Key Provincial and Territorial
Government
Welfare Links | -
L'aide sociale -
Liens importants des gouvernements provinciaux et territoriaux |
Updated
April 24, 2008
Page révisée le 24 avril 2008
[
Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]
Anti-Poverty
Strategies and Campaigns
[This is a separate Canadian Social
Research Links page]
Government anti-poverty strategies in Quebec and Newfoundland
and Labrador include a welfare reform component; click the link above to access
relevant resources for those two provinces, along with links to other related
initiatives underway in Ontario and Nova Scotia. (Also includes an NGO section
and an international section). Needless to say, the anti-poverty strategies page
is a work in progress, and it will continue to grow... |
Jump
directly to a specific jurisdiction:
(this link
takes you further down on the page you're now reading) Provinces
and territories: Newfoundland
and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New
Brunswick
Québec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British
Columbia
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut ---------------- Related
welfare resources:
(also lower down on the page
you're now reading) Welfare
statistics
Welfare rates (benefit levels)
Legislation
Historical
welfare statistics ---------------- NOTE:
for the latest budget info, go to the Canadian Government Budgets Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm | For
each Canadian province and territory, you'll find links to the following info
on this page: Department responsible
for welfare
- Link to the government department responsible for the administration
of the welfare program Name of the welfare program
- Whatever a jurisdiction chooses to call its financial assistance program
of last resort - social assistance, income support, income assistance and welfare
assistance are the most common - "welfare" refers to government programs
of last resort that provide financial assistance on the basis of a test that takes
into account the applicant household's financial resources and needs (both notions
as defined in provincial/territorial welfare legislation); entitlement is based
on the budget deficit - needs minus non-exempted financial resources. (See the
Welfare Reforms in
Canada page of this site for more information about the needs test under "Welfare
in Canada Today"). Legislation
- Legislation
is subject to change, so be sure to note the latest revision of
any online legislation you use. Consolidations of statutes and regulations that
are posted online usually include the date of the last update or amendment. Where
there are several regulations under a particular jurisdiction's welfare statute,
you'll find a link to each of those regs (e.g., NS, Alberta) in this page, but
the regulation containing the general welfare provisions is highlighted. The other
regs that appear under any given welfare statute deal with special topics like
appeals, training, recovery of overpayments and a number of other areas. In addition
to statutes and regs, you'll find a link to the source of legislation for each
jurisdiction, so you can poke around for yourself...
- see the special
note on welfare legislation at the bottom of this page for alternate sources
of legislation and regs. Policy Manual
- This
is where you'll find detailed information about the nuts and bolts of welfare
in Canada. Initial and continuing eligibility conditions, benefits, administrative
matters, interactions between welfare and other government programs, including
many programs offered under the federal-provincial-territorial National Child
Benefit initiative. Manitoba offers the most comprehensive and user-friendly online
policy manual of all Canadian jurisdictions. A few other provinces offer a more
modest policy manual online, and some have yet to post their manual to their website. Welfare
statistics
- see the special note on Canadian welfare
stats at the bottom of this page (welfare dependency, costs, etc.) Welfare
rates (benefit levels)
- see the special note on Canadian welfare
rates at the bottom of this page Related links
- recent (and some historical) welfare reform information and other relevant
links, plus a link to a separate Canadian Social Research Links page (of
links) for each province and territory. ------------------------------------------------------- Google.ca
Search Results pages
- for each jurisdiction, you'll find links to search
results for "welfare" (excluding child welfare or animal welfare)
NOTES:
1.
These links always take you to the most current search results, as if you'd just
done a Google.ca search yourself.
2. Search results include Web search, News
search and Blog search.
3. Because there is no Canada section as such on this
page, and because there's still a modicum of interest in
welfare-related
issues at the national level, here are links to the same searches at the Canada-wide
level:
Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Canada"
- Web
search results
-
News search results
- Blog
search results
------------------------------------------------------- Historical
welfare information:
How did welfare work in Canada before the implementation
of the Canada Health and Social Transfer in 1996?
See Social
Assistance in Canada, 1994 (further down on this page.) Have
Canadian Welfare Reforms "Succeeded"?
[This link takes you
further down the page you're now reading]
HINT:
"YES!",
says the Right.
"NO!", says the Left. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador |
Department responsible for welfare
Dept.
of Human Resources, Labour and Employment Name
of the welfare program
Social
Assistance
Newfoundland
and Labrador Family Benefit
Income
Support (link to legislation, appeal process) Legislation
Income
and Employment Support Act
- Income
and Employment Support Regulations
Source:
Statutes
and Regulations (House of Assembly) Policy
Manual
- not a manual as such, but a Frequently-Asked
Questions page Welfare statistics
Social
Assistance Statistics - monthly caseload and recipient statistics from 1999
to the most current month
Source:
Newfoundland
and Labrador Statistics Agency
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
See Regulations
section 13 foll.
See the Appendix
to the January 2002 welfare reform discussion paper (PDF file - 160K)
Family
Benefit Rates
Assistance for children in welfare
households is now provided though the combined Newfoundland
and Labrador Child Benefit and the Canada
Child Tax Benefit paid by the federal government. Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
Newfoundland, -child, -animal, -dog"
- Web
search results
-
News search results
- Blog
search results Related
Links
* Poverty
Reduction Strategy
- Reducing
Poverty: An Action Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador (PDF file - 1.6MB,
60 pages) - June 2006
-Reducing
Poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador : Working Towards a Solution (June
2005, PDF file - 1.5MB, 44 pages)
[ Poverty
Reduction Strategies in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador
(Oct/07) Source: Parliamentary
Research Library - Govt. of Canada ]
* HRLE
Strategic Plan For Fiscal Years 2006-07 and 2007-08 ( PDF file - 1.3MB,
26 pages)
* 2005-06
Annual Report - Dept. of Human Resources, Labour & Employment (PDF
file - 1.3MB, 35 pages)
* Report
of a Consultation on the Social Assistance Act - August 2004 (PDF file
- 309K, 66 pages)
* Investing
in People: New Directions for Social Assistance Legislation (PDF file
- 160K, 40 pages) - January 2002 Discussion Paper
* January
2002 welfare reform press release - incl. Backgrounders
* More
Human Resources, Labour and Employment Publications -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Newfoundland and Labrador page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nfbkmrk.htm |
Department
responsible for welfare
Social
Services and Seniors Name of the welfare program
Social
Assistance Program
(formerly Welfare Assistance) Legislation
Social
Assistance Act (PDF file - 488K, 10 pages)
-
General
Regulations (PDF file - 552K, 25 pages)
Source:
Statutes
and Regulations of Prince Edward Island
Policy
Manual
Social
Assistance Policy Manual (PDF file, 1.7MB, 265 pages)
or
InfoPEI
Social Assistance Policy Manual
- same policy manual, broken up into small
PDF files for each section of the manual
NOTE: this version would be more helpful
if the individual files had titles (e.g., "Persons on or in Support of Strike")
vs. chapter numbers (e.g., "3-8 Policy"). Click "Policy index"
to see the table of contents. Welfare statistics
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Pre-Added
Budgets ("5-6-3 Policy") [small PDF file - 3 pages]
- updated
to August 2005
NOTE: the above link is one of the sections of the InfoPei
SA Policy Manual. When you read the PDF file, you'll find cross-references
to other related sections of the manual --- use the InfoPei link to access the
other sections.
- this is not the most user-friendly presentation... Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, Prince Edward Island"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* 2003/04
Ministry of Health and Social Services Annual Report (PDF file - 1.5MB, 73
pages)
* 2003/04
Ministry of Health & Social Services Program Profile (PDF file - 2.5MB,
86 pages)
* More
Social Services and Seniors online resources -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Prince Edward Island page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/pebkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Community
Services Name of the welfare program
Employment
Support and Income Assistance Legislation
Employment
Support and Income Assistance Act
- Employment
Support and Income Assistance Regulations ===>
main welfare regulations
- Assistance
Appeal Regulations
Source:
-
Consolidated Public Statutes
of Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia
Regulations Policy Manual
Employment
Support and Income Assistance Policy
- incl. links to the latest
version of the manual and to revision logs (showing recent changes) Welfare
statistics
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
A
Description of Basic Assistance
Or
Appendix "A" of the Regulations
Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Nova Scotia"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related links:
*Department
of Community Services
Annual Accountability Report, Fiscal Year 2006-2007
(PDF file -6. 2MB, 38 pages)
("...reports on the progress
achieved by the department towards the goals, priorities, performance measures
and financial targets established in the Business Plan for the same year.")
* Business
Plan 2006-2007 - Department of Community Services (PDF file - 550K, 33 pages)
*
Report
to the Community 2007 (PDF file - 415K, 2 pages) - May 18/07
* Business
Plan 2007-2008 - Department of Community Services (PDF file - 250K, 25
pages) March 23/07
* IMPACT! The
effect of Nova Scotia's new income assistance system on people who need assistance
(PDF file - 155K, 23 pages) November 2003 (from the Nova
Scotia Association of Social Workers ) - Go to
the Canadian Social Research Links Nova Scotia page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nsbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Social
Development
(name
changed Dec 19/07, formerly Family and Community Services) Name
of the welfare program
Social
Assistance Legislation
Family
Income Security Act
- Family
Security Regulation
Source:
NB
Acts and Regulations Policy Manual
New
Brunswick Welfare Policy Manual + link to legislation Welfare
statistics
Trends
and Statistics (caseload tables, graphs and analysis)
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Social
Assistance Rate Schedules - incl. a short description of each of the three
rate programs.
Family
Security Regulation - Rates are in Schedules A, B Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, New Brunswick"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
*
2004-2005
Family and Community Services Annual Report (PDF file - 559K, 69 pages)
*
Life
on Social Assistance in New Brunswick, or "If Welfare Owns You, You Can't
Do Nothing" (PDF file - 330K, 57 pages) from the New
Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links New Brunswick page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Ministère de l'Emploi
et de la Solidarité sociale (English Home Page)
(Employment and
Social Solidarity) Name of the welfare program
Last-resort
financial assistance Legislation
Individual
and Family Assistance Act (Chapter 15, 2005) - Bill 57
Individual
and Family Assistance Regulation
Source:
Laws
and regulations administered by
the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity
[
Lois refondues
et règlements du Québec ] Policy
Manual
Assistance
to individuals and families – General information (PDF file - 724K, 23
pages) November 2007
NOTE: the blue text box in the centre of the Last-resort
financial assistance page also contains detailed welfare program info Welfare
statistics
Recipients
under social assistance programs
Youth
and social assistance programs
Previous
statistics
[If you can read French, see Statistiques
sur la clientèle des programmes d'assistance sociale for detailed caseload
profile info]
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Benefit
Amounts under the Social Assistance Program
and the Social Solidarity Program
Starting January 1, 2008 (PDF file - 151K, 6 pages)
NOTE:
for families with children, you must add in the amount of the child assistance
payment.
Child
assistance payment - The child assistance is intended to cover the basic needs
of children under age 18 in low-income families, taking into account the
Canada Child Tax Benefit paid by the federal government.
Calcul@ide
- to help calculate refundable tax credits under the Child Assistance and Work
Premium measures
Child
Assistance - since January 2005, the child assistance measure has replaced
family allowances, the non-refundable tax credit for dependent children and the
tax reduction for families.
Changes
to Child Assistance in 2007 - in order to better adapt child assistance to
the realities of Québec families, several changes came into effect as of
January 2007. Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Quebec"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* Pacte
pour l'emploi (Employment Pact) - Announced March 18, 2008
(One billion
dollars over three years to improve participation in the labour market and productivity)
*
National
Strategy to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion (Overview and links to related
documents)
- An
Act to combat poverty and social exclusion
- Progress
reports on the National Strategy - links to annual reports for years one,
two and three of the Strategy
- Centre
d’étude sur la pauvreté et l’exclusion (research centre
on poverty, set up under the Strategy)
- Comité
consultatif de lutte contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale
(Advisory committee, set up under the National Strategy)
- Poverty
Reduction Strategies in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador
(Oct/07) - from the Parliamentary
Research Library (Govt. of Canada)
* Main
changes under the Individual and Family Assistance Act : New programs as of January
1, 2007 (PDF, 145K, 2 pages)
* Québec
Parental Insurance Plan
* Guide
to Government Programs and Services for Families and Children in Quebec
(updated to May 2007)
* The
Insertion Model or the Workfare Model? The Transformation of Social Assistance
within Quebec and Canada (September 2002) --- Excellent Quebec
welfare reform information!! (from Status
of Women Canada) - Go to the Québec
Links (English) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qce.htm -
Rendez-vous à la page de liens de recherche sociale au Québec:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qcbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Ministry
of Community and Social Services Name of the
welfare program
Ontario
Works (OW) - for eligible people without disabilities
Ontario
Disability Support Program (ODSP) - for eligible people with disabilities
Legislation
Ontario
Works Act
- General
Regulation ===> main welfare regulations for people
without disabilities
- Administration
and Cost-sharing
- Designation
of Geographic Areas and Delivery Agents
- Prescribed
Policy Statements
- Proposed
Geographic Areas Ontario
Disability Support Program Act
- General
Regulation ===> main welfare regulations for people
with disabilities
- Administration
and Cost-sharing
- Assistance
for Children with severe Disabilities
- Employment
Supports
- Prescribed
Policy Statements
Source:
Ontario
Statutes and Regulations Policy Manual
OW
Policy Directives - the Ontario Works policy manual
ODSP
Income Support Policy Directives - the ODSP Income Support policy manual
ODSP
- Employment Support Directives Welfare statistics
Ontario
Disability Support Program Quarterly Statistical Report
Ontario
Works Quarterly Statistical Report
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
- see part V of the Ontario
Disability Support Program Regulation
- see s.41
of the Ontario
Works Regulation
OW
and ODSP rates Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Ontario"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* Ontario
Child Benefit
* Review
of Employment Assistance Programs in Ontario Works & Ontario Disability Support
Program (PDF file - 167K, 48 pages) December 2004 - By Deb Matthews, M.P.P. -
Go to the Guide to Welfare in Ontario page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onwelf.htm
- guide to government
information on how welfare works in Ontario, including information about responsibilities
for the delivery and payment of welfare and other programs in Ontario -
Go to the Ontario Government Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm -
Go to the Ontario Spouse-in-the-House Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/spouse.htm -
Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (A-C) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk2.htm -
Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm -
Rendez-vous à la page de liens aux sites de recherche sociale en Ontario
: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onf.htm
|
Department responsible for welfare
Department
of Family Services and Housing Name of the
welfare program
Employment
and Income Assistance (EIA) Legislation
Employment and Income Assistance Act
- Employment
and Income Assistance Regulation
Source:
Laws
and Regulations of Manitoba Policy Manual
EIA
Administrative Manual Online - online welfare policy manual, includes legislation
Welfare statistics
Go
to the Departmental. annual report - welfare stats are under "Employment
and Income Assistance Division"
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Employment and Income
Assistance Facts
See also Schedule "A" of the EIA Regulation
(above) Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Manitoba"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* Annual
Reports - Manitoba Family Services and Housing (2001-2002 to 2006-2007)
-
incl. links Social Services Appeal Boards reports
* New
Child Benefit, Lower-cost Child Care, Stronger Work Incentives, And Skills Package
in 10-point Reconstruction of Income Supports (April 10, 2007)
*
The
Cost of Raising a Child: 2004 (from Home
Economics [ Manitoba
Agriculture ])
July 2004 NOTE: this report is no
longer updated by Manitoba Agriculture, nor is it still on their website. I contacted
Manitoba Agriculture in early December 2005, and they confirmed that the report
is no more.
The link above takes you to an archived version of this report,
available from The Wayback Machine - www.archive.org. -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Manitoba page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/mbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Social
Services (name changed Nov/07, formerly Community
Resources) Name of the welfare program
Social
Assistance Program
Transitional
Employment Allowance (TEA) Legislation
Saskatchewan
Assistance Act
NOTE: the links below take you to the front page
for each reg - from that page, just click the "Open Document" button
to open a PDF file with the regulation
- Saskatchewan
Assistance Regulations ===>
main welfare regulations
- Employment
Supplement Regulations
- Benefit
Adjustment Regulations
- Transitional
Employment Allowance Regulations
- Rental
Housing Supplement Regulations
- Disability
Housing Supplement Regulations
- Saskatchewan
Assistance Plan Supplementary Health Benefits Regulations Policy
Manual
Social Assistance Plan Policy Manual Online - September 2007 (PDF file - 468K,
148 pages)
Social
Assistance Handbook (PDF file - 468K, 24 pages)
Transitional
Employment Allowance Policy Manual (PDF file - 176K, 37 pages) Welfare
statistics
No statistics available on the Social
Services website
- See Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Current
Social Assistance Rates (PDF file - 189K, 1 page)
See also section 25 of
the Saskatchewan
Assistance Regulations
Chapter 15 of the SAP Policy Manual Online
(see link above) offers information on individual items of need and special needs,
but no rate tables
Transitional
Employment Allowance Rate Schedule (PDF file - 136K) Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, Saskatchewan"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
2006-2007
Annual Report (PDF file - 816K, 33 pages)
Other income assistance programs:
--- Saskatchewan Income
Plan (for seniors)
--- Food
Security
--- Child
Nutrition and Development Program
Saskatchewan
Employment Supplement (SES)
- monthly payment that supplements the income
earned by lower income parents from wages, self-employment and child/spousal maintenance
payments
Provincial
Training Allowance
Family
Health Benefits - provides benefits for families eligible
for the Saskatchewan Child Benefit and families eligible for the Saskatchewan
Employment Supplement
Current
Issues Surrounding Poverty and
Welfare Programming in Canada : Two Reviews
(PDF file - 371K, 43 pages) - August 2003
- interesting comparison of recent
welfare reforms in Saskatchewan, Canada, the U.S. and Britain
- includes a
bonus ten-page article entitled Low Income Cut-Offs (LICO) and Poverty Measurement
(LICO, Market Basket Measure, etc.)
TIP===> See the appendix to this report
(pp 27-31) for a detailed comparison of the main features of the "old"
Saskatchewan Assistance Plan (welfare) and the new Transitional Employment Allowance.
Source:
Social Policy Research Unit (SPR) [
School of Social Work - University of
Regina ] - Go to the Canadian Social Research
Links Saskatchewan page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/skbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Alberta
Employment, Immigration and Industry
(changed from Human Resources and
Employment Dec. 13/06) Name of the welfare program
Income
Support - part of Alberta
Works
NOTE: Welfare and grant funding for students (ESL, upgrading and
occupational training) are both under the Income Support program Legislation
Income
and Employment Supports Act
- Child
and Adult Support Services Regulation
- Employment
and Training Benefits for Persons with Disabilities Regulation
- Income
Supports, Health and Training Benefits Regulation
===> main welfare regulations
- Recovery
Regulation
- Recovery,
Administrative Penalties and Appeals Regulation
- Temporary
Employment and Job Creation Programs Regulation
- Training
Provider Regulation
- Administrative
Procedures Act
- Financial
Administration Act
- Adult
Interdependent Relationships Act Policy Manual
Income
Support Program Policy
Expected
to Work/Not Expected to Work Policy & Procedures ===>
main welfare policy
--- News
and Updates
Learner
Policy and Procedures
--- News
and Updates
See also:
Alberta
Works Policy Manual
On this page, you'll find links to:
- Employment
and Training Programs (Programs and Services, Accountability, News and Updates)
- Child Support Services (Child Support Services Policy, News and Updates)
- Health Benefits Programs (General Policy Health Benefits
Card Coverage, Alberta Adult Health Benefit, Alberta Child Health Benefit, Health
Benefits Review Committee, News and Updates)
Welfare
Statistics
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
See
Schedule 1 (Core Income Support Payments) and Schedule 2 (Continuous Supplementary
Benefits) at the end of the Income
Supports, Health and Training Benefits Regulation
See Income
Support for info on the treatment of the National Child Benefit Supplement
Historical:
see Alberta Supports Low-Income
Families Through the National Child Benefit (July 30, 2001) - includes a detailed
backgrounder with rate calculation information Related
Links
* Publications
(Annual reports, business plans, fact sheets, policy manuals, etc...)
* Government
increases AISH rates and supports employment (Jan.
31/08)
* Low-Income
Review presents a vision for the future (May 22/02)
- incl.
(all in the same file) : Backgrounder - Government Response Checklist - Low-Income
Fact Sheet
* Assured
Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)
- AISH
Policy Manual
Source: Alberta Seniors
and Community Supports:
Alberta
welfare reforms a model for other provinces, says C.D. Howe Institute study
(PDF file - 668K, 38 pages) - April 1997 Source: C.D.
Howe Institute
Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, Alberta"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results - Go to the Canadian Social
Research Links Alberta Links page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/abkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Ministry of Employment and Income
Assistance
(formerly Human Resources) Name
of the welfare program
BC
Employment and Assistance Program Legislation
Employment
and Assistance Act
- Employment
and Assistance Regulations
Employment
and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act
- Employment
and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
Child
Care Subsidy Act
- Child
Care Subsidy Regulations
Source:
Statutes
and Regulations of British Columbia Policy Manual
Employment and Income
Assistance Online Resource
"Effective March 27, 2006 the BC Employment
and Assistance (welfare) Manual has been retired."
Welfare
statistics
BC
Employment and Assistance Latest Month Caseload Statistics (incl. time series
stats)
Social
Statistics - from BC Stats
Labour
and Income Statistics - from BC Stats
See
also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
Increases
to Income Assistance Rates (Feb. 20/07)
- incl. rates before and after
April/07
Income Assistance
rates - (effective April 1, 2007)
Disability
Assistance rates - (effective April 1, 2007)
Source:
BC
Employment and Assistance Rate Tables
- incl. links
to other welfare allowances for special needs and other benefits
Plus
(for children):
BC
Family Bonus - from the Ministry of Small
Business and Revenue
BC
Family Bonus and Earned Income Benefit - Frequently Asked Questions Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, British Columbia"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* MEIA
Service Plan, 2008/2009 to 2010/2011 (from BC
Budget 2008 - Feb. 19/08)
* MEIA
Service Plans and Annual Reports
* Still
Left behind : A Comparison of Living Costs and Income Assistance in British Columbia
(February
2008, from the Social Planning and
Research Council)
* The
Cost of Eating in BC 2007 Report (PDF file - 528K, 12 pages) [Nov. 28/07]
- from the Dietitians of Canada
* Denied
Assistance: Closing the Front Door on Welfare in BC (PDF file - 564K,
69 pages)
(March 27, 2006) - from the
BC Office - CCPA -------------------------------------------------- -
Go to the BC Government Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm -
Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk2.htm -
Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (C-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm -
Go to the BC Welfare Time Limits Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bc_welfare_time_limits.htm
|
Department responsible for welfare
Dept.
of Health and Social Services (HSS) Name of the
welfare program
Social
Assistance Legislation
Yukon
Social Assistance Act (PDF file - 125K, 6 pages)
-
Yukon Social Assistance
Regulations (PDF file - 131K, 34 pages)
[ Government
of Yukon Legislation ] Policy Manual
Adult
Services Social Assistance Policy and Procedures E-Manual *
(PDF file -
1.7 MB)
*NOTE: the link to this policy manual is broken.
Try doing a Google.ca search for "Yukon
social assistance policy manual" Welfare statistics
Bureau of Statistics
(no welfare stats)
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
- See Schedules A and B of the Yukon
Social Assistance Regulations (PDF file - 131K, 34 pages) Latest
search results on Google.ca for
"welfare,
-child, -animal, Yukon"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
* Families
and Children with Disabilities will Benefit from New Program (Dec. 13/07)
*
Increase to Yukon Child Benefit
to Help Low-Income Families (Dec. 6/07)
* Proposed
Social Assistance Reforms Announced (Nov. 28/07) -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Yukon page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/yk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Education,
Culture and Employment (ECE)
[ Income
Security Division ] Name of the welfare program
Income
Support Policy Manuals
Income
Assistance Program Policy Manual (PDF file - 659K, 119 pages)
Income
Support Guide - Children
- incl. info re. Childcare Subsidy - NWT Child
Benefit
NWT
Childcare Subsidy and NWT Child Benefit
Childcare
Subsidy Program
NWT Student Financial
Assistance
NWT
Income Support Programs for Seniors
- incl. links to the NWT Senior Supplementary
Benefit Program and the Senior Home Heating Subsidy Legislation
Social
Assistance Act (PDF file - 128K, 12 pages)
Income
Assistance Regulations (PDF file - 127K, 26 pages)
[ NWT
Statutes and Regulations - Dept. of Justice ] Welfare
statistics
NWT
2006 by the Numbers - see p. 9 for income support statistics (total payments,
avg. cases, avg. beneficiaries - 2001-2005)
See also:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
- See Schedule "A" of the Income
Assistance Regulations (PDF file - 127K, 26 pages)
-
See also the "Benefits"
section (p. 14) of the Income Support Programs - Adults policy manual for
detailed benefit info Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Northwest Territories"
-
Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
*
Income
Security Reform begins [Sept /07] with Improvements to Income Assistance
(PDF file - 19K, 1 page)
* Income
Security - Breaking Down the Barriers of Poverty Promoting Self Reliance
(PDF file - 1.3MB, 41 pages) (Aug. 2007 welfare reform paper)
- read four
related backgrounders on the Income
Security Division home page
A
Strategic Plan 2000-2005 (PDF file - 29.1MB)
A
Strategy 2010 (PDF file - 37.9MB) -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Northwest Territories page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ntbkmrk.htm |
Department responsible for welfare
Education
Name of the welfare program
Income
Support Program Legislation
Social
Assistance Act
- Nunavut
Social Assistance Regulations Policy Manual
- Income Support
Program Policies and Guidelines (PDF file - 485K, 55 pages)
August 2005 Welfare
statistics
(no welfare stats)
See:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Source:
National Council of Welfare Welfare rates (benefits)
- "Schedule A" of the Regulations (see above) contains social assistance benefit
levels Latest search results on Google.ca
for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Nunavut"
- Web
search results
- News
search results
- Blog
search results Related Links
- -
Go to the Canadian Social Research Links Nunavut page - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nunavut.htm |
This
space reserved for Canada's
14th province/territory 
[Click
the above text or
the map for a larger view]
|
NOTES:
Welfare Incomes 2006 - Web-only
Data
The National
Council of Welfare's benchmark document, Welfare
Incomes, will not be published for 2006. Instead, the Council plans
to publish a 2006/2007 combined issue of Welfare Incomes at the end of 2008. The
Council will nonetheless make its Welfare Incomes 2006 Fact Sheets available on
its website as they are completed.
[Please
refer to Welfare Incomes 2005, especially Chapter 1 - What is Welfare?
if you require information about welfare definitions, eligibility, assumptions
made in calculating the levels of assistance, or the NCW's perspectives and recommendations
concerning social assistance in Canada.]
Welfare
Incomes 2005 and earlier reports in this series
As
at April 9,/08, the following Welfare Incomes 2006 Fact Sheets are available
on the Council's website:
FACT
SHEET 1 - Patterns and Trends (PDF file - 1.4MB, 7 pages)
"...)Lone
parents in four jurisdictions actually had lower welfare incomes in 2006 than
they had in 1997 [indexed for inflation] - the year before the National Child
Benefit Supplement was introduced. (...) Overall, most welfare families are seeing
very little improvement in their total incomes despite the sizeable increase in
federal spending on children."
FACT
SHEET 2 - Liquid Asset Exemption Levels as of January 2006 (PDF - 1.2MB,
2 pages)
How much you can have in the bank and still apply for or receive welfare,
in each province and territory
FACT
SHEET 3 - Estimated 2006 Annual Welfare Income by Type of Household (PDF
- 1.6MB, 7 pages)
Welfare Incomes 2006 estimates total welfare incomes
for 4 types of households in each province and territory, for a total of 52 scenarios.
Household types:
- a single employable person;
- a single person with
a disability;
- a lone-parent with a 2-year-old child; and
- a two-parent
family with 2 children aged 10 and 15.
Still
to come:
The remaining fact sheets are as follows:
(click the above
link to see if they've posted new fact sheets since the first three above)
FACT
SHEET 4 - Monthly Earnings Exemption Levels as of January 2006
FACT SHEET 5 -2006 Before-tax low income cut-off
FACT SHEET 6 -2006 After-tax
low income cut-off
FACT SHEET 7 - 2006 Before-tax average income
FACT
SHEET 8 - 2006 After-tax average income
FACT SHEET 9 -2006 Before-tax median
income
FACT SHEET 10 -2006 After-tax median income
FACT SHEET 11 -2006
Market Basket Measure (MBM)
FACT SHEET 12 -2006 Market Basket Measure (MBM)
and Old Age Security (OAS)
FACT SHEET 13 -Total welfare
incomes over time in 2006 constant dollars ($)
FACT SHEET 14 - Percentage
change in welfare incomes in 2006 constant dollars, selected years
FACT SHEET
15 - Peak year and 2006 welfare incomes
FACT SHEET 16 - Welfare incomes and
child benefits
FACT SHEET 17 - Total welfare incomes and poverty over time
Data
on Market Basket Measures (MBM) as a comparison tool is also being made available
for the first time. This is in light of the responses to the 2006
NCW Questionnaire on Poverty and Income Security regarding the importance
of having a measure of poverty based on the real cost of living. Additional MBM
information will be added to the Council's website as new data are available.
National
Council of Welfare
Research and Publications - links to NCW research
areas and collections of fact sheets
Complete
List of Council Publications - both online and in paper format, right
back to 1971
***************************************Welfare
Incomes 2005 (PDF file - 1.4MB, 116 pages)
August 2006
"Welfare
Incomes 2005 estimates total welfare incomes for four types of households
in each province and territory, for a total of 52 scenarios. The four household
types we use are a single employable person, a single person with a disability,
a lone-parent with a 2-year-old child, and a two-parent family with two children
aged 10 and 15. The National Council of Welfare has published similar estimates
since 1986."
Staggering
losses in welfare incomes (PDF file - 524K,
2 pages)
Press release
August 24, 2006
"In Alberta, the income in
real dollars of a single person on welfare has decreased by almost 50 percent
since 1986. Since 1992 in Ontario, the welfare income of a lone parent with one
child has decreased by almost $6,600 and a couple with two children has lost just
over $8,700. The National Council of Welfare’s report, Welfare Incomes 2005,
paints a dismal picture, and one that is getting worse. When adjusted for inflation,
many 2005 welfare incomes were lower than they were in 1986. Most welfare incomes
peaked in 1994 or earlier...."
FACT
SHEETS from Welfare Incomes 2005
# Welfare Incomes by Province and
Territory, Peak Year and 2005
# Welfare Incomes by Household Type: Losses,
Peak Year to 2005
# Welfare Incomes Over Time: 1986 to 2005 by Province and
Territory
# Welfare Incomes 2005 by Province and Territory and Type of Household
#
Welfare Incomes 2005 by Type of Household and Province/Territory (graph)
#
Adequacy of 2005 Welfare Incomes by Province
# The Clawback of the National
Child Benefit Supplement
# Changes in Welfare Incomes for Families with Children,
1997 to 2005 (graph)
# Methodology Used for Welfare
Incomes
# Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Council
Publications - includes links to earlier editions of Welfare
Incomes, along with other reports produced by the National
Council of Welfare, on welfare and other related topics
Source:
National
Council of Welfare
The Council was created in 1969, and its mandate is
"to advise the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development in respect
of any matters relating to social development that the Minister may refer to the
Council for its consideration or that the Council considers appropriate."
Google.ca
Web Search : "welfare incomes report,
canada"
Google.ca News Search : "welfare
incomes report, canada"
Source:
Google.ca
Important
note for anyone comparing welfare rates in different Canadian jurisdictions:
Since
its launch in the summer of 1998, the federal-provincial-territorial National
Child Benefit (NCB) initiative has imposed a change in the way welfare
rates for families with children can be compared across Canadian jurisdictions.
The federal Canada Child Tax
Benefit is now integrated with income support (welfare) for families with
children in a number of Canadian jurisdictions - but not all. This means that
any interprovincial comparison of welfare rates for families must, for the sake
of comparability, include the basic welfare benefit for the household AND the
total of any federal/provincial/territorial child benefits that the family receives
on behalf of each child.
Related information :
The
NCB Progress Report: 2005
HTML
version
PDF
version (4MB, 110 pages)
Pamphlet
(PDF file - 349K, 1 page)
Executive
Summary (HTML)
Table of contents of the report:
Chapter 1: What
is the National Child Benefit Initiative?
Chapter 2: The National Child Benefit
Supplement
Chapter 3: Components of the National Child Benefit Initiative
-----------
NOTE:
Chapter
3 of the report contains detailed information about the three different approaches
used to harmonize/integrate federal and provincial-territorial children's benefits
paid to Canadian families. This is compulsory reading for anyone who does welfare
rate comparisons for families with children across Canadian provinces and territories.
-----------
Chapter 4: First Nations and the National Child Benefit
Initiative
Chapter 5: Monitoring Progress - Societal Level Indicators
Chapter
6: Assessing the Direct Impact of the National Child Benefit Initiative
Chapter
7: The Way Ahead
Appendices:
1: Glossary
2: Provincial,
Territorial and First Nations National Child Benefit Reinvestments and Investments
(by province/territory)
-----------
NOTE: Appendix
2 of the report contains, for each province and territory, a detailed account
of the new and enhanced initiatives made possible by the National Child Benefit.
-----------
3:
Results of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) Analysis
4:
Additional Statistical Information Earlier
reports in this series
- annual reports going back to the first full
year (1999) of operation of the NCB; also includes links to historical and contextual
information Source:
National
Child Benefit Website
(Federal-Provincial-Territorial Government website) NOTE:
there's also a section of the National Council
of Welfare's report Welfare
Incomes 2005 (PDF file - 1.4MB, 116 pages) that covers the treatment
of federal children's benefits under provincial-territorial welfare programs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your
Canada Child Tax Benefit
For the period from July 2006 to June 2007
-
including related provincial and territorial child benefits
and credits Canada
Child Tax Benefit : Calculation and payment information
- Frequently-Asked
Questions Source:
Child
and Family Benefits Page
Canada
Revenue Agency See the Unofficial
Social Union Links page for more about the NCB and NCB reports
See also
the Unofficial Provincial/Territorial Social Union/NCB Links
page of this site for over 200 links to information from all provinces and territories
about their programs under the NCB initiative.
|
Social
Assistance Statistical Report: 2005
August 2006
(Second edition)
Report prepared by:
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Directors
of Income Support
NOTE: Chapter
Two of the report is a five-page descriptive overview of social assistance
in Canada in 2005. It provides information about the federal contributions to
provincial, territorial and municipal social assistance under the Canada Assistance
Plan (1996-1996), the Canada Health and Social transfer (1996-2004) and the Canada
Social Transfer (2004 to date).
Other chapters provide, for each province and
territory, some general information of eligibility (including asset and income
exemption levels) and benefits, as well as an impressive number of statistical
tables, graphs and charts providing numbers of cases and beneficiaries (time series
statistics going back as far as the mid-1990s, depending on the jurisdiction),
profile information (age/education/sex of household head, cases by reason for
assistance) and even (for most jurisdictions) the percentage of households reporting
income.
Complete
report
in one PDF file - (921K, 174 pages)
Link
to the first edition of this report:
Social
Assistance Statistical Report: 2004
Source:
Social
Program Analysis
Strategic Policy - Children and Families
NOTES:
1.
this is where I worked before my retirement in 2003 - Gilles
2. yes,
I know that the link above takes you to a page called "Social Policy",
but the group's name changes more often than its website, and that's where you'll
find the social assistance statistical report.
3. be sure to click the link
above and peruse the list of reports that are available on this page - the words
"Gold Mine" come to mind. The words "Best-Kept Secret" also
spring to mind, because the reports on this page tend to just appear here as if
by magic, without so much as a peep in the Departmental "What's New"
page.
<Argh.>
[ Policy
and Strategic Direction Branch ]
[ Human
Resources and Social Development Canada ]
------------------------------------------------------
Related
Links from the National Council of Welfare:
Number
of People on Welfare, March 1995 to March 2005 (PDF file - 133K, 1 page)
Profiles
of Welfare: Myths and Realities (Spring 1998)
- large statistical
collection covering twenty years of data, examining variables like family types,
reasons for assistance, age, education, duration of spells on assistance, housing
and more.
NOTE: number-crunchers who specialize in welfare statistics can compare
this report with the 2004 report above for some interesting observations --- but
be careful about data incompatibilities between the two reports...
From
Statistics Canada:
Social
Assistance by Province, 1993-2003
November
17, 2004
Feature article in the November 2004 issue of
The
Canadian Economic Observer
"Social assistance [dependency] rates fell
in every province between 1993 and 2003, but nowhere was the decline more dramatic
than in Alberta and Ontario, according to a new report."
Complete
article (PDF file - 67K, 7 pages)
"A recent
article looked at the drop in people receiving social assistance in the 1990s,
with particular emphasis on entry and exit rates by family type. This paper extends
the results by province to 2003. One of the trade-offs of more timely data is
the loss of detail on whether the changes originate through entry or exit and
the type of family affected. The gain, however, is a comparison of which provinces
have experienced the largest changes in social assistance among their population,
and which had the highest and lowest rates of welfare use in 2003."
Source:
Feature
Articles [Dozens of links to past feature articles!]
Canadian
Economic Observer
[ Statistics
Canada ]
Related
StatCan Link:
Social
Assistance Use: Trends in incidence, entry and exit rates (PDF file
- 97K, 14 pages)
August 2004
by R. Sceviour and R. Finnie
"This
paper explores the dynamics of Social Assistance use over this period [1995-2000]
to calculate annual incidence and entry and exit rates at both the national and
provincial level, broken down by family type. These breakdowns, available for
the first time ever, are revealing as policy varied by province and family type
and not all provinces shared equally in the recession or the expansion that followed
it. The paper does not attempt to apportion the movements in SA participation
rates between those related to the economy and changes in the administration of
welfare. The focus is on the empirical record of SA entry, exit, and annual participation
rates.
|
-----------------
Historical
Welfare Statistics
Social
Security Statistics, Canada and Provinces
1978-79 to 2002-03
This
is a goldmine of statistical information (beneficiary data and expenditure
data) on current and defunct Canadian federal social programs, and even some on
provincial/territorial programs.
This
report offers 25 years of longitudinal data on costs and numbers of beneficiaries
for most programs - over 100 tables - covering a large number of programs ---
here's a partial list:
- Child Tax Benefit, Family Allowances, the Child
Tax Credit, Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement/Spouse's Allowance ("The
Allowance"), Federal Training and Employment Programs, Federal Goods and
Services Tax Credit, the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans, War Veterans' and Civilian
War Allowances, Veterans' and Civilians' Disability Pensions, Unemployment/Employment
Insurance, the Canada Assistance Plan, Workers' Compensation, Youth Allowances,
Social Assistance and Social Services for Registered Indians --- and more...
Source:
Social
Policy Directorate
[ Policy
and Strategic Direction Branch ]
[ Social
Development Canada ]
Preface
(short blurb only)
List
of Tables
[Read the Introductory notes at the top of the page and in
Appendix
A of this report for all methodological notes.]
"...Tables in
this report have been organized into two parts. Part I presents three Overview
Tables which illustrate the trends in social security expenditures by all levels
of government for Canada. Part II comprises Component Tables which provide data
on beneficiaries and expenditures for individual programs."
A
number of tables were removed from this edition of the Social Security Statistics
report, including some tables with info on Blind Persons'
Allowances, Disabled Persons' Allowances and Unemployed Assistance.
Check
older editions of this report for those data.
Many
of the tables are historical and likely of little interest except to historians
and CAP-o-philes --- they offer historical caseload and expenditure statistics
on each of the CAP cost-sharing components (General Assistance - Homes for Special
Care for Children and Adults - Child Welfare - Health Care - Other Welfare Services
and Work Activity).
Scroll down the
list of tables to find a particular program, then click on its name to access
the HTML version of the table (the HTML page includes links to the PDF and Excel
versions of the table).
You'll find
many key stats tables and some interesting analyses here - only a few of which
appear below
- includes links to over two dozen tables (Tables 352-911)
with info on federal contributions under the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP)
and the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) to the cost of provincial
and territorial welfare programs.
NOTE: for more info about CAP, the CHST
and the Canada Social Transfer (CST, which replaced the CHST in April 2004), see
the Canada Assistance Plan / Canada Health and Social
Transfer / Canada Social Transfer Resources page of this site.
A
few sample tables:
Table
360 - Total Federal-Provincial Cost-Shared Program Expenditures, 1978-78 to 1999-2000
NOTE:
Table 360 traces the evolution/devolution of transfers under the Canada Assistance
Plan (in dollars) from 1976 to 1999. No new claims were paid out under CAP after
the Canada Health and Social Transfer came into effect in April 1996; amounts
shown as CAP expenditures for the fiscal years after 1995-96 are final settlements
with each jurisdiction for all outstanding commitments by the federal government.
Table
361: Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) - Number of Beneficiaries of General Assistance
(including dependants), as of March 31, 1979 to 1996
- This is a key
table for research on welfare programs - welfare dependency statistics by jurisdiction
over the years. These are the final, definitive numbers.
Table
362 : Total Federal-Provincial Cost-Shared Expenditures for General Assistance,
by Province/Territory, 1978-79 to 1995-96
- this table should be of
special interest for welfare historians and number-crunchers - it shows exactly
when Canadian government spending on welfare (by the federal and provincial/territorial
governments) started looking a little fuzzier. When the feds imposed the cap on
CAP (max. 5% annual increase in total CAP payments) in Ontario, Alberta and BC
in the early 1990s, those three provinces stopped reporting how much of their
CAP dollars were going to welfare (vs. other CAP components covered under the
same federal contribution). Table 362 shows that as of 1991-92, the federal contribution
to those three provinces for General Assistance appears as "n/a" - so
it's been impossible to produce a national figure since then. Unless, of course,
one wanders over into the minefield of provincial government welfare statistics,
where welfare programs (and related expenditures) have undergone a major transformation.
If you *do* want to check out welfare stats for each Canadian jurisdiction, your
best starting point is the Key Welfare Links Page of this website - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm
- which includes links to welfare stats in each province and territory where they're
available.
Table
434: Total Federal Payments under CAP, 1978-79 to 1999-2000
[The note
under table 360 also applies to this table. ]
Table
435
Number
of Beneficiaries (including dependants) of Provincial and Municipal Social Assistance,
as of March 31, 1997 to 2003
Table
438
Provincial
and Municipal Social Assistance Program Expenditures, 1980-81 to 2002-03
Table
526
Provincial and Territorial Children's Benefits and Earned Income Supplements,
Expenditures for Fiscal years 1978-79 to 2002-03
-----------------
See
also:
Historical
Statistics of Canada (2nd edition, 1983)
Jointly produced by the
Social Science Federation of Canada and Statistics
Canada
Historical Statistics of Canada
contains links to over 1,000 statistical tables (downloadable in Excel format)
on the social, economic and institutional conditions of Canada from the start
of the Confederation in 1867 to the mid-1970s.
Alphabetical
Index
Sample section:
Section
C: Social Security - by T. Russell Robinson, Health and Welfare Canada
-----------------
From
the Canadian Council on Social Development:
Free
Statistics - poverty lines, poverty statistics, welfare incomes, etc.
The Social
Indicators Launchpad - 60+ links to information about social indicators
in Canada and other countries
-----------------
Success
of Canadian Welfare Reforms
April 2008 update:
You'll note that the material below dates back
to 2003. That's when I was piqued enough by various Canadian jurisdictions crowing
about their "successful" welfare reforms to create this small collection
of links to a different perspective. Follow the links below to more recent data
but similar outcomes... From March 1993 to March
2003, the number of welfare beneficiaries (including children) across Canada decreased
from 2,9 million to 1,7 million.
[Source: National
Council of Welfare]
(Welfare dependency in Canada peaked in March 1994,
when 3.1 million Canadians were receiving welfare.) In
terms of welfare program costs, the most successful reforms have taken place in
Alberta, Ontario and BC, where dependency in 2003 was about half of what it was
in 1994.
So Canadian welfare reforms have been successful, right? It
depends on whether you're asking the Finance Department and Fraser Institute types,
who interpret caseload reductions and program costs as significant measures of
success, or the social advocacy groups, who focus more on the human condition,
income and wealth inequality and social justice... Related
Links:
(the view from the other side...)
National
2003
Report Card on Child Poverty in Canada (PDF file - 183K, 12 pages)
November
2003
"Despite consecutive years of economic growth more than one million
children, or almost one child in six, still live in poverty in Canada."
Provincial
child poverty report cards : incl. BC - MB - NS - ON - SK
Source:
Campaign
2000 Ontario
Rhetoric
and Retrenchment: 'Common Sense' Welfare Reform in Ontario - 2002
(PDF file - 51K, 7 pages)
Source:
Social
Assistance in the New Economy
[ University
of Toronto Faculty of Social Work ] Alberta
Benchmarks
in Alberta's Public Welfare Services:
History Rooted in Benevolence, Harshness,
Punitiveness and Stinginess (983K, 53 pages)
February
2003 British Columbia
A
Bad Time to be Poor: An Analysis of British Columbia’s New Welfare Policies
(PDF file - 530K, 55 pages)
June 2003
CCPA
Hot Topics - BC
Source:
Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office |
-
See the Canadian Social Research Links Social Statistics
page for related links.
Legislation woes?
It's very frustrating
trying to keep up with legislative links in each jurisdiction - they keep changing
the legislation, and they keep changing the links to that legislation.
If you can't find statutes and regulations for a specific Canadian
jurisdiction, try these links:
Canadian
Legal Information Institute (CanLII)
- incl.
over 100 links to federal, provincial and territorial courts (incl. supreme courts),
as well as statutes and regulations for most jurisdictions.
Canadian
Consolidated Statutes and Regulations - from the federal Department
of Justice
See the Canadian Social Research Links
Legislation Links page for links to other
related sites.
| Historical Welfare
Information - 1994, 1997 |
Social
Assistance in Canada, 1994
Over 40 pages of information on Canadian
social assistance programs as they operated in 1994. Much of the information in
this document is still as relevant today as it was back then - eligibility, benefits,
administrative rules, and more. Includes information about cost-sharing of welfare
costs under the Canada Assistance Plan. Question-and-answer format for quick reference.
This work was part of a larger study of social assistance in 24 countries released
by the OECD early in 1996. I was the author of these 40 pages, with a lot of valued
input and feedback from a number of colleagues in the Department and elsewhere
in the federal civil service at the time. If you want a snapshot of what welfare
was like in Canada before the Canada Health and Social Transfer in 1996, this
is a pretty decent one - and it's free.
Another
Look at Welfare Reform (Autumn 1997)
- an in-depth analysis by the
National Council of Welfare of changes in Canadian welfare programs in the 1990s.
The report focuses on the provincial and territorial reforms that preceded
the repeal of the Canada Assistance Plan and those that followed the implementation
of the Canada Health and Social Transfer.
Complete
report online - large file (300K+) but well worth the wait for detailed
information on welfare reforms in the 1990s in each Canadian jurisdiction, as
well as a national overview of the broad issues of welfare reform and the setting
for welfare reform in Canada.
Source : National
Council of Welfare |
You'll find a lot more welfare-related information
on other Canadian Social Research Links pages. The most detailed information is
in the provincial/territorial section (left column) of this site's Home
Page - hundreds of government and NGO links, including reports and
studies on many aspects of welfare in Canada. NGO links are either at the bottom
of the government links for each jurisdiction or on a separate page (depending
on the number of links for each jurisdiction).
For information
on conditions of eligibility (including the financial nitty-gritty), administration
(fraud controls, application review process) and benefit calculations,
I'd recommend Provincial/Territorial Welfare Policy Manuals.
Not all jurisdictions are online yet, and the amount and quality of content vary.
If provincial government people are reading this, I'd like to recommend Manitoba
as an excellent model for your manual.
If you're looking
for more general information on welfare in Canada, see Anti-Poverty
Strategies and Campaigns, Welfare Reforms in Canada
and Canada Assistance Plan / Canada Health and Social Transfer
/ Canada Social Transfer Resources. The last two pages include some content
based on my experience as well as links to relevant
sites and reports.
The "themes" section of this site
(right column on the Home Page) - also includes more
links to welfare information. The content of those pages is more chaotic than
the government section, but I guarantee you'll find welfare links on every one
of those pages.
|
| TIP:
How to Search for a Word or Expression on a Single Web
Page
Open any web page in your browser, then hold down the
Control ("Ctrl") key on your keyboard and type the letter F to open
a "Find" window. Type or paste in a key word or expression and hit Enter - your
browser will go directly to the first occurrence of that word (or those exact
words, as the case may be). To continue searching using the same keyword(s) throughout
the rest of the page, keep clicking on the FIND NEXT button.
Try it. It's
a great time-saver! |
Site
created and maintained by:
Gilles Séguin(This
link takes you to my personal page) 
E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com
