the Ontario and federal governments, the non-governmental sector and even TD Economics

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Social Assistance Today
Ontario’s social assistance system is made up of two programs: Ontario Works for people in temporary financial need, and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which is intended to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible and to reduce or eliminate disability-related barriers to employment. Together, Ontario Works and ODSP serve approximately 857,000 Ontarians each month. In 2009–10, total provincial expenditures on social assistance were about $6.6 billion, about six per cent of the provincial budget.
*Recommended reading!
- Click the link above, then use the links in the left margin to find out more about:
* Eligibility
* Income Assistance and Other Benefits (incl. Total Annual Income for Selected Households,OntarioWorks and ODSP as at December 2010)
* Employment Services and Supports
* Program Delivery and Cost-sharing
* Other Programs
* Profile of People Receiving Ontario Works
* Profile of People Receiving ODSP

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In late fall 2011, an Options Paper will be released to solicit further input from stakeholders and communities, and to help frame the Commission’s recommendations to government.

The Commission’s Final Report is due to the government in June 2012.

Source:
Government of Ontario
Social Assistance Review website

150+ Submissions to the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario - August/September 2011

150+ Submissions to the
Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
(mostly August/September 2011)

COMMENT [by Gilles]:
I highly recommend this collection of Ontario social assistance review submissions - it's an extensive analysis of the province's social assistance program from a multitude of perspectives. Anyone who spends any amount of time doing social research already knows this, but submissions to program reviews contain a wealth of information on the initiative(s) under review (and not just for Ontario!).

Some context:

Commission for the Review
of Social Assistance in Ontario
If you're not familiar with the context of this review, you should start on this page.

Sample submission from
a non-governmental organization:

Submission to the Commission for
the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario (Word file - 241K, 25 pages)
By the Income Security Advocacy Centre
September 1, 2011
Excerpt from the Conclusion:
The current system has been shown to have serious limitations that require thoughtful and active intervention. It's time for a new vision for Ontario Works that moves away from the punitive negative financial eligibility and coercive work-first / workfare model to a program that uses opportunity planning to effectively intervene to help people who require assistance move to a better place, providing for both sustainable employment and long-term support where needed. And it's time to bring ODSP program rules and employment supports in line with the program's stated objectives of both providing adequate income and supporting employment aspirations.
Source:
Income Security Advocacy Centre
See also:
Social Assistance Review ( An initiative of the Income Security Advocacy Centre)

Sample Submission from
a private individual:

A Discussion Paper : Issues and Ideas (PDF - 1.6MB, 17 pages)
Submission by Hristo Assadourian
Comments on:
* the vision
* issue 1: reasonable expectations and necessary supports to employment
* issue 2: appropriate benefit structure
* issue 3: easier to understand
* issue 4: viable over the long term
The submission generally views the Ontario Disability Support Program but the change in philosophy underlying it applies, to a higher degree perhaps, to the system of general welfare.

[ Hristo Assadourian, the author of this submission, is an employee of the Ministry of Community and Social Services, the ministry responsible for social assistance in Ontario.]

All written submissions to the Commission - links to 150+ submissions from groups and individuals

The Discussion paper:

A Discussion Paper: Issues and Ideas
June 2011
PDF version - 478K, 50 pages
Word version (.doc) (404K, 50 pages)
Context:
In the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Ontario government committed to reviewing social assistance — Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) — with a focus on removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. It subsequently appointed the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council (SARAC) to provide advice on a proposed scope for the review. Taking into account the advice of the Council, the government established the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario in November 2010. The Commission’s task is to carry out a comprehensive review and provide specific recommendations and a concrete action plan for reforming the social assistance system. The Commissioners are expected to submit a final report to the government by June 30, 2012.
[Excerpt, page 7]

Source:
Commission for the Review
of Social Assistance in Ontario

Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) - Ontario ministry responsible for social assistance

The yellow box below contains links to the websites of the main NGOs involved in the review.Scroll down past the yellow box to the latest news from and about the Ontario Review of Social Assistance.

Non-governmental organizations
involved in the Ontario welfare reform initiative

Poverty Free Ontario (PFO) - formerly Poverty Watch Ontario
The mission of Poverty Free Ontario is to eliminate divided communities in which large numbers of adults and children live in chronic states of material hardship, poor health and social exclusion. An Ontario free of poverty will be reflected in healthy, inclusive communities with a place of dignity for everyone and the essential conditions of well-being for all.

- includes links to : * About * Event Calendar * Policy Agenda Overview [ End Deep Poverty /End Working Poverty / Protect Food Money] * Poverty in Ontario [Background / Status of Poverty in Ontario / What Does Poverty Eradication Mean?] * Cross Community Mobilization * Archives

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Social Assistance Review
This is the Income Security Advocacy Centre's sub-site on the Ontario social assistance review

Income Security Advocacy Centre

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25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
http://www.25in5.ca/
25-in-5: Network for Poverty Reduction is a multi-sectoral network comprised of more than 100 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working on eliminating poverty. We have organized ourselves around the call for a Poverty Reduction Plan with a goal to reduce poverty in Ontario by 25% in 5 years and 50% in 10 years.

All links below are in reverse chronological order, more or less...

The Ontario Special Diet Allowance
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/on_special_diet.htm
A new Canadian Social Research Links page
- 45 links to information about the Ontario Special Diet Allowance that's available under Ontario's two social assistance programs
- includes several Ontario Auditor General's reports pointing to potential abuses of the allowance and what the Ontario is doing - or proposing to do - about it. The Commission of Review of Social Assistance in Ontario is asking for feedback on its second discussion paper, including the Special Diet Allowance, by March 16.

The Drummond Report
February 2012
Chapter 8
Social Programs
Recommendations:
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/chapters/ch8.html
* Hold growth in social programs spending to 0.5 per cent per year.
* Move aggressively towards a fully integrated benefits system
* The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario should examine system design options that deliver a more efficient and higher-quality service to social assistance recipients. This examination should consider combining Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, and having the combined program delivered at the local level.
* Advocate for federal reforms in two key areas:
--- Work with other provinces and the federal government to establish a national income-support program for people with disabilities who are unlikely to re-enter the workforce.
--- Implement the final recommendations of the Mowat Centre Employment Insurance Task Force.
* the maximum level of the Ontario Child Benefit is frozen.
[Click the link above for more, including changes to child and youth mental health services, children’s services, health, education, youth justice, developmental services funding, the non-profit sector, etc.]

Source:
Public Services for Ontarians : A Path to Sustainability and Excellence
Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services
February 2012
By Don Drummond

PDF version (5.6MB, 562 pages)
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/chapters/report.pdf

HTML version
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/index.html

The Options Paper:
What Does It Say and What Does It Mean? (webinar and backgrounders)
http://sareview.ca/isac-resources/options-paper-webinar/
February 17, 2012
The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario released its Options Paper, entitled “Discussion Paper 2: Approaches for Reform”, on February 3, 2012. There is a very short period for public response and feedback – the deadline for responding is March 16. The options could have far-reaching implications for people on low incomes. In this webinar, Jennefer Laidley of the Income Security Advocacy Centre presents information that will help groups and individuals understand and respond to the Commission’s Options Paper. The webinar explains where the review process is now and what some of the problems with the paper are, gives a brief overview of the current political and economic context, dissects the paper to construct a picture of what is actually being proposed, and goes through some of the implications.

NOTE : Click the link above to access the main webinar/resources page, then scroll down to the video screen and click the Start button. The duration of the webinar is just under two hours, but it isn't a humongous download because the video itself is black-and-white powerpoint slides that follows along with the voice of presenter Jennefer Laidley of the Income Security Advocacy Centre.

Source:
Income Security Advocacy Centre
http://www.incomesecurity.org/

The Discussion paper:

Discussion Paper 2 : Approaches for Reform (PDF - 1.2MB, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/RyvnX
February 2012
Source:
Commission for the
Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/

Poverty Free Ontario Bulletin #9:
Social Assistance Review Discussion Paper 2: Missed Opportunity, Even Backsliding, as Austerity Agenda Looms
http://goo.gl/H1VXc
February 6, 2012
The Social Assistance Review Commissioners issued a low-key release of their “Options” paper on its web site late Thursday, February 2 (see the link below). Although promoted for months as an “Options Paper”, it is actually framed as Discussion Paper 2: Approaches for Reform. While various ways to go for reform of social assistance in the long-term are presented in a technical policy terms, the paper lacks any clear, compelling overall direction to end poverty for social assistance recipients. Questions and problems raised are barely advanced from the first Discussion Paper of last fall and, on some issues such as establishing a poverty measure for adequacy in benefit levels, the Paper actually moves the process backwards. The Commissioners ask for further input on their discussion questions from the community by March 16. Their final report with recommendations is targeted for release in June 2012.

Source:
Poverty Free Ontario
http://www.povertyfreeontario.ca/

Related link:

Approaches for Reform : Discussion Paper 2 (PDF - 1.2MB, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/RyvnX
February 2012
Source:
Commission for the
Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/

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From the
Hamilton Spectator:

Social assistance report not worth the three-year wait:
Lankin and Sheikh serve up old arguments that divide, rather than help, people in poverty
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/669189
February 10, 2012
By Deirdre Pike
On February 3, a long-anticipated report from the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario quietly appeared on its website. Promoted in advance as the “Options Paper,” it was published as “Discussion Paper 2 — Approaches for Reform.” People who are stuck relying on social assistance for income support, both Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, have waited patiently for three years for its release. Echoing words from various government officials, they expected “bold changes” in the recommendations. With community allies from across every sector, they waited with “great expectations” that have not been realized. As Poverty Free Ontario says, “The paper lacks any clear, compelling overall direction to end poverty for social assistance recipients” and, in some cases, has actually moved the conversation backwards.

Source:
Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/

Ontario Social Assistance Review Webinar Series

The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario recently released the following paper with options for reforming Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP):

Approaches for Reform: Discussion Paper 2 (PDF - 1.2MB, 77 pages)
http://goo.gl/RyvnX
February 2012
The discussion paper was released in the first week of February,
and the Commission is seeking feedback and comments by
Friday, March 16, 2012.
[ See Chapter 7: How to Provide Input

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From
Your Legal Rights:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/

According to the organizers of the webinar series:
"The options could have far-reaching implications for people on low incomes."

In this webinar series, Jennefer Laidley and Dana Milne of the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) [ http://www.incomesecurity.org/ ] presented on three different options expected in the paper and offered a variety of tools to help groups across Ontario organize consultations in their communities and make submissions.

Links to each of the three webinars:

NOTE : Clicking a link to one of the three webinars below takes you to a content page that includes:
- the embedded video (and a link to a mirror of the video on Vimeo),
- a link to an audio-only version of the webinar in MP3 format
- a link to a Powerpoint presentation to download in different formats (PPT - PDF - DOC)

Part 1 : Tax Delivered Income - January 26
(video duration : 1 hour 46 minutes)
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/83721

Part 2 : Moving Benefits outside OW and ODSP - February 1
(video duration : 1 hour 52 minutes)
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/83725

Part 3 : Merging OW and ODSP - February 6
(video duration : 1 hour 57 minutes)
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/83726
The Options Paper was released before the third webinar – as a result, the third webinar addresses the content of the Options Paper directly.

Tools You Can Use
In the Social Assistance Review (Word file - 168K, 25 pages)
http://sareview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Toolkit-Final.doc
* Frameworks for Reforming Social Assistance
* Options Backgrounders
* Using an Equity Lens
* ODSP Action Coalition Position Statements
* Government's Poverty Reduction Commitments
* Political and Economic Overview
* MPP Lobby Kit
* Detailed info on each of three options
* Government's Poverty Reduction Principles and the Social Assistance Review
* The Social Assistance Review So Far : The Political and Economic Context
* Next Steps

This toolkit was created by:

* The Income Security Advocacy Centre
http://www.incomesecurity.org/

...in partnership with:

* Campaign 2000
http://www.campaign2000.ca/

* Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change
http://www.colourofpoverty.ca/

* Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/organization/74087

* The Ontario Council for Agencies Serving Immigrants
http://www.ocasi.org/index.php

* The ODSP Action Coalition
http://www.odspaction.ca/

* YWCA Toronto
http://www.ywcatoronto.org/

* The community legal clinic system's
Steering Committee on Social Assistance

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NOTE : The webinars and presentation materials are also available on the Income Security Advocacy Centre’s website on the Social Assistance Review at http://sareview.ca/isac-resources/webinars-preparing-for-the-options-paper/

Source:
Your Legal Rights : Training
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/training

[ Your Legal Rights Home Page:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/ ]

Related link:

Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario
http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/

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From the
Office of the Auditor General of Ontario:

Annual Report of the Auditor General of Ontario for 2011
December 5, 2011
- incl. links to the complete report in one PDF file and a table of contents with links to individual chapter sections in PDF format

Selected sections of the report:

4.09 Ontario Disability Support Program (pdf 207kb)
http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en11/409en11.pdf

4.11 Ontario Works Program (pdf 224kb)
http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en11/411en11.pdf

From 25 in 5 Poverty Reduction Network:

Progress Made on Child Poverty: All Parties Must Work Together to Meet the Goal, Advocates Urge
http://25in5.ca/progress-made-on-child-poverty-all-parties-must-work-together-to-meet-the-goal-advocates-urge/
News Release
December 5, 2011
TORONTO– Ontario must redouble its efforts in order to meet its commitment to reduce child poverty by 25% by 2013, says a new report by the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction. Common Ground: A Strategy for Moving Forward on Poverty Reduction tracks the government’s progress at the third anniversary of the Province’s poverty reduction promise. The report shows that while some progress has been made, it’s critical that all three parties work together to lift 90,000 Ontario children out of poverty by 2013. The report also identifies ten areas of common ground that emerged across parties during the 2011 election campaign, and urges government to work with the opposition parties to take action on these commitments right away.

The report:

Common Ground: A Strategy for Moving Forward on Poverty Reduction
Third Annual Progress Report on Poverty Reduction in Ontario (PDF - 264K, 32 pages)
http://25in5.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/25-in-5-Common-Ground-final.pdf
December 5, 2011
Ontario has officially passed the halfway point to its promised target date of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent by December 2013. Much has happened since December 4, 2008, the date the Ontario government announced its first five-year poverty reduction commitment. But, especially in light of ongoing economic turmoil, much more needs to be done in order to meet the target.
(...)
During the 2011 election campaign, common ground on poverty reduction emerged in ten distinct areas. Taking action on these “Common Ground Commitments” would go a long way in reducing child and family poverty in Ontario by 25% in 2013.
1. Introduce a new Housing Benefit: Housing
2. Reform Social Assistance
3. Support Transition to Work
4. Raise the Ontario Child Benefit
5. Take Action on Minimum Wages
6. Step up for Fair Employment
7. Build New Affordable Housing
8. Make Early Learning Vision a Reality
9. Support Affordable Education
10. Set the next target.
(...)
In addition, 25 in 5 recommends action in six further areas, which must be on the radar screen of all Ontario’s political parties:
1. Raise social assistance incomes
2. Invest in community-based services that Ontarians turn to when they need help and support
3. Build a public education system that focuses on equitable outcomes
4. Introduce a strategy for disproportionately poor communities
5. Introduce dental care for all low-income
6. Create a transit infrastructure for opportunity.

Source:
25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
http://www.25in5.ca/
25-in-5: Network for Poverty Reduction is a multi-sectoral network comprised of more than 100 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working on eliminating poverty. We have organized ourselves around the call for a Poverty Reduction Plan with a goal to reduce poverty in Ontario by 25% in 5 years and 50% in 10 years.

Related link:

Is Social Assistance a “Poverty Pariah?”
By Nick Falvo
July 24, 2011
An article in the current edition of NOW Magazine (see the link above) looks at social assistance in Ontario. The article is aptly entitled “Poverty Pariah,” in light of how apparently unpopular Ontario’s welfare system has become over the past 20 years. As can be seen at the National Council of Welfare’s Interactive Welfare Incomes Map, a single adult on welfare in Ontario receives $7,501 per year. In real terms, this benefit level is roughly 35% lower now than it was in the mid-1990s. I was struck by many examples provided in the article of how politically unpopular some advocates believe it to be to even broach the topic of substantially increasing benefit levels.
Source:
Progressive Economics Forum

For residents of Ottawa:

Ottawa Social Assistance Review Consultation (PDF - 184K, 1 page)
July 27, 2011
The Province of Ontario is doing a review of Social Assistance (Ontario Works and the Ontario Diosability Support Program) and the two Commissioners are coming to Ottawa. They want to hear from people on assistance, service providers, employers and the general public about how Social Assistance can be improved.

There will be two opportunities for the community to have their voices heard on July 27 at St. Joe’s Church (Cumberland & Wilbrod).

· 1-4pm – this session will be reserved for people affected by social assistance, service providers and community organizations. To protect people’s privacy, the media will not be present.

· 6:30-9pm - open to everyone including the media

Bus tickets and childcare costs will be provided for low-income participants who register.
[Click the PDF link above for registration and contact information.]

For more info about the Commission and their work,
see http://www.socialassistancereview.ca/home

The Social Assistance Review:
Opportunities and Risks in the Commission’s Discussion Paper
Analysis of Commission Discussion Paper
July 27, 2011
Highlights
Complete paper (Word file - 261K, 16 pages)

Responding to the Review of Social Assistance
July 27, 2011
Envisioning a New Approach:
A Response to the Commissioners for the Review of Social Assistance
In November 2010, the Ontario government appointed two Commissioners, Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh to lead its Review of Social Assistance. The Commissioners released their initial Discussion Paper on June 9. This paper responds to that Discussion Paper and will form the basis of ISAC’s submission. We continue to work with our partners to develop the ideas set out here, and our final submission, which will be submitted by August 31, will be informed by our ongoing discussions.

Source:
Social Assistance Review
This is the Income Security Advocacy Centre's sub-site on the Ontario social assistance review

Income Security Advocacy Centre

Facilitator’s Guide for a Workshop on the Social Assistance Review
July 12, 2011
Interested in organizing in your community around Ontario's Social Assistance Review this summer? Not sure where to begin or want some support? You're not alone! That's why the ODSP Action Coalition, with support from the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) and the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, have developed a Facilitator's Guide for a workshop on the Social Assistance Review.

[ ODSP = Ontario Disability Support Program = welfare for people with disabilities]

SAR Workshop Facilitator’s Guide (Word file - 417K, 29 pages)
[Le Guide d’animation sera disponible en français a compter du 18 juillet.]
If you’re a community leader or working at a community-based organization – and you’re planning to organize a discussion about the Review – you may find our facilitator’s guide a very valuable tool.

Other documents - the facilitator's guide main page includes links to Powerpoint presentations, discussion questions, activity sheets, handouts, info sheets and more

Source:
ODSP Action Coalition
With the support of
* Income Security Advocacy Centre
* Schizophrenia Society of Ontario

Inadequate social assistance costs us plenty
July 8, 2011
The term “social assistance” is quickly becoming misleading. While it is encouraging to know that Ontario has programs in place designed to assist people living in poverty, there is an undeniable shortfall in the amounts disbursed by the province’s two major social assistance programs, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. An overhaul is needed within these programs, since the lack of funding for low-income Ontarians is getting very, very expensive.

As of December 2010, the average single individual supported by Ontario Works was receiving $592 per month, the equivalent of working full-time for $3.70 per hour — and a full $6.55 less than minimum wage. Yet this amount is expected to cover food, housing, transportation and all incidental expenses while the recipient seeks employment.

In April 2011, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimated the average rent for a bachelor apartment in Waterloo Region at $603 per month—that’s $11 more than the average recipient of Ontario Works is allocated for all of their monthly expenses. This tells us that, even without eating, the average person on social assistance cannot afford the average cost of the smallest dwelling on the housing market.
Source:
The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)

Recent releases from the
Ontario Social Assistance Review website
of the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC):

City, province eye social assistance issues in Hamilton
July 5, 2011
By Danielle Wong
City council has approved a local push to reform Ontario’s social assistance system by setting rates that would meet basic needs. Economist Dr. Atif Kubursi and Hamilton Community Legal Clinic staff lawyer Craig Foye presented a report [the next link below] to council Monday about the economic impact of spending by Hamiltonians living on social assistance. They requested councillors endorse the report and write to the province, emphasizing the need for an “evidence-based” model for setting social assistance rates.

The report:

The Economic Impact of
Social Assistance in Hamilton (PDF - 444K, 63 pages)
By Atif Kubursi and Craig Foye
April 2011
There is a general presumption that Social Assistance in Ontario or elsewhere, whether through Ontario Works (OW) or ODSP benefits, is a general burden on the taxpayers in the province with no or little benefits for the people of Ontario beyond the small cohort receiving it. The results of the economic impact analysis we undertook show that this is not true. Rather, the expenditures the beneficiaries make (incidentally, it is typically the case that the recipients of these benefits spend all what they receive) in the local economy tend to generate significant impacts in both the local and provincial economies
Source:
Econometric Research Limited

Broken system needs fixing
July 6, 2011
By Lee Prokaska
“It is not a matter of small fixes.”— Dr. Munir Sheikh, commissioner, provincial social assistance review commission.
As understatements go, Sheikh’s is a dramatic one.
The 18-month review of social assistance in Ontario that he is undertaking with commissioner Frances Lankin will be the largest — and we hope most thorough — examination of social assistance programs since the late 1980s. In the interim, those programs have taken a beating, most significantly during the Mike Harris years of ideologically based cuts.
Source:
The Hamilton Spectator

More info:

Ontario Social Assistance Review - from the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)

Frances Lankin on CBC’s Metro Morning
July 5, 2011
Frances Lankin, co-Commissioner of the Social Assistance Review Commission, was interviewed on July 5 by Matt Galloway on Toronto’s Metro Morning radio program.
* Listen to the interview on the CBC’s website (Duration 6:36)
* Read the unofficial transcript of the conversation

We invest in roads; why not people?
July 5, 2011
By Peter Graefe
Social-service spending is an investment with demonstrable returns
Source:
The Hamilton Spectator

More info:

Ontario Social Assistance Review --- Income Security Advocacy Centre

800-rule welfare system assailed
June 29, 2011
By Don Lajoie
As she begins consultations in the city with Canada's highest unemployment rate, the woman charged with reviewing the province's welfare system says a fundamental overhaul is needed to help lift families from poverty. Frances Lankin, recently appointed commissioner of the province's new Social Assistance Review Commission, told the general meeting of the United Way for Windsor and Essex County Tuesday that the system may be too complicated and irrational. "We've been asked to simplify the rules," said the former NDP provincial cabinet minister. "There are now 800 rules. How does anyone navigate through? It's not humanly possible for a caseworker to know all the (eligibility) rules without bogging down in administration .... There's no time left to help families."
In addition, she said, the benefit rates, which are supposed to guarantee a basic living for recipients, seem to be based on random numbers.
Source:
The Windsor Star

From the
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC):

The Social Assistance Review: Resources on What You Need to Know
June 3, 2011
ISAC and the Toronto clinic system's Social Assistance Action Committee (SAAC) recently partnered to host two information sessions on critical issues that will arise in the course of the Social Assistance Review. The first session, "Transforming Ontario Works", was held in March 2011 to explore issues around the transition "from welfare to work". The link to that session also appears below.

First information session:

Income Delivery Architecture: Where Does Your Cheque Come From?
And Why Does It Matter?
June 2, 2011
Several proposals have been made in the last few years about how to change the way income supports are delivered to people in Ontario.
Why are people proposing a different “delivery architecture”?
What problems would a different system help to resolve?
What are some of the options for different kinds of systems?
What do they look like, and how would they work?

ISAC and the Ontario community legal clinic system’s Social Assistance Action Committee (SAAC) held a roundtable discussion on May 30, 2011, to try explore these questions – in order to help prepare advocates and caseworkers for the Social Assistance Review consultations.

Three important speakers made presentations at the roundtable. Please click on the links below to view their PowerPoint presentations.

Michael Mendelson is Senior Scholar at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, and has held senior public service positions in both Ontario and Manitoba.

John Stapleton operates his own public policy consultancy, Open Policy Ontario, after a 28-year career in social assistance policy in the Ontario government.

Lisa Philipps is a Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where she teaches and does research in the fields of taxation law and fiscal policy.

This was the second in a series of information events held by ISAC and SAAC to help community legal clinic caseworkers – and others – prepare for Ontario’s Social Assistance Review. Links to the first event, called “Transforming Ontario Works”, appear below.

Second information session:

Transforming Ontario Works: An Information Symposium
May 29, 2011
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 various aspects of "opportunity planning", also known as human capital development. Click the link above to access a collection of ten links to video coverage of symposium presentations as well as the question and answer sessions.
Speakers:
* Mary Marrone, Director of Advocacy and Legal Services, ISAC
* Melodie Mayson, Co-Director, Neighbourhood Legal Services
* Tom Zizys, Independent Researcher
* Andrew Mitchell, Social Assistance in the New Economy project
* Allison Bramwell, Munk School of Global Affairs
* Josie Di Zio, COSTI
* Steve Johnston, Dixon Hall
* Douglas Bartholomew-Saunders, OMSSA
* Karen Wilson, Toronto Employment and Social Services
Source:
Social Assistance Review
[ Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) ]

Powerpoint presentations from the symposium:
[Click each person's name below to access their Powerpoint* presentation ]

Michael Mendelson is Senior Scholar at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, and has held senior public service positions in both Ontario and Manitoba.

John Stapleton operates his own public policy consultancy, Open Policy Ontario, after a 28-year career in social assistance policy in the Ontario government.

Lisa Philipps is a Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where she teaches and does research in the fields of taxation law and fiscal policy

* [ Free Powerpoint Viewer from Microsoft ]

The long view: Frances Lankin co-chairs
a massive review of Ontario's social support structure
By Paula Carlucci
June 1, 2011
"Public policy," says Frances Lankin, "is not an exercise in sheer logic."
So call it an exercise in endurance, or an experiment in stamina. Lankin brings both qualities to her new role as co-commissioner of Ontario's Social Assistance Review Committee, a massive policy meditation spelled out in the province's 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy. Lankin -- erstwhile provincial NDP cabinet minister and the former head of United Way Toronto who oversaw publication of the organization's seminal Poverty by Postal Code -- is joined by Dr. Munir Sheik, an economist and the former head of Statistics Canada.
Source:
YongeStreet Magazine

Human Dignity for All: Working for a Poverty Free Ontario (PDF - 726K, 23 Powerpoint slides)
Spring 2011
This presentation was made by Poverty Free Ontario in 20 communities across the province from March to June 2011.

From the Ontario
Ministry of Community and Social Services

Ontario's Social Assistance Review
In the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy, Ontario committed to reviewing social assistance with a focus on removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. In January 2010, Ontario appointed the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council to provide advice on a proposed scope for the review. The council's June 2010 report recommended a review of the whole income security system, including, but not limited to, social assistance. This includes a comprehensive review of income security, employment supports and related services for working-age adults. (...)Detailed information on opportunities for public input during the review will be available in the new year.

Social Assistance Review Advisory Council (SARAC)
SARAC as created by the government of Ontario to recommend a scope and terms of reference for a review of Ontario's social assistance system. The Ontario government committed to conducting a social assistance review as part of its Poverty Reduction Strategy.
[*NOTE: The SARAC link above is broken, because the mandate of SARAC has expired, and the Government of Ontario has deleted some of the content on the MCSS website pertaining to SARAC.
ARGH! I hate it when they do that. To retrieve the missing page, copy its URL and paste it into the Wayback Machine at Archive.org ]

Report of the Ontario Social Assistance Review Advisory Council:
Recommendations for an Ontario Income Security Review
HTML version
PDF version - 300K, 33 pages
May 2010

[ Social Assistance Advisory Council Members - biographical notes ]
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

From the
Income Security Advocacy Centre :

Reviewing Ontario's social assistance
The review will begin in January 2011 and finish in June 2012, and it will be led by two commissioners:
* The Honourable Frances Lankin, P.C., Past President and CEO of United Way Toronto, and
* Dr. Munir Sheikh, former Chief Statistician for the Government of Canada.
- includes links to background information about the review (vision, scope, Social Assistance Review Advisory Council member bios, and more...) as well as links (in the left margin of the page) to more information on Ontario's two social assistance programs.

Ontario Social Assistance Rates Effective Nov / Dec 2010
Word version (52K, 1 page)
PDF version (39K, 1 page)
The 2010 provincial budget included a 1% increase to rates, and this fact sheet reflects that change.
The table includes any Ontario Child Benefit received by a household with at least one child.

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Demand Ontario welfare reforms you would want as a recipient
December 8, 2010
By Joseph Jolley (Guelph Mercury Community Editorial Board)
About a week ago, the Ontario Government announced the creation of a panel to make recommendations for what is being described as the largest overhaul to Ontario’s welfare system in 20 years. (...) This effort might have been taken seriously, if it happened even a year ago. Now, it is a meaningless waste of time and effort. Next year is an election year in Ontario. If present polling trends continue to hold, that election will produce a Tory majority government. As some of you may recall, the Tories have their own version of welfare reform. The election will most likely happen even before Mr. Sheikh and Ms. Lankin have finished their work. (...) It should be pointed out to the cheerleaders for the war against the poor that a good social assistance system is in their own best interest. These people don’t seem to realize that all it takes is a few twists of fate to put them into this little version of hell. Yes, it can happen to you. So, how would you want to be treated?
Source:
Social Assistance Review
[ Part of the Income Security Advocacy Centre ]

25 in 5 welcomes Ontario’s Social Assistance review news
November 30, 2010
TORONTO -The 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction welcomes the news that Ontario’s long awaited Social Assistance review will start in January and be led by two very able commissioners: Frances Lankin and Dr. Munir Sheikh.
“We’re very pleased with the broad terms of reference for this review. It will provide recommendations not only on how to transform social assistance but on how it should connect to other income security programs that many of us need to rely on at some point in our lives, such as disability support programs and Employment Insurance,” said Jacquie Maund, Coordinator of Ontario Campaign 2000.
Source:
25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
25-in-5: Network for Poverty Reduction is a multi-sectoral network comprised of more than 100 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working on eliminating poverty. We have organized ourselves around the call for a Poverty Reduction Plan with a goal to reduce poverty in Ontario by 25% in 5 years and 50% in 10 years.

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Also from ISAC:

FACT SHEET: Social Assistance Rates Effective November / December 2009 (PDF - 26K, 1 page)
- incl. current and new monthly Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefit rate amounts. The changes will appear on ODSP cheques received in November and OW cheques received in December, 2009. Basic Needs and Maximum Shelter rates have been increased by 2%.