Social Assistance Reform in OntarioWhat’s happened, what’s coming,

and what we can do about it

Jennefer Laidley and liz walker

Income Security Advocacy Centre

September 27, 2018

Who are we?

• Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)• Specialty legal clinic in Ontario’s community legal clinic system

• Improve income security of Ontarians by working to improve law & policy:• Social assistance – Ontario Works and ODSP

• Contributory programs – CPP-D, Employment Insurance

• Benefits and credits – Child Benefits, OAS / GIS, Disability Tax Credit

• Employment Standards – quality of work

• Tools: • Litigation

• Policy advocacy

• Community organizing

• Public education

Who are you?

• Currently on OW/ODSP

• Legal clinic worker

• Service provider

• Advocate around OW/ODSP

• Do policy work related to OW/ODSP

• Organize with people on OW/ODSP

• Other

Where are you in the province?

• Northern Ontario

• South Eastern Ontario

• Eastern Ontario

• Greater Toronto Area

A bit of background

• Social assistance in Ontario

• Two programs: Ontario Works (OW) & Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

• Started 1998 by previous Conservative government

• Deliberately inadequate, punitive and coercive

➢ Counterproductive to helping people stabilize and move forward

• Important but small improvements made under Liberal government

• Fundamentally the same system as 20 years ago

Action to improve the system

• Advocacy ongoing for 20 years

• Improvements come from this ongoing action

• Consultations, reviews and reports

• Deb Matthews – 2004

• Social Assistance Review Advisory Committee – 2010

• Lankin / Sheikh Commission – 2012

➢ Latest and greatest:

Income Security Roadmap for Change – 2017

Roadmap for Change

• Three working groups

• People with lived experience, policy experts, private sector, Indigenous representatives, administrators, etc.

• Report issued November 2017

• Great recommendations for positive change - many from years of hearing from people on OW and ODSP about how to make the programs better

• Liberal government started implementing in Budget 2018

• Positive changes made spring and early summer

• 19 additional changes supposed to start this fall

19 changes included

• 3% increase to rates

• Still not enough, but largest increase since 2005

• Letting people keep more of what they earn

• From $200 → $400 / month before clawbacks

• Letting people keep more money from other sources

• TFSA and RRSPs

• Financial gifts from family / friends

• Trust and life insurance policy payments

More 19 changes…

• Giving people time to build healthy relationships

• Changing “spouse” definition from 3 months living together to 3 years

• Giving full benefits to people who get housing and food at same place

• Includes many people with disabilities, who get a lower rate

• Increasing and expanding Remote Communities Allowance

• For people in remote areas and the North, where food and other costs are much higher

June 7 election - New government

• New minister and new ministry

• Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

• Five ministries / portfolios collapsed into one

• July 31 announcement:

1. Cut the rate increase from 3% to 1.5%

2. Put a “pause” on the 19 changes

3. Ended the basic income pilot project

4. Will announce new direction for social assistance after 100 day review –November 8

What now?

• Government’s focus appears to be:

• Getting more people into jobs

• Reducing length of time people spend on social assistance

• Streamlining the “patchwork” of programs

• Reducing administration

• Reducing fraud

• “Modernizing” services through technology

What could this mean?

• Bad ways to get people into jobs:

• Force them to take unpaid work as a condition of getting benefits

• Make people on ODSP agree to look for work as a condition of getting benefits

• Allow fewer exemptions – e.g., single parents looking after young children

• Good ways to get people into jobs:

• More supports for people to stabilize their lives

• Holistic wrap-around services that address trauma and other needs

• Better training & education programs

• Increase rates – a springboard to jobs and community involvement

• Increase amounts of money people can keep when they work

• Better employment standards to create better quality jobs

• Ensure accommodation in the workplace for people with disabilities

What could this mean?

What could this mean?

• Bad ways to reduce the time people spend on assistance:

• Introduce time limits to stop people from getting benefits beyond a certain amount of time (as they did in the USA)

• Good ways to reduce the time people spend on assistance:

• Help people as soon as they get on the system

• More supports for people to stabilize their lives

• Holistic wrap-around services that address trauma and other needs

• Better training & education programs

• Increase rates – a springboard to jobs and community involvement

• Improve other programs (e.g., WSIB, EI, CPP-D)

• Improve the quality of jobs

What could this mean?

What does a good system look like?

➢ “Five Principles for an Effective and Compassionate System”➢Open Letter to Minister MacLeod

Political Context

Austerity – Has set the stage for cuts to programs and services

• Hyper focus on deficit reduction

• “The best social program is a job”

• Selling off public assets

• Introducing fees for use

• Attacks on ‘universal’ basic rights to services and adequate income supports

• Taxes = BAD!

We have a revenue problem NOT a spending problem!

Myths and Realities

1. Increasing social assistance will encourage people to stay on 2. People on social assistance just don’t want to work3. Refugees better off than people on social assistance

max per month OW$733$1167max per month ODSP

How do we the people win?

We Own It!

Endorse• Sign onto ISAC's Open Letter to Minister MacLeod

Contact your MPP

• Write

• Phone

• Meet with your MPP

Join a group

• Join a local group taking action to fight poverty in your community

Individuals taking action

• Sign onto ISAC's Open Letter to Minister MacLeod

Endorse

• Take members of your group to meet your MPP

Visit your MPP • Inform community

about what is at stake & how they can take action. Invite MPP

Hold a public meeting

• Bring attention to the issue. Write letters to the editor, op-eds, etc.

Contact local media

Agencies and Organizations – Balancing needs and systemic change

The current system is based on outdated ideas and trapspeople in poverty. We need a government, no matter

what political affiliation, to invest in the collective well-being of all Ontarians.

Materials to help• Actions You Can Take Before November 8

• Open Letter to Minister MacLeod

• Five Principles for an Effective and Compassionate Social Assistance System

• Tips for Meeting with MPPs

• Tips for Holding a Public Meeting

• Tips for Getting Media Attention

• Social Assistance Rates Sheet

• 10 Myths & 10 Realities of Social Assistance in Ontario

• 19 Changes Now “On Pause”

• Fast Facts: Poverty and Social Assistance

To download our action kit and sign our open letter please visit http://incomesecurity.org/policy-advocacy/100-days-take-action-before-november-8/