Ontario Government

The 2007 Ontario provincial election and referendum took place on October 10.
For links to more info, see the Provincial-Territorial Political Parties and Elections in Canada page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

Youth Opportunities Ontario
Great site - links to : Job Connect | Young Entrepreneurs | Apprenticeship | Ontario Summer Jobs | Ontario Internship Program | Rural Youth Job Strategy | Career Gateway | Job Market
- See also ONESTEP (Ontario Network of Employment Skills Training Projects)

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Ontario Government Ministries

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NOTE: If you're not familiar with needs-tested social assistance [welfare] in Ontario, see Welfare in Ontario (A Canadian Social Research Links page), a guide to government information on welfare in Ontario --- what are the programs, who delivers them, who pays for them, links to statistics, legislation, policy manuals, key documents on welfare in Ontario, etc.  - incl. links to Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program and the Toronto Social Services program

Ministry of Community and Social Services
(formerly Community, Family and Children's Services)

HOME PAGE
On the Ministry home page, you'll find links to : What's New - Programs - Publications - Forms - News Room - - Children's Services - Income and Employment Supports - Social and Community Services - About MCSS - Minister of Community and Social Services - Minister of Children’s Services - Organization Chart - Regional Offices - Legislation - Boards, Commissions and Tribunals - Autism - Employment Opportunities - Your Government - Employment - Job Mart - Telephone Directory - Services and Offices - Government Information Centres - Ontario Government Internet Sites

News Room - incl. links to : News Releases - Backgrounders - Fact Sheets - Speeches
News Releases - includes links to news releases from the previous Conservative Government

Site Map

Information about CSS programs is organized under the following two"core businesses":
Income and Employment Supports (Ontario Disability Support Program - Ontario Works)
Social and Community Services (Aboriginal Healing and Wellness - Developmental Services - Domestic Violence - Family Responsibility Office - Homelessness - Interpreter and Intervenor Services - Northern Bursary Program - Social Work and Social Service Work)
NOTE: As of September 2005, the Minister of Community and Social Services is also the Minister Responsible for Accessibility Ontario

Welfare Statistics

Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works
Quarterly Statistical Reports - Caseloads and Beneficiaries
- five years of statistics on ODSP and OW caseloads (i.e., number of households) and beneficiaries (i.e., number of individual recipients)
- includes stat breakdowns by family type (singles / couples / sole support parents)

Ontario Works: Quarterly Statistical Report
Ontario Works (OW) provides employment and financial assistance to people who are in temporary financial need. OW stats also include some 4,200 children in Temporary Care Assistance. TCA provides support for children in financial need while in the temporary care of an adult who does not have a legal obligation to support the child.
- incl. quarterly caseload and beneficiary stats for June 1998 to September 2004 by family type: Singles - Couples - Sole Support Parents - All Family Structures

Ontario Disability Support Program: Quarterly Statistical Reports
The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) was designed to meet the income and employment support needs of people with disabilities. ODSP stats also include some 22,000 children under Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities. ACSD provides a benefit for parents caring for children with severe disabilities at home.

- incl. quarterly caseload and beneficiary stats for six years by family type: Singles - Couples - Sole Support Parents - All Family Structures

NOTE: Any comparison of Ontario's welfare stats with those of other Canadian provinces and territories must include both the OW and ODSP components of the welfare caseload.

A selection of recent releases from MCSS:

New Measures to Tackle Poverty, Build Opportunity:
McGuinty Government Helps More Low-Income Families Get Ahead
News Release
March 17, 2008
Ontario's plan for a strong economy includes supporting low-income families so that everyone can have the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century economy.
- The government will invest $135 million over three years in a dental care plan for low-income families. (...)
- The Student Nutrition Program will be doubled with a three-year $32-million investment to expand existing services. (...)
- repairs to about 4,000 affordable housing units - another $100 million will be provided this year

Related Backgrounder:

McGuinty Government Announces
Three Priority Programs To Kickstart Poverty Reduction Strategy
March 17, 2008
- incl. more detailed info on the three new/enhanced initiatives in the news release above.

Related link:

Income Security Advocacy Centre's Response
to the Ontario Government's Poverty Announcement (PDF file - 36K, 1 page)
Press Release
March 17, 2008
Premier’s Poverty Reduction Announcement:
“A Good Start, but a Long Way to Go”
Toronto – Calling the Premier’s Poverty Reduction announcement “a good start,” Mary Marrone, Director of Advocacy & Legal Services at ISAC, said, “But they’ve got a long way to go.” The Income Security Advocacy Centre is a specialized community legal clinic with a provincial mandate to improve the income security of people living in Ontario through test case litigation, policy advocacy and community organizing. The Premier’s office announced funding for three priority programs this morning as a ‘kickstart’ to a Poverty Reduction Strategy, expected by the end of 2008.
Source:
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)

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Related links : go to the Antipoverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
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June 22, 2007
McGuinty Government Helping Build Job Opportunities For People on Social Assistance
OTTAWA – The McGuinty government is opening the door to job opportunities for Ontarians on social assistance by funding innovative community projects that connect local businesses with job-ready people, Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur announced today.

November 22, 2006
McGuinty Government Improving Employment Options For Ontarians On Disability Support
TORONTO – The McGuinty government is helping people on disability support pursue job opportunities and keep more of what they earn by improving the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur announced today.

Social Assistance Rate Increase
[Undated text - "page last modified November 02, 2006"]
The Ontario government is increasing the maximum monthly social assistance rates by 2% for recipients of benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW). The increases come into effect in November and December, respectively, and they apply to all basic needs allowances, shelter, board and lodging rates. Northern allowances, and special allowances paid to people in certain institutions and guide dog users. The 2% increase also applies to Back to School and Winter Clothing Allowances for eligible recipients with children under the age of 18. Families receiving assistance under the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities program (payable to a parent with a child with a severe disability) will see the maximum monthly allowance increase from $400 to $410 per month, a 2.5% increase.

A New Vision for Ontario's Social Assistance Programs
[Undated text - "page last modified November 01, 2006"]
"The Ministry of Community and Social Services is working hard to improve the way Ontario’s social assistance system works. The ministry is making significant changes to the way Ontario’s social assistance programs — Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program — are delivered. Many of these changes are in direct response to what Deb Matthews, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services, heard during her discussions with social assistance recipients, community organizations and municipalities in 2004. Stakeholders called for the removal of barriers and disincentives to employment and greater emphasis on the supports recipients need to help them find and keep meaningful jobs."
NOTE: includes a list of 10 recent program changes designed to help people move from welfare to long-term self-sufficiency

Read the report by Deb Matthews:

Review of Employment Assistance Programs in Ontario Works &
Ontario Disability Support Program (PDF file - 167K, 48 pages)
Deb Matthews
December 2004

October 24, 2006
McGuinty Government Helps Boost Profile Of People With Disabilities In Canadian Media
TORONTO – The McGuinty government today launched a new partnership aimed at raising the profile of people with disabilities in the Canadian movie, television and radio industry, announced Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services.

October 23, 2006
Making Ontario More Accessible To People With Disabilities
TORONTO – The McGuinty government has made important progress towards implementing the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, which will make Ontario fully accessible by 2025, Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur announced today.

Ontario Disability Support Program Special Payments
[Undated text - "page last modified October 2, 2006"]
Since the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) was created in June 1998, recipients had been limited to receiving up to four months of retroactive income support, even if they had to wait longer than four months to be reviewed and determined eligible for the program. On May 31, 2006, the government announced that it had removed this limit. The government will now be providing a special payment to eligible people who had to wait longer than four months to be granted ODSP income support. People who waited longer than four months to be granted ODSP, but who only received the previous limit of four months of retroactive income support may be eligible to receive a special payment for additional months of support they did not receive when the limit was in place. There are an estimated 13,000 to 19,000 cases that may be eligible for a special payment. (..) Starting in October 2006, a dedicated team will begin to identify and contact current and former ODSP recipients who were impacted by the four-month rule.

Employment Innovations Fund - Examples of Innovative Partnerships
[Undated text - "page last modified August 30, 2006"]
As part of the 2006 provincial budget, the government established the Employment Innovations Fund to engage Ontario's employers in creating and expanding job opportunities for people receiving financial assistance from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program.

McGuinty Government Helping People With Disabilities Find Jobs And Increase Their Income
News Release
February 8, 2006
TORONTO – The McGuinty government is helping people with disabilities gain greater financial independence and increase their standard of living by improving the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today

Related Links:

- McGuinty Government Helping People With Disabilities Find Jobs And Increase Their Income
- Better Employment Services and Supports… How They Can Help You

Related Link:

Changes to the Ontario Disability Supports Program (ODSP) Earnings and Employment Supports
"On February 8th, the Province of Ontario announced changes to the earnings and employment support rules for recipients under the Ontario Disability Supports Program. "
- incl. links to the government press release, backgrounders, analysis of the changes and the actual text of the regulatory amendments that changed the rules

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Creating Job Opportunities For People On Social Assistance
Innovations Fund Encourages Ontario Businesses To Get Involved
News Release
June 14, 2006
TORONTO – The McGuinty government is calling on the Ontario business community to help social assistance recipients get into the workforce and on the path to a brighter future, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services, announced today. (...) The government is launching a new Employment Innovations Fund to engage employers in expanding employment opportunities for people on social assistance, including people with disabilities. Organizations such as employer associations, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations are invited to submit proposals for new programs that will create sustainable job opportunities and help businesses tap into this pool of willing, job-ready people.

Backgrounder - Ontario’s New Employment Innovations Fund
June 14, 2006
As part of the 2006 provincial budget, the government established the Employment Innovations Fund to engage Ontario’s employers in creating and expanding job opportunities for people receiving financial assistance from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program.

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Opening More Doors For Ontarians With Disabilities
McGuinty Government Developing New Accessibility Standards
News Release
June 13, 2006
"TORONTO – The McGuinty government is developing three new accessibility standards to target barriers in information and communications, the built environment, and employment for people with disabilities, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Ontarians with Disabilities, announced today."

Backgrounder - Enforceable Standards Key To Making Ontario Accessible
June 13, 2006
One year ago, the McGuinty government proclaimed the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, which requires the province to develop accessibility standards that will remove barriers for people with disabilities.

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Improving Opportunities For Social Assistance Recipients
News Release
June 12, 2006
TORONTO ? The McGuinty government is removing more barriers to education and employment to help people on social assistance realize a brighter future, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services, announced today.

Backgrounder - Improving Ontario’s Social Assistance System
- more detailed info on improvements

See also:
Income and Employment Supports

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Breaking Down Communication Barriers For Ontarians Who Are Deaf Or Deafblind
Budget Investment Means More Service, Greater Independence For People With Disabilities
News Release
June 1, 2006
TORONTO – The McGuinty government is investing in more services for Ontarians who need intervenors or sign language interpreters to assist them with daily activities. “For someone who is deafblind or has a hearing disability, communication barriers can seriously limit their access to things that most of us take for granted, such as going to the bank or visiting their doctor,” said Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur. “By breaking down these communication barriers, we are building greater independence for people with disabilities.”

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$11 Million Investment Results In Better And Faster Service
Backgrounder
June 1, 2006
The Ontario government’s $11 million budget investment in interpreter and intervenor services will help provide more service to people who need it, improve the quality of services and improve wages to attract and keep people who provide interpreter and intervenor services.

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Greater Fairness For People Awaiting Disability Support
Government Eliminates Four Month Retroactive Payment Rule
News Release
May 31, 2006
TORONTO – The McGuinty government has eliminated a rule that limited retroactive payments for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) applicants, Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur announced today.

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Editorial Comment
May 31
Barbara Anello of Disabled Women's Network Ontario (DAWN-Ontario) adds a few marginal notes to the MCSS news release concerning the elimination of the four-month rule...
NOTE: scroll a bit further down for a link to the Ombudsman Ontario report ("Losing the Waiting Game") that led to the repeal of the four-month retroactive payment rule
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Removing Barriers For People With Disabilities Helps Open Doors To New Customers
McGuinty Government Partnerships Demonstrate The Benefits Of Improved Accessibility
News Release
May 31, 2006
TORONTO – The McGuinty government is working with Ontario businesses and community groups to build awareness of the benefits of removing barriers for people with disabilities, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister Responsible for Ontarians with Disabilities, announced today. Meilleur joined representatives of the Ontario Chinese Restaurant and Food Services Association (OCRFA) in Toronto’s Chinatown neighbourhood to announce the government’s seven new EnAbling Change partnership projects.

EnAbling Change Partnership Program 2006-2007
Backgrounder
May 31
The EnAbling Change partnership program builds strategic partnerships with business, broader public sector and non-profit organizations to promote accessibility for people with disabilities. The government is investing almost $300,000 in seven partnerships that will help promote strategies to break down barriers for people with disabilities.

Building Accessibility Champions
Backgrounder
May 30, 2006
Improving accessibility for people with disabilities in employment, customer service and universal design is the driving force behind the projects funded under the Ontario government’s EnAbling Change partnership program.

McGuinty Government Builds Better Access For People With Disabilities
Partnership Project Promotes the Shaw Festival to More Tourists and Theatre-goers
News Release
May 30, 2006
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE – The Ontario government, Shaw Festival and the Canadian Standards Association are changing the way patrons with disabilities are being served when they go to the theatre. Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Ontarians with Disabilities, Madeleine Meilleur, today joined Shaw Festival Executive Director Colleen Blake to celebrate the results of the Shaw Festival’s participation in the Building Champions program. Through this program, the Canadian Standards Association worked with seven “champion” businesses and organizations to develop and test new customer service training for businesses to use when serving customers with disabilities.

Ontario Government Increases Support For Homeless
Addresses Shelter Shortfall And Tops Up Prevention Programs
News Release
February 8, 2005
"TORONTO — The Ontario government is providing communities across the province with additional funding for essential services for people who are homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless, Community and Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello confirmed today. (...) In total, the province spends almost $135 million each year on services that protect the homeless, and programs to prevent people from becoming homeless."

Backgrounders:

* Helping The Homeless In Ontario
* Provincial Funding For The Consolidated Homelessness Prevention Program By Urban Center

McGuinty Government Restoring Hope, Dignity for People in Need:
Special Payments Deliver Help Sooner
News Release
June 30, 2004
"TORONTO – Ontarians who rely on the province’s social assistance programs will see their first increase in 11 years beginning with a special payment scheduled for early this fall, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today."
- two equal lump-sum payments (end of September --- beginning of December) to eligible client households of Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
[the government is delivering the increase this way because the "new technology (implemented by Andersen Consulting / Accenture) cannot process a welfare rate increase until system changes are made and properly tested."
- the federal government's July 2004 increase to the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) will not be deducted ("clawed back") from social assistance payments
- the nutritional allowance for pregnant women on social assistance is restored effective July 1
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

Related Links:

Ontario Works (OW) - for eligible people without disabilities 
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) - for eligible people with disabilities

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Canada and Ontario sign agreement to assist people with disabilities
News Release
May 3, 2004
"Toronto - Ontarians with disabilities will be able to more easily participate in the labour market due to a new agreement signed today by the Right Honourable Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario. The Honourable Liza Frulla, Minister for Social Development and the Honourable Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, also participated in the ceremony. 'This agreement will assist persons with disabilities by removing barriers and fostering opportunities,'said Prime Minister Martin, 'it demonstrates how Canadian governments can work together to address issues faced by Canadians with disabilities. Equality of opportunity for Canadians is the pillar of our successful society.'"
Source:
Social Development Canada

This agreement was signed under the Multilateral Framework for Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities.
For more info about the national framework and the agreements signed with other jurisdictions to date, go to the Disability Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/disbkmrk.htm

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McGuinty Government Takes Action to Help Families Get the Support They Are Entitled
February 6, 2004
"TORONTO — The McGuinty government is taking immediate steps to improve service at the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), making it the first government to show real leadership in helping families get the support they are entitled to, Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Community and Social Services, announced today."

McGuinty Government Scraps Lifetime Welfare Ban
Police and Courts to handle fraud, punitive policy repealed
News Release
January 9, 2004

Related Links:

Liberals lift lifetime ban for welfare cheats
Liberal government scraps life sentence handed to those who cheat system
January 9, 2004
Canadian Press
"A controversial lifetime ban on Ontario welfare recipients who cheat the system has been lifted a year after a coroner's inquest into the death of a pregnant woman recommended that it happen."
NOTE: this link will expire after awhile - to read it, you'll have to go to the Toronto Star archives where you pay per article.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Making Ontario’s Communities Accessible for all its Citizens
A message from Sandra Pupatello
Minister Responsible for Ontarians with Disabilities
September 1, 2005
"We have already begun to see the results from our efforts – the passage into law of the historic Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and support from people with disabilities, the private sector, the broader public sector, all government ministries and individuals from every walk of life.(...) I am excited about my new role as minister responsible for people with disabilities."

Family Responsibility Office
The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) receives every support order made by a court in Ontario and enforces the amounts owed under the support order. The FRO works under the authority of the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996 (FRSAEA). The FRO's role is to enforce court orders for child and spousal support by ensuring that support payments flow properly from payors (people who make support payments) to recipients (people who receive them). The FRO has the legal authority to take enforcement action against those that do not meet their family responsibilities.

Ministry of Children and Youth Services
HOME PAGE
Adoption - Child Care - Child Protection - Early Years Challenge Fund - Early Years Initiatives - Foster Care - Northern Ontario Grant Assistance Program - Child and Family Service Advocacy - Children with Special Needs - Youth Justice Services

Ontario Child Benefit (OCB)
(website launched June 4/07)
The Ontario government has created the Ontario Child Benefit to help Ontario families with low incomes provide for their children, whether the parents are able to work or not. The program delivers a non-taxable, one-time payment for 2007 of up to $250 per dependent child under age 18. Beginning in July 2008, OCB benefits will start to flow monthly, providing approximately 465,000 families with payments of up to $600 per child annually. By 2011, the benefit will be up to $1,100 per child per year, benefiting more than 600,000 low-income families.

Ontario Child Benefit Calculator - from the Ontario Ministry of Finance
New Ontario Child Benefit - from the 2007 Ontario Budget (March 22/07)
OCB Backgrounder - from the 2007 Ontario Budget

Making It A Little Easier For Low-Income Ontario Families
File Your Income Tax Return To Qualify For New Monthly Ontario Child Benefit
News Release
February 22, 2008
LONDON - Low-income families will begin receiving the new monthly Ontario Child Benefit in July 2008 - but they need to file their income taxes first. The Ontario Child Benefit will provide $100 a month to a family with two children under 18 and income of $20,000. For that same family, this amount will grow to about $180 a month in July 2011 when the benefit is fully implemented. Families earning more than $20,000 may also be eligible, based on the number of children.

Related links:

Ontario Child Benefit (OCB)
In July 2007, eligible families received a one-time down payment of up to $250 for each dependent child under 18. Beginning in July 2008, the Ontario Child Benefit will be delivered to eligible families each month. In July 2008, about 460,000 families will receive a monthly Ontario Child Benefit payment of up to $600 per child annually. When the program is fully implemented in 2011, more than 600,000 low-income families will receive up to $1,100 per child annually.

Ontario Child Benefit Calculator - from the Ontario Ministry of Finance
New Ontario Child Benefit - from the 2007 Ontario Budget (March 22/07)
OCB Backgrounder - from the 2007 Ontario Budget

Non-government related links:

Foster children left behind, NDP charges
February 20, 2008
By Tanya Talaga
News that 20,000 Ontario foster children were left out of an anti-poverty plan proves how flawed Premier Dalton McGuinty’s child benefit program is, the province’s NDP leader says. In 2003, McGuinty promised he would end a clawback of the national child benefit supplement, which takes about $1,500 a year out of the pockets of families on welfare and disability support, Howard Hampton charged yesterday. However, parents who receive Ontario disability support or Ontario Works payments are still having the national child benefit deducted from those cheques, Hampton said.
Source:
The Toronto Star

McGuinty forgets vulnerable kids
February 18, 2008
NDP Children and Youth Services critic Andrea Horwath slammed Dalton McGuinty for once again failing Ontario’s poor and most vulnerable by forgetting to include foster children in his child benefit program.
Source:
Ontario NDP website

Governments of Canada and Ontario sign funding agreement on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC)
News Release
November 25, 2005
"Social Development Minister Ken Dryden and Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario’s Minister of Children and Youth Services, today signed a multi-year funding agreement on early learning and child care. Under this initiative Ontario will receive approximately $1.9 billion over five years to support its early learning and child care goals. Ontario signed an Agreement-in-Principle on May 6, 2005 , in which it committed to release an action plan identifying its priorities and how it intends to meet them."
Source:
Social Development Canada

Related Links:

Best Start: Helping Young Children Get the Best Start in Life
[NOTE: scroll down the page to see seven links to additional resources, including the one in the next line below]
- Ontario Best Start Action Plan – A Progress Report (November 2005 - PDF file - 89K, 9 pages)
Source:
Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services

July 28, 2005
Ontario's Best Start Plan to Expand Early Learning and Child Care
- scroll down the page for links to:
--- Allocation of New Federal Funds to Municipalities, over Three Years, by March 31, 2008
--- Ontario's Best Start Plan for Early Learning and Child Care Provincial Allocations, over Three Years, by March 31, 2008

Google Web Search Results : "Ontario, early learning and child care, agreement"
Google News search Results : "Ontario, early learning and child care, agreement"
Source:
Google.ca

Ontario's Baseline Report on Early Learning and Child Care 2004 (PDF file - 259K, 14 pages)
May 2004
Source:
Publications - this page also includes links to : The Early Years Study (1999) - Ontario's Early Childhood Development Investments and Outcomes 2002 - 2003 - Ontario's Early Childhood Development and Early Learning and Child Care Investments 2003 - 2004
[ Ministry of Children and Youth Services ]

Related Links:

Best Start : Ontario's Plan for Early
Learning and Child Care (PDF file - 363K, 8 pages)
Source:
Best Start: Helping Young Children Get the Best Start in Life

Links to other provincial-territorial government websites
in Canada on the issue of early learning and child care

Related Links:
- Go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm

McGuinty Government Expands Best Start Plan For Children
Province Creates Approximately 25,000 New Child Care Spaces Easing The Financial Burden On Municipalities
News Release
July 28, 2005
"TORONTO — The McGuinty government is improving access to high quality, convenient child care for thousands of families by delivering an unprecedented investment in early child development while relieving municipalities of their share of the cost of operating new child care spaces, Children and Youth Services Minister Mary Anne Chambers announced today."

Ontario's Best Start Plan to Expand Early Learning and Child Care - Backgrounder

Allocation of New Federal Funds to Municipalities, over Three Years, by March 31, 2008 (PDF file - 84K, 3 pages)

Ontario's Best Start Plan for Early Learning and Child Care Provincial Allocations, over Three Years, by March 31, 2008 (PDF file - 60K, 1 page)

For more info concerning the federal-provincial ELCC agreements signed in the spring of 2005, go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm

2003-2004 Accessibility Plan:
Ministry of Community and Social Services
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Table of Contents:
Introduction - Joint Accessibility Plan - Report on Achievements - Commitments and Strategies for 2003-2004 - Methods to be Taken to Prevent New Barriers - Business Areas to be Reviewed - Actions to be Taken - For More Information
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
NOTE: Back in October 2003 when the old Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services was split into two, the name of this Ministry was Children's Services

Ministry of Children’s Services Unveils Ministry Mandate
News Release
November 24, 2003
"The Ministry of Children’s Services will assume responsibility for a variety of children’s programs and services that currently exist in other Ontario government ministries, Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Children’s Services, announced today at a luncheon for children and families, and staff from the Ontario Association of Children’s Rehabilitation Centres (OACRS)."

Programs and Services
- incl. Adoption - Child Care - Child Protection - Early Years Challenge Fund - Early Years Initiatives - Foster Care - Child and Family Service Advocacy - Children with Special Needs

Office of the Premier
HOME PAGE

Premier Launches Review to Strengthen Communities
Province And Municipalities Working Together To Continue To Improve Services For Ontario Families
August 14, 2006
OTTAWA — Premier Dalton McGuinty today announced the province is building on its partnership with municipalities by launching a joint review aimed at improving the delivery and funding of municipal services for Ontario families.

Backgrounders:

o Support For The Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review
o McGuinty Government Supporting Municipalities
o Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review

McGuinty Government Investing in Early Childhood Development
Premier Encourages Ontarians To Help Tackle The Deficit And Set Goals
News Release
January 19, 2004
"Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty today said that his government is committed to improving important services like early childhood development and that strengthening the province's fiscal foundation will make it possible to deliver real, positive change. 'After years of neglect, our government is repairing the foundation for child care because we believe the early years are crucial to a child's future success', said Premier McGuinty. (...) 'The government is making $9.7 million in federal funds available to child care centres throughout the province (...) There's so much more we want to do -- and that's why we're working hard to tackle the $5.6 billion deficit that we've inherited from the previous government. It's an obstacle to the change Ontarians want and need.'"

Related Link:

Child care community welcomes new funding - first of its kind for years!
News release
January 8, 2004
"Yesterday Minister Bountrogianni announced that this year's federal Multi-lateral Framework money - 9.7 million dollars - will go to non-profit, regulated, child care centres for capital repairs and upgrades. This is the first announcement of new funding for child care in Ontario for some time and is welcomed by the child care community. It meets an important need and is an encouraging sign that the new Liberal government recognizes the value of not-for-profit and regulated care.
Source:
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care

- Go to the Early Learning and Child Care page for all Ontario ECD links

$3.5M aid for abused women to improve counselling services
April 6, 2004
"The Ontario government has come up with $3.5 million for transitional housing for women fleeing abuse. Premier Dalton McGuinty will announce today the cash to fund counselling for women as they move from emergency shelters to temporary apartments. The counselling will involve everything from dealing with the legal system to getting children enrolled in new schools. Almost $3 million in transitional housing money was eliminated by the former Conservative government as part of 1996 across-the-board budget cuts.
(...) Meanwhile, Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello signalled yesterday that welfare and disability support rates are unlikely to rise in next month's budget."
Source:
Toronto Star

Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal
"This new ministry will manage infrastructure planning to achieve maximum leverage for taxpayer dollars in the key areas of education, health, transportation, housing and the environment."

Non-governmental links:

Raising the Roof
"Raising the Roof is the only national charity in Canada dedicated to finding long-term solutions to homelessness"
Shared Learnings on Homelessness (from Raising the Roof)
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
Housing Again - "...a site dedicated to putting affordable housing back on the public agenda"
Housing and Homelessness Network in Ontario
Housing Resources (from Settlement.org )

Ministry of Finance 
HOME PAGE

Budgets, Public Accounts, Ontario Financial Reports

Ontario Provincial Budget 2007
March 22, 2007
- incl. links to : Budget Speech *Budget Papers - detailed table of contents with links to all related documents* News Release * Highlights * Business Backgrounder * Children Backgrounder (Ontario Child Benefit info)* Economy Backgrounder * Education Backgrounder * Environment Backgrounder * Social Services Backgrounder * Health Backgrounder * Infrastructure Backgrounder * Rural Backgrounder * Property Tax Backgrounder * Federal Backgrounder * Ontario Child Benefit Calculator
NOTE: I've highlighted only selected links above - to access all budget links, click the main budget link above and select from the links down the left margin of the page.

MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT’S 2007 BUDGET EXPANDS OPPORTUNITY
IN A NEW ERA OF ECONOMIC STRENGTH
$2.1 Billion to Help Children and Families, and a Return to Balanced Budgets
March 22, 2007
News Release
Queen’s Park —The McGuinty government’s fourth Budget expands opportunity for all Ontarians by investing in children, continuing to strengthen education, health care and infrastructure and balancing the Budget.

Ontario Budget 2007 Responses - by Barbara Anello of DAWN-Ontario (DisAbled Women's Network Ontario)
March 22, 2007
"Point of clarification: please note that the March 22/07 Ontario Budget did NOT put an end to the clawback."
Budget reactions:
- People from across Ontario are saying Dalton McGuinty's "Don't Believe it Budget" fails to deliver
- CUPE Ontario: Ontario's families will wait for years to benefit from McGuinty's "war" on poverty
- Wellesley Institute: Thanks for the thoughts, but where's the money?
- Ontario Federation of Labour : Wait ...Wait ...Wait
- Accessibility For Ontarians With Disabilities Act Alliance Update: What the Ontario Budget Includes on Disability/Accessibility
- John Tory: McGuinty's Budget: No relief, few results for average taxpayers
- Canadian Auto Workers: Ontario Budget Falls Short of Expectations, Hargrove says
- Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation: Ontario budget increases overall education funding but local programs may still suffer
- Canadian Federation of Students: Ontario Budget Forecast for Students: Higher Tuition Fees and More Debt
- Daily Bread Food Bank: Budget's Ontario Child Benefit gets thumbs up from Daily Bread Food Bank
- Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario: