Ontario Government

Updated June 16, 2009

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Guide to Welfare in Ontario
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NEW

From the Government of Ontario:

Ontario Gets Roadmap For Early Learning
Report Gives Strategy To Introduce Full-Day Learning For Four- And Five-Year Olds
News Release
June 15, 2009
Ontario has received a comprehensive report on full-day learning for four- and five-year old children. Dr. Charles Pascal, the government's Early Learning Advisor, delivered his With Our Best Future In Mind report with 20 recommendations on how to improve education for children up to age 12.

With Our Best Future in Mind:
Implementing Early Learning in Ontario
June 2009
Summary
Complete report:
PDF (2.1MB, 68 pages)
HTML - table of contents + links to individual chapters of the report

Related links from the Toronto Star:

Opportunity to transform early learning in Ontario
Evidence supports Pascal's blueprint for an integrated approach for children under 6
June 16, 2009
Opinion
By Jim Grieve and Bill Hogarth
We know for certain that every dollar we invest in children before they are 6-years-old saves us up to $17 in social service costs. So why does Canada shamefully spend so little in support of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens? What will it take to change the status quo – to move from talk to action and make a difference for children, families and our communities?The good news is we finally have an opportunity to make that difference. A new report entitled With Our Best Future in Mind by Charles Pascal, early learning adviser to Premier Dalton McGuinty, presents a clear and powerful blueprint for Ontario. The report calls for sweeping, collaborative action to place early learning firmly on the public agenda for Ontario and the rest of Canada. With Our Best Future in Mind calls attention to the need to build on best practice and embed proven strategies uniformly toward a total transformation of our approach to early learning. The report proposes expanded Best Start Child and Family Centres and introduces early learning programs as the enhanced full-day model for 4- and 5-year-olds.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Early Learning : A Star special on a new vision for Ontario Children
- includes links to a number of articles on the report on early learning:
* `Seamless' program urged for kids (by Andrea Gordon) - June 16, 2009
* The case for full-day learning (by Kenyon Wallace) - June 16, 2009
* Can teachers, daycare staff play together? (by Laurie Monsebraaten) - June 16, 2009
* Not known which schools will get kindergarten program: Premier (by Rob Ferguson) - June 15, 2009
* Full-day learning starts next year (by Laurie Monsebraaten) - June 15, 2009
* Take over daycares, Ontario schools told (by Kristin Rushowy) - June 14, 2009
* Single system for child care encouraged Laurie Monsebraaten - November 4, 2008
*The people behind the report
Fraser Mustard, Charles Pascal and Lorna Weigand were all
instrumental in the Ontario plan to make elementary schools full-day hubs for 4- and 5-year olds
June 15, 2009

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Social Assistance, Pension and Tax Credit Rates (Apr-Jun 2009) (PDF- 162K, 2 pages)
Prepared by the Statistics and Analysis Unit,
Social Policy Development Division
Ministry of Community & Social Services
Recommended reading --- detailed welfare rate information plus benefit info for a number of provincial and federal financial assistance programs.
[ Link to the latest version - updated several times a year. ]

Thanks to the Community Advocacy & Legal Centre (formerly known as Hastings and Prince Edward Legal Services) for offering this valuable resource online...
...especially considering this information doesn't appear on the website of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.

---


Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy

On December 4, 2008, the Government of Ontario committed itself to reducing the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over the next 5 years.
For a large (200+) and current collection of links to up-to-date online resources about the Ontario strategy from the Ontario government and from NGOs,
go to the Canadian Social Research Links Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
(click on "Ontario" in the list of provinces at the top of the page.)

OR...

Go directly to the websites of:

(1) the Ontario Government poverty reduction strategy:

Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy
(Government of Ontario)
- incl. links to :
* Why It Matters * What's Happening Now * Where We Want to Be * Research * Meet the Team * Chair's Update (Deb Matthews) * Ontario Child Benefit * Ontario Disability Support Program * Ontario Works Program, and

(2) the NGO partners who are monitoring the government's implementation of its strategy:

Poverty Watch Ontario - "To monitor and inform on cross-Ontario activity on the poverty reduction agenda"
Poverty Watch Ontario is keeping an eye on the provincial poverty reduction consultations and poverty reduction events in Ontario.
Poverty Watch Ontario is a joint venture of Social Planning Network of Ontario, Ontario Campaign 2000, and the Income Security Advocacy Centre.

---
NOTE: to minimize the amount of repetition on different Canadian Social Research Links pages, there are very few links (except those in this yellow box) to Ontario's poverty reduction strategy on the page you're now reading.
You'll find those on the Canadian Social Research Links Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

NEW

For links to information about:
* the 2009 Ontario Budget (March 26/09)
* the Ontario Fall Economic Statement 2008 (October 22)
* the Ontario Pre-Budget 2009 Consultations
* the 2008 Ontario Budget
... just scroll down past the grey section below.

War on Poverty - from The Toronto Star
- series of articles and editorials about the plight of Canada's needy and possible reforms to the social programs that assist them.
50+ links to articles by various Star writers and columnists!
NOTE: this link takes you to another page of the Canadian Social Research Links website. It's more complete than the content of the War on Poverty link above because it contains articles and columns that weren't included in the War on Poverty series for some strange reason...

Major Milestones in Poverty Reduction in Ontario
December 2008
By John Stapleton
Brief overview of 10 significant poverty reduction initiatives in Ontario, from the First Upper Canada Statute in 1792 to the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy.
[this is a more detailed version of the feature that appeared in the Toronto Star on December 5 just above the article entitled 'First step' on poverty draws praise.
Source:
Open Policy (John Stapleton's website)

Hotlinks
The links below will take you directly to the following
Ontario Government web pages:

Government of Ontario Home Page
Office of the Premier
Newsroom - Ontario.ca
What's New - Government of Ontario
Government of Ontario Telephone Directory
Ministries and Agencies
Management Board Secretariat
Legislative Assembly
Ombudsman Ontario
Community and Social Services
Children and Youth Services
Finance
Education, Training, Colleges and Universities
Health and Long-Term Care
Attorney-General
Labour
Municipal Affairs and Housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission
Provincial Auditor
Citizenship and Immigration
Culture
Key welfare links

Department responsible for welfare
Ministry of Community and Social Services
(formerly Community, Family and Children's 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

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 - click "Social Assistance, Pension and Tax Credit Rates", updated quarterly
New Social Assistance rates effective Nov/Dec 2008 (Word file - 50K, 1 page)
+
Ontario Child Benefit - from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Latest search results on Google.ca for
"welfare, -child, -animal, Ontario"
- Web search results
- News search results
- Blog search results

Related Links

* Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy : Breaking the Cycle (PDF - 1.3MB, 45 pages) - December 4, 2008
[ Highlights (PDF - 199K, 2 pages) ] Source: Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy
See also : Poverty Watch Ontario (NGO reactions to the poverty reduction strategy)
* New Social Assistance rates effective Nov/Dec 2008 (Word file - 50K, 1 page) from the Income Security Advocacy Centre
* Welfare raise leaves cheque at 1988 levels (Nov. 1/08) from The Toronto Star
* Report of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review - Facing the Future Together (PDF - 1.6MB, 64 pages) Fall 2008
* Ontario Child Benefit and Changes to Social Assistance -June 2008
* Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy - home page
* Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy - from the 2008 Ontario Budget (March 25, 2008)
* Poverty Watch Ontario - "To monitor and inform on cross-Ontario activity on the poverty reduction agenda"
* Ontario Child Benefit - from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services
* War on Poverty - from The Toronto Star
* Results-based Plan Briefing Book 2007-08 (PDF file - 176K, 27 pages) - Ministry of Community and Social Services
NOTE : APPENDIX I of this report ===> Annual Report 2006-07 and Annual Report 2005-06
* 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.

For more information about welfare in other Canadian jurisdictions,
see the Canadian Social Research Links Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page

2009 Ontario Budget - main budget page
[ version française ]
March 26, 2009
- incl. links to all budget papers (some of which appear below)

Ontario Budget Creates Jobs for Families Today
and Builds Economy for Tomorrow
McGuinty Government Invests $32.5 Billion
in Infrastructure, Proposes Sales Tax Reform and $10.6 Billion in Tax Relief for People
News Release
March 26, 2009
The McGuinty government's 2009 Budget lays out a plan to help families affected by the global economic crisis and positions Ontario to become more competitive for a more prosperous future. The Ontario government is investing $34 billion over two years to stimulate the economy. This timely and targeted investment includes $32.5 billion in infrastructure spending and nearly $700 million in additional funding for skills training. This will preserve or create more than 300,000 jobs over the next two years to support Ontario's families and communities. The government is proposing to accelerate the phase-in of the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) two years ahead of schedule, increase social assistance rates and invest in social housing infrastructure.

Ontario Budget 2009
HTML version - Table of Contents + links to individual sections
PDF version (1.2MB, 171 pages)

Budget Highlights

Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy and the 2009 Budget
"(...) The Poverty Reduction Strategy' target is to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over the next 5 years. All low-income families with children would see the benefits of this strategy, which would help lift 90,000 children out of poverty. The government, however, cannot do this alone. Meeting this goal depends on having a willing partner in the federal government, as well as a growing economy.
- incl. info on enhancements to the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB), tax relief for families and individuals, a new youth opportunities strategy, community hubs, Social Assistance rate increases and review of social assistance "with the goal of removing barriers and increasing opportunity — with a particular focus on people trying to move into employment from social assistance."
(Hmmmm - the terminology used here reminds me of the way Mike Harris used to describe his hand-up-not-handout-USA-Jobs-First-style-Common-Sense-Revolution approach - Gilles.)
- also incl. info on support for housing, Ontario's minimum wage, a new Deprivation Index for Ontario, the Poverty Reduction Act, and initiatives the McGuinty government has introduced since 2003-04 to support low-income families and individuals

Backgrounder: Investing in Children and Families
- incl. * Accelerating Ontario Child Benefit Payments * Establishing Community Hubs * Supporting Ontarians Receiving Social Assistance * Support for Social Housing * Stable Funding for Rent Banks * Assisting Low-Income Workers * Support for Seniors * Tax Relief for People

For critiques and analysis of the budget, go to the 2009 Canadian Government Budgets Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

---

Ontario Fall Economic Statement 2008
October 22, 2008

Fall Economic Statement Updates Ontario Finances
News Release
October 22, 2008
In the face of global economic uncertainty and the slowing U.S. economy, the McGuinty government is continuing to encourage long-term economic growth and do everything it can to protect key public services. In its 2008 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review released today, the government revised the province’s projected economic growth outlook for 2008 to 0.1 per cent, down from the 1.1 per cent forecast in the 2008 Budget last March. As a result, projected revenue will decline, while expenditures will increase in certain areas.

Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review 2008
- incl. table of contents and links to individual sections of the economic statement
[ PDF version of the
complete Economic Statement - 1MB, 90 pages ]

Related links (all posted October 22):

* Minister's Statement to the Legislature
* Backgrounder: 2008 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review
* Backgrounder: Managing Expenditures
* Backgrounder: The Budget Measures Act, 2008 (No.2)
* Ontario's Five-Point Economic Plan

Fairness.ca - Ontario's Fairness Campaign
"Building a Strong Ontario for a Strong Canada"

2009 Pre-Budget Consultations

Province-wide Pre-Budget 2009 Consultations:
Tell Us What You Think
View the video introduction on Pre-Budget Consultations (or read the transcript) by the Ontario Minister of Finance and Revenue, and then answer the six questions; there's a text box for your "open-ended" answer.
For example, under question #3 ("Given the current fiscal challenges, what government programs could be delayed, phased in more slowly or eliminated?"), someone who believes in social justice might answer : "There is not one single mention of the Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy in this 90-page Economic Statement and the related backgrounders. It appears that the Ontario Government has already decided that poverty reduction will be 'phased in more slowly', and that's not right."
[ Assignment for historians : check through Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's old diatribes when he was Opposition Leader against Mike Harris (the Tory Premier who implemented deep cuts in welfare and other social supports in the mid-1990s) to find a rant of his about why poverty reduction is all the more critical during an economic downturn. ]

Related link:

`Full steam ahead,' minister says
Government targets December for plan to help poor while Hampton demands action and not `talk'
October 23, 2008
The Liberal government says it plans to move ahead on its anti-poverty agenda, despite the dire economic outlook for the province. While Ontario slows spending in some areas, the Liberal government will not back down on its commitments to fight poverty, said Deb Matthews, provincial chair of the cabinet committee on poverty reduction and the minister of children and youth services.
Source:
The Toronto Star
---

Take part in our informal pre-budget poll
If you were frustrated like me to find zero references to the poverty reduction strategy in the Economic Statement, don't expect this quickie poll to lift your spirits.

How to Participate in the 2009 Pre-Budget Consultations
All the bumph you need to know about getting in your two cent's worth, including coordinates for input by telephone, email, regular mail and fax.
The only information that's missing is the deadline for submissions to the process. Well, duh.

2008 Ontario Budget

2008 Ontario Budget : Growing a Stronger Ontario
March 25, 2008
- includes links to all budget papers and the following backgrounders : * Economic Plan * Education * Health * Infrastructure * Key sectors * Rural and Northern Ontario * Quality of Life * Skills

Ontario Budget Invests in Skills Training and Infrastructure to Strengthen the Economy:
Government Creating Opportunities for Better Jobs and Stronger Communities
News Release
March 25, 2008

Budget Highlights
- includes papers with info on investments in: skills - infrastructure - competitiveness - innovation - business and industry sectors - education - health - children and families - postsecondary education - the environment.

Ontario Budget 2008 papers
- budget-at-a-glance : detailed table of contents with links to specific sections of all budget papers on one page, including:

Strengthening Ontario's Future by Investing in Families and Quality of Life

Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy
 The government’s Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction, chaired by the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services, will focus on expanding opportunities for those living in poverty. It will develop a focused poverty reduction strategy with measures, indicators and reasonable targets by the end of 2008
- includes info on the following early initiatives under the Poverty Reduction Strategy : * Dental Care for Low-Income Families * Student Nutrition Program * Parenting and Family Literacy Centres * Making Education More Affordable
Source:
Budget Papers, Chapter 1, Section C:
A Better Future for Families: Improving Quality of Life
- also includes info on : * Investing in Social Housing * Asset-Building Strategy for Low-Income Ontarians * Increased Support for Social Assistance * Minimum Wage * Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grants * Ontario Property and Sales Tax Credits for Seniors * more...

_____________________________________
NOTE: for links to poverty reduction strategies in Canada and
elsewhere in the world, go to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
_____________________________________

Supporting Families Receiving Social Assistance (chart and descriptive text)
"(...) proposing to increase the basic adult allowance and maximum shelter allowance by two per cent in 2008–09."

Source:
Ontario Ministry of Finance

"Ontario, 2008 Provincial Budget":
- Web search results page
- News search results page
- Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

NOTE: for links to critiques and analyses of the 2008 Ontario budget,
go to the Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

2007 Ontario budget links - this link takes you further down on the page you're now reading.

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Government of Ontario Home Page

Ministries and Agencies
What's New - Government of Ontario
Search the Ontario Government site
ServiceOntario Government Employee directory

Service Ontario - Gateway to Ontario Government services

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Service Canada Regional Information:
Ontario
This page provides information on region-specific services for Individuals, Business and Organizations.
Services include: Jobs * Financial Benefits * Employment Insurance * Taxes * Training and Careers * Identification Cards * Travel and Passports * Health * Consumer Information * Canada and the World * Environment and Resources * Economy * Public Safety * Culture and Recreation * Science and Technology.
Source:
Service Canada
Human Resources and Social Development Canada

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"Portals" are directories of links to external sites grouped under different themes.
Here are two new portal websites from the Government of Ontario, both of which focus on federal and Ontario government websites (although some of those websites offer links to non-governmental sites):

Children's Information Portal
This site brings together information about all the children and youth programs and services provided by the Government of Ontario. Whether you’re a young person, a parent, a caregiver, a professional, or a researcher, this site is for you. We’ve organized the content to give you a choice in how you access information. You can look by age group, activity, special need, or by going right to the search function.
- includes links to:
Ages and Stages : * Newborns [up to 1 yr.] * Toddlers [1- 3 yrs.] * Children [4-11 yrs.] * Youth [12-18 yrs.]
Topics : * Parenting, Child Care & Adoption * Education, Learning & Training * Health & Safety * Travel & Recreation * Financial Services & Benefits * Laws, Rights & Responsibilities * Youth Issues & Opportunities
Special Needs : * Special Education * Special Medical Needs * Children & Families at Risk * Financial Assistance * Specialized Services
Professionals
Just for kids
Service Ontario Links
Online forms
More...

Women's Information Portal - Government of Ontario
- incl. links to info about : Arts, Culture and Communities - Education, Learning and Training - Empowering and Recognizing Women - Families and Relationships - Financial Matters - Health and Well Being for Families - Health and Well Being for Women - Laws, Justice and Rights - Travel, Recreation and Sports - Violence and Abuse - Work, Employment and Safety

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Ministry of Community and Social Services:
Supporting Ontario's communities since 1930
The year 2005 was the 75th anniversary of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Click on the link above* and then, on the next page, scroll down to "Stories from our Past" for links to six short historical bits about welfare and social services in Ontario in the last century and even before.
Origins of the welfare department (1930) - breaking 650 lbs. of rocks to qualify for welfare in 1915 - houses of refuge - the Mothers' Allowance Act (1920) - the first foray into the field of day care in the mid-40s - the Soldier's Aid Commission (est. 1915).

*NOTE: when I checked on June 16/07, this page had disappeared from the MCSS website.
However, I went to Archive.org and copied the URL of the Ministry into the Wayback Machine (text box near the top of the page). Then, on the Archive.org results page, I selected the link to the October 2004 site snapshot. Then, on the archived MCSS home page that appeared, I simply clicked on the 75th anniversary button and found the archived copy of this page from Archive.org:
http://web.archive.org/web/20050518172022/www.mcss.gov.on.ca/CFCS/en/Celebrating75Years/default.htm

e-Laws - consolidated laws and regulations of Ontario
You can find a specific statute or a specific regulation. Or you can search all of the laws using the search or advanced search features.

Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat

Guide to Ontario Courts
- incl. links to : Court of Appeal for Ontario - Superior Court of Justice - Ontario Court of Justice - Ontario Judicial Council - Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee - Notice and Rule Changes - Court House Contacts - Courtrooms and Classrooms - Links

Recent changes in provincial-municipal relations in Ontario : a new era or missed opportunity? (PDF file - 50K, 22 pages)
April 2003
By David Siegel, Department of Political Science - Brock University
- analysis of the change in provincial-municipal relations and responsibilities in Ontario since the Mike Harris Common Sense Revolution
Source :
Municipal-Federal-Provincial Relations : New Structures / New Connections - Conference
May 9 - 10, 2003
Kingston, Ontario
Institute of Intergovernmental Relations
School of Policy Studies
Queen's University

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)
.

Ontario Government Ministries

.
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

Results-based Plan Briefing Book 2007-08 (PDF file - 176K, 27 pages)
Ministry of Community and Social Services
NOTE : APPENDIX I of this report ===> Annual Report 2006-07 and Annual Report 2005-06

Ministry of Community and Social Services
(Combined) Annual Reports for 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 (PDF file - 305K, 8 pages)
September 2006
Comment: This eight-page annual report covers not just one but *two* fiscal years...
- includes only two short tables showing total Ministry expenditures in each fiscal year (split into capital and operating expenses) and total Ministry staff at the end of each year.

Social assistance / welfare in Ontario comprises two programs: Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program.

Ontario Works (OW)
"...provides financial and employment assistance to single people, couples with and without children, and sole support parents. Mandatory participation in Ontario Works workfare, earnfare and learnfare activities assists people in moving as quickly as possible to a job."
OW Policy Directives - the Ontario Works policy manual
Ontario Works News Releases (2000-2002) - links to almost four dozen news releases on a variety of subjects, mostly dealing with spouse-in-the-house, welfare fraud and moving people off welfare

Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
"ODSP is intended to meet the needs of people with disabilities and help them to become more independent."

ODSP Employment Supports Policy Directives
 "The employment supports component of the ODSP serves a diverse group of people with a wide range of disabilities and interests. The program provides a continuum of supports that are intended to remove disability-related barriers to employment and lead to competitive employment."
Source : Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services
[Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)]

ODSP Income Support Policy Directives - the ODSP Income Support policy manual
Ontario Disability Support Program News Releases

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

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


Related Links:

Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Law
December 2006
1. Overview 2. Claimants 3. Income Support 4. Benefits 5. Severely Handicapped Children 6. Information Eligibility 7. Income Rules 8. Asset Rules 9. "Person With a Disability" 10. Applications and Procedures 11. Director Decisions 12. Appeals and Other Remedies 13. Workfare 14. Fraud and Prosecutions 15. Advocacy


Source:
Isthatlegal.ca (Ontario)
"The purpose of this site is to share my knowledge, experience and research regarding law with those in our society who most need it - and with those who work towards a better world. While the practice of law involves an often complex interplay of personalities, circumstances, logic and rules - only the last of these is purely law. Everything else is just life experience, which none among us has a monopoly on. 'Law' alone - be it the "substantive" law of what rights exist, or the "procedural" law of trying to realize those rights - is just information, nothing more. Sadly though it is information that many view as beyond their comprehension. This situation has bothered me for a long time, so in January 2006 I started a sabbatical from my law practice to openly share what I have learned - and will continue to learn."
[Simon Shields, LLB]
- incl. links to the following on the home page: Social Assistance Law (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program) - Civil and Administrative Litigation (Small Claims Court, Administrative Tribunal Procedures and Line Fences) - Criminal (Criminal Injuries Compensation, Canadian Law of International Crimes) - What's New? (From the Courts, from the Government, from the Media, Elsewhere)

[More About this Site ]
[ Terms of Use for the IsThatLegal.ca site ] - read this before using any info you find in the Isthatlegal.ca site

Also on this site:

Welfare (Ontario Works or "OW") Law
(June 2006)
1. Overview 2. Claimants 3. Basic Assistance 4. Benefits 5. Information Eligibility 6. Income Rules 7. Asset Rules 8. Applications and Procedures 9. Administrator Decisions 10. Appeals and Other Remedies 11. Workfare 12. Fraud and Prosecutions 13. Advocacy - Appendices - Sources and Forms

I highly recommend this OW info site.

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.

Historian Alert!!

Dorothea Crittenden: Canada's first woman deputy minister
reformed welfare and social assistance
December 24, 2008
Obituary
By Gay Abbate
"(...) Dorothea Crittenden was a trailblazer who devoted her life to helping build Ontario's welfare system. She was also a key player in the creation of the Canada Assistance Plan, a federal-provincial cost-sharing plan that guarantees all Canadians equal access to social assistance."

As a rule, I don't include links to obituaries on my site or in my newsletter. In this case, however, I've made an exception based on the valuable historical insights that I've found in the obituary, and moreso in the paper below by John Stapleton, and that I wanted to share with Canadian social historians --- more pieces of the puzzle, as it were...
[...and no, I won't link to your Aunt Bertha's obituary. Don't even ask.]

The above obituary by Gay Abbate appeared in The Globe and Mail on December 23, and it's based on information provided by Dr. Crittenden in the course of interviews with John Stapleton in 1991.
The content of those interviews appears in the paper below, which provides valuable historical information about Canadian social policy from the Depression to the mid-1970's when she was Ontario's Deputy Minister of Community and Social Services. Of particular interest to Canadian social historians, I'm sure, will be sections like * What Ontario gave up for CAP * Project 500 in the 1970s * the cap on CAP (I should note that the cap on CAP was in the early 1990s and not the 1980s, as noted in the above obituary. John's paper has the correct info on that.)

Coming of Age in a Man’s World:
The Life, Times and Wisdom of Dorothea Crittenden,
Canada’s First Female Deputy Minister (PDF - 355K, 22 pages)
January 2007
Source:
Open Policy (John Stapleton's website)

A selection of recent releases from MCSS:

Ontario Supports Registered Disability Savings Plans
McGuinty Government Helps Families Save For Children With Disabilities
November 30, 2008
News Release
Ontario is making it possible for social assistance recipients to take advantage of Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs). Like the Registered Education Savings Plan, RDSPs allow family members and loved ones to save money tax free until withdrawal. The program helps people plan for the future needs of children and adults with disabilities. Changes to Ontario’s social assistance rules will make sure that both RDSP assets and withdrawals are fully exempt.
This means:
* RDSP contributions do not impact eligibility for social assistance
* People on social assistance can take money out of an RDSP without affecting their social assistance payments. To further help social assistance recipients with disabilities save for their future, Ontario is also increasing the amount they can receive as a gift or payment from a trust from $5,000 to $6,000 a year.
Source:
Ontario Community and Social Services

Context:
In the determination of financial eligibility for needs-tested welfare or disability benefits, each province and territory decides how it will treat assets and income from various sources, both at the point of application and on an ongoing basis. The next link below opens a PDF file that provides a current (Dec. '08) overview of the treatment of the RDSP in all Canadian provinces and territories, and it includes links to the relevant source material in each jurisdiction

Provincial/Territorial Updates
Registered Disability Savings Plan (PDF - 205K, 5 pages)
December 2008

Source:
Registered Disability Savings Plan
The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a savings plan designed specifically for people with disabilities in Canada. The first of its kind in the world, this new tax-deferred savings vehicle will assist families in planning for the long - term financial security of their relatives with disabilities.
- incl. links to : What is it? - How do I qualify? - Where do I get it?

Registered Disability Savings Plan Blog
"...everything you wanted to know about the RDSP"

Related links:

Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) is the non-profit organization that proposed, researched, and campaigned for the RDSP.
PLAN created and maintains the RDSP website and the RDSP Blog.

Registered Disability Savings Plan - from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
- incl. links to info about the Canada Disability Savings Grant, the Canada Disability Savings Bond and the RDSP
- also includes a link to Budget 2007 (Oct. 30/07) when the RDSP was first announced, and more...

NOTE: the two items in this box are not from MCSS, but I couldn't find any related info on the MCSS site...

Welfare raise leaves cheque at 1988 levels
November 1, 2008
By Laurie Monsebraaten
"(...) Twenty years after a provincial task force recommended major increases to welfare, Ontario's most destitute residents are finally seeing the money, or at least some of it. A promised 2 per cent welfare rate increase that kicks in Dec. 1 – bringing the monthly rate for a single person ... to $572 – will boost welfare payments to levels recommended in 1988 by David Peterson's Liberal government. But when you factor in inflation, next month's increase would have to be at least $350 higher to equal the spirit of that 20-year-old recommendation.
Source:
The Toronto Star

New Social Assistance rates effective Nov/Dec 2008 (Word file - 50K, 1 page)
- detailed rates by family size for the Ontario Works Program and the Ontario Disability Support Program
- incl, the list of other programs to which the 2% increase applies, incl. Northern Allowances, the Guide Dog Benefit, the Advanced Age Amount, the Special Boarder Allowance, the Temporary Care Assistance amount, Assistance for Children with Severe Disability, etc.
Source:
Income Security Advocacy Centre (Toronto)
The Income Security Advocacy Centre works with and on behalf of low income communities in Ontario to address issues of income security and poverty.

Evaluation of the JobsNow Pilot:
Final Report (PDF - 972K, 38 pages)
October 10, 2008
"(...) JobsNow was not more effective than regular Ontario Works programming."
Prepared for:
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
Prepared by:
Goss Gilroy Inc. Management Consultants (Ottawa)

Related link:

BC Jobs Firm a Bust for Ontario
Private contractor did no better than public effort it replaced
By Andrew MacLeod
October 30, 2008
If British Columbia's government wants to know how well its jobs program is working, new numbers from Ontario might fuel the urge. Ontario's government tried a private job placement service offered by a B.C. company, but an independent review found it worked no better than the ministry's own programs and did not save the government money. The report raises questions about whether the company's programs work any better in B.C. than they do in Ontario, and whether the B.C. government is looking closely enough to know. "There were no incremental reductions in [Income Assistance] that could be attributed to JobsNow," says the report on the Ontario pilot program produced by Ottawa management consulting firm Goss Gilroy Inc. and dated Oct. 10, 2008. "JobsNow was not more effective than regular Ontario Works programming."
Source:
TheTyee.ca

Ontario Child Benefit and Changes to Social Assistance
June 2008
"In 2007, the Ontario government introduced a new non-taxable Ontario Child Benefit to help low-income families provide for their children. Starting in July 2008, monthly Ontario Child Benefit payments of up to $50/month per child ($600/year) will begin. When these payments begin, social assistance (Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program) will change for families who have children under age 18."
Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

The "change" in social assistance programs mentioned in the above fact sheet refers to the removal of children's benefits from welfare and the extension of those same benefits to *all* low-income families with kids in Ontario. That's the good news. The bad news for families receiving benefits under the Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Programs is the termination of the Back-to-School Allowance and the Winter Clothing Allowance paid seasonally to all families receiving social assistance. The Ministry of Community and Social Services likely justified the elimination of the two special allowances by pointing to the slight increase in total monthly income for families on assistance (see the link "New social assistance rates..." below for rates before and after July 2008).

Many would argue that while setting aside a few dollars each month for a child's return to school or winter clothing needs sounds pretty reasonable, those few extra dollars in a welfare household are often re-assigned when an emergency occurs or when "there's still month left at the end of the money." Middle-class Canadians are occasionally tempted to dip into their savings for an extravagant purchase, but for Ontario's welfare households, the elimination of these two lump-sum seasonal allowances will, in many cases, mean a decision between enough food on the table now vs. a new pair of shoes for school in the fall, or a new snowsuit for a growing child.

These two allowances should be reinstated.

Related links:

* From the Ministry of Children and Youth Services:

Ontario Child Benefit

* From the Income Security Advocacy Centre:

Ontario Child Benefit
In July 2008, the provincial government will launch the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB). This will be a monthly payment to eligible low-income families who have dependent children under 18. Parents who get social assistance (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program) as well as those who are employed are eligible for the OCB.

New social assistance rates
for families effective July 2008 (PDF - 48K, 4 pages)

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)

----------------------
Related links : go to the Antipoverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
----------------------

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.

JobsNow and WCG International

On August 3/07, WCG International was sold to Providence Service Corporation of Arizona.
WCG International has a contract with the BC Government for back-to-work programs for people with disabilities in that province.
The company also has a contract with the Ontario Government (see the JobsNow link below).
This is disconcerting to me, because the bottom line in the corporate sector is always the profit margin first and the client's best interest second - and often a distant second. Simply put, governments that outsource human services to the private sector are shirking their responsibilities to their most disadvantaged citizens. Period.

As noted in the Times Colonist article below, for companies like Providence there's a financial interest in maintaining poverty and suffering, and that's just not right. Simply put, governments that outsource human services to the private sector are shirking their responsibilities to their most disadvantaged citizens. Period.

BC : Contracting social services a risky bet
Huge U.S. firm taking over back-to-work programs for the disabled
By Jody Paterson
September 21, 2007
For better or worse, the bulk of B.C.'s back-to-work programs for people with disabilities are now under the control of a large, aggressive American corporation. The ink is barely dry on the Aug. 3 agreement that saw the sale of the local company that has run the programs up until now -- WCG International -- to Arizona's Providence Service Corp. So it's much too soon to speculate whether clients will notice any difference, or to assume that it's automatically a bad thing when one more big U.S. company takes over yet another aspect of B.C.'s human services. But man, I get cold shivers down my spine when I think about how easily British Columbians are giving this stuff up, all of it without a whisper of public debate. Providence in particular is a heavy-duty acquisitor of government social-service contracts, and delighted to be gaining its first foothold in Canada.
Source:
Victoria Times Colonist

Related links:

WCG International
--- Tucson-based Providence Service Corp. expands to Canada (August 3, 2007 - small one-page PDF file) (Excerpt: "The $9.8 million purchase is expected to produce $25 million in revenue for Providence...")

Providence Service Corporation - "Human services without walls"
--- Workforce Development Services

From The Tyee (independent alternative daily newspaper):

Libs' Welfare-to-Jobs Program a Bust, Reveals Delayed Report
Loses $13 million, high failure rate and neediest not served.
August 11, 2005

Welfare Reform's Public-Private Partnerships
July 13, 2004
The Fraser Institute says they're a huge advance in social policy. Critics say work placement companies are growing rich but doing little.

From the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services:

JobsNow
The Ontario government launched JobsNow in April 2005. It’s an innovative pilot project to help people currently on Ontario Works find and keep sustainable jobs. The program is a partnership between the province, WCG International and municipal social services in six municipal areas: Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor, Nipissing, Peel and Durham.

October 24, 2005
Ontario Works Clients Get JobsNow

----------------------------------------

JobsNow Pilot Program Is Helping People Find And Keep Jobs:
More Than 2,000 Social Assistance Recipients Start On The Path To Financial Independence
News Release
April 21, 2006

Pilot Program Helping People Move Into The Workforce And Off Welfare
1,000 JobsNow Clients Are Back To Work
News Release
October 24, 2005
"OTTAWA – More than 1,000 social assistance clients are working right now thanks to the McGuinty government's innovative JobsNow pilot program, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today. Launched in April, JobsNow provides ongoing, personalized employment counselling, job placement and retention support to Ontario Works clients who have been on social assistance for more than 12 months. The program helps people find and keep real, sustainable, long-term employment so that they can stop working for welfare and start working for a living.

Related Links:

JobsNow Ontario
- from the website of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

JobsNow [separate website] "...is a two-year pilot project developed to assist referred Ontario Works participants find sustainable employment and achieve long-term financial independence. The JobsNow team assists participants every step of the way to overcome employment challenges and build the skills and confidence to grow in their jobs. JobsNow assists employers with the hiring process and acts as a network to help income assistance recipients connect with Ontario's hidden job market. Since the project launched in April 2005, JobsNow has helped over 1,400 people return to long term sustainable employment."

Incentive or a kick in the teeth?
July 20, 2005
By Carol Goar
"The Ontario government calls it 'an incentive to work and earn more.' Many welfare recipients call it a kick in the teeth. Beginning Aug. 1, people living on social assistance will lose 50 cents in benefits for every dollar they earn. There will be no exemptions, no progressive deductions and no time limit. Community and Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello announced the change in May, but most clients were unaware of it — or didn't want to think about it — until now. Reality hit when they got their July welfare cheque, which spelled out how the 50 per cent clawback would work. Under the old rules, a person could earn up to $143 a month ($249 for a couple and $275 for a single parent with one child) without any reduction in social assistance. It was one of the few breaks in an otherwise punitive system. Under the new regime, every cent a welfare recipient earns — by babysitting, telemarketing or doing odd jobs — will result in a smaller cheque.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Google Web Search Results : "JobsNow"
Google News search Results : "JobsNow"
Source:
Google.ca

----------

McGuinty Government Breaks Down Barriers To Help People Move From Welfare To Work
Better Health, Employment And Child Care Supports Part Of Province's Plan To Bridge People Into Permanent Employment
News Release
May 17, 2005
"TORONTO – The McGuinty government is helping Ontario Works clients get back into the workforce by overhauling Ontario's social assistance programs and providing new health, employment and child care supports, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today."
Four key measures:
- extending health benefits for up to six months (up to one year in exceptional cases) or until employer health benefits are available for people exiting social assistance for employment.
- a flat exemption rate of 50 per cent on earnings to provide a better incentive for Ontario Works clients to work and earn more.
- increasing the maximum deduction for informal child care costs from $390 to $600 per month to provide another child care option for working parents.
- Creating an employment benefit of up to $500 to help recipients who obtain full-time employment pay for job-related expenses like uniforms and transportation.

Backgrounder - Improving Ontario Works
May 17, 2005
- more detailed info on the changes

McGuinty Government Launches Innovative Pilot To Help People Leave Welfare For Work:
JobsNow Part Of Province's Plan To Restore Integrity To Social Assistance Programs
News Release
April 20, 2005
"TORONTO – The McGuinty government is launching an innovative pilot project that will help people move from working for welfare to working for a living, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today. JobsNow will provide ongoing, individualized employment counselling, job placement and retention support to help people find jobs so that they can leave welfare for good. 'Social assistance recipients are not statistics – they are real people who want to work. It's time our welfare programs worked, too,' said Pupatello. 'Our plan will get thousands of people into the workforce, and that's good for our clients, our economy and our taxpayers.'"

JobsNow Ontario
"JobsNow begins in April 2005 and continues to May 31, 2007, with a target of 12,000 participants referred to the JobsNow service."

JobsNow Backgrounder

Related Links:

WCG International
WCG International will run the JobsNow pilot in six pilot communities in cooperation with municipal Ontario Works offices.

JobWave (WCG International)
"JobWave™ is the most successful employment program in the history of British Columbia, continually bringing innovation to the field of job placement."

Ontario should put JobsNow money into municipal employment services, not private company, CUPE says
April 20, 2005
"TORONTO — The Ontario government should expand municipal and community-based employment services, not pay a private for-profit company to do the same work, says Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario President Sid Ryan."

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

------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------

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

------------------------------------------

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.”

------------------------------------------

$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.

------------------------------------------

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.

----------------------------------
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
----------------------------------

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 Integrity To Welfare System
News Release
December 15, 2004
"TORONTO – The McGuinty government is implementing its plan to transform Ontario’s social assistance programs and restore integrity to the welfare system, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today."

Backgrounders:
* New Measures Hold Defaulting Sponsors Accountable For Welfare Costs
* Improving Ontario's Social Assistance Programs


Source:
Ministry of Community and Social Services

-----------------------------------------
Related Links:
-----------------------------------------

Welfare changes reduce penalties : Education savings plans no longer will trigger cuts,
National child benefits still face clawbacks
December 16, 2004
"Welfare recipients will be able to keep more of their own money under changes to social assistance announced yesterday. Under one change, welfare recipients won't be penalized for having registered education savings plans or for education grants and bursaries given to them or their children. As well, parents won't be penalized for money their children save from part-time jobs. But the provincial government stopped short of allowing welfare recipients with children to keep the national child benefits they get. The benefits are clawed back by the government, despite a Liberal election promise to end the practice.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Ontario government revamps welfare <expired link>
December 15, 2004
TORONTO -- Ontario residents on social assistance will be allowed to keep registered savings for their children's education and won't have to count earnings from their children's jobs as income, the government announced Wednesday."
Source:
The National Post

Liberals offer lumps of coal with welfare reform, CUPE Ontario president says
December 15
TORONTO — The McGuinty government has offered social assistance recipients a few lumps of coal instead of spreading some Christmas joy by moving forward with real reform to help low-income Ontarians move out of poverty, says Sid Ryan, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario division.
Source:
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

Review of Employment Assistance Programs in Ontario Works &
Ontario Disability Support Program (PDF file - 167K, 48 pages)
December 2004
Deb Matthews
(from the Ministry of Community and Social Services)

Education plans safe under welfare change
Savings funds won't have to be liquidated
'It's a dumb rule,' minister says
October 7, 2004
"The Ontario government is scrapping a welfare rule requiring applicants to liquidate their education savings plans, Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello says. 'It's a dumb rule that works at cross-purposes to what welfare is suppose to be doing for people and their families ... that rule is going to be eliminated,' Pupatello told the Toronto Star yesterday, adding the change should happen before the end of the year."
Source:
The Toronto Star

Related:

Change in policy allows disadvantaged to save social assistance benefits
October 11, 2004
"We would like to take this opportunity to commend Sandra Pupatello and the government of Ontario for taking an important step to end the rule that disallows social assistance recipients from saving for their children's future while retaining their eligibility for benefits.

The whole point of social assistance is to help people to maintain themselves with dignity when they find themselves without resources, usually for a temporary period, and to move themselves out of a cycle of poverty. We fully understand that there have to be rules that limit eligibility to those who do not have alternative means to support themselves. However, we strongly agree with the government that denying eligibility to a parent who saves for a child's future simply perpetuates the very situation that such programs should be designed to prevent.

By making this policy change, Pupatello is also permitting parents in economically insecure situations to save with confidence and take advantage of the new Canada Learning Bond and the proposed enhancements to Canada Education Savings Grants through RESPs. They can now purchase tax advantaged savings vehicles like other Ontario parents and secure a brighter future for their children.

We acknowledge that in taking this step, the government is sending the important signal that federal and provincial policies must work together to respond to real need and the public good. We are hopeful that in taking a clear leadership role in this area, other jurisdictions that have yet to make this change will undertake parallel amendments to their regulations underscoring again the crucial role that Ontario can play in shaping positive social policy in Canada. Once again, we commend Ontario for making this change."

Susan Pigott, CEO, St. Christopher House
David Pecaut, Chair, Toronto City Summit Alliance

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."


Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

From the Ministry of Community and Social Services(MCSS):
NOTE: Accessibility Ontario moved to MCSS (from Ontario Citizenship and Immigration) in September 2005

Accessibility Ontario

Paths to Equal Opportunity
"The Government of Ontario presents the Gateway to Diversity and the Gateway to Accessibility with resources for business and service providers that will help them create inclusive workplaces and to remove the barriers which prevent full independence and opportunity for people with disabilities."

Links - to 1200+ organizations in Canada, the U.S. and around the world, mostly disability-related.

A-Z Index of resources --- thousands of online resources, organized by subject

Guide to Government of Ontario Programs and Services for People with Disabilities - 3rd edition (revised)

December 13, 2005
McGuinty Government Launches New Accessibility Council
News Release
"TORONTO — The McGuinty government’s commitment to accessibility is getting a big boost today with the appointment of CITY-TV veteran David Onley and community leader Tracy MacCharles to lead the province’s new Accessibility Standards Advisory Council, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today."

Frequently Asked Questions about the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005

---

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."

---

Google.ca News Search Results : "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act"
Google.ca Web Search Results : "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act"
Source:
Google.ca


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)
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

---

From the Government of Ontario:

Helping Families In Need:
McGuinty Government To Increase Ontario Child Benefit And Invest In Affordable Housing
March 20, 2009
Ontario is doing more to support low income families facing challenging economic times. The government is proposing to increase the Ontario Child Benefit this July, from $600 to a maximum of $1,100 per child per year. The Ontario Child Benefit helps 1.3 million children by giving moms and dads monthly support. Ontario is also planning to increase its investment in social and affordable housing to create short-term jobs in construction and renovation while improving the lives of people with low-incomes. Working with the federal government, Ontario would renovate 50,000 social housing units and build 4,500 new affordable housing units through a joint investment of $1.2 billion.
Source:
Newsroom - Ontario.ca

Ontario Child Benefit (OCB)*
The Ontario Child Benefit is financial support that low-income families can receive to help provide for their children. It’s also the centrepiece of Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. About 465,000 families with 960,000 children receive a monthly Ontario Child Benefit payment each month. That’s up to $50 per child each month, increasing to up to $67 per child each month as of July 2009.
*NOTE: as at March 22, the information on this page has not been updated to reflect the increase in the OCB that was announced March 20.
Source:
Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Ontario Child Benefit*
- from the government's poverty reduction website, includes a brief description of the OCB and three charts showing the impact of the OCB on family incomes.
*NOTE: as at March 22, the information on this page has not been updated to reflect the increase in the OCB that was announced March 20.
Source:
Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy

***********
Related links:
***********

Ontario doubles payout for low-income children
Child benefit increases to $1,100 yearly to ease the economic fallout
March 21, 2009
By Tanya Talaga
The Ontario child benefit available to low-income families will nearly double to $1,100 a year beginning in July, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday. The Liberals had planned on increasing the monthly child benefit by 2011 as part of their anti-poverty reduction strategy, but accelerated the payout to help families during the economic downturn, he told a news conference at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre. The government promised four months ago to reduce child poverty by 25 per cent in five years, but said that federal funding and a strong economy were required to reach the target. Anti-poverty advocates have been watching closely to see whether the Liberals, facing a projected $18 billion deficit over two years, will deliver. Yesterday's announcement increases the maximum child benefit to $92 from $50 per child, per month. About 465,000 families with a total of 960,000 children receive a monthly payment, with the maximum annual benefit currently $600. The maximum benefit is available to families earning less than $20,000 a year.
Source:
The Toronto Star

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Poverty investments a good first start: 25 in 5
March 20, 2009
Commitments made by Premier Dalton McGuinty today to invest in two important poverty reduction initiatives bode well for all Ontarians, says the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.
NOTE: the following links are copied from the above blog posting:
Media and community responses
to the Ontario Government announcement:
* Low-income Ontarians, and provincial economy get welcome boost from new investments - The Wellesley Institute
* Ontario budget to boost child benefit, social housing funds - CBC.ca
* Affordable housing to get $1.2B boost - Toronto Star
* Ont. speeds up increase in child benefit to July 1 - CTV.ca
* Municipalities Welcome $1.2 Billion Investment in Social Housing - Association of Municipalities of Ontario
Source:
25 in 5 Network
for Poverty Reduction

---

Ontario makes substantial
down payment on new provincial housing plan
March 20, 2009
By Michael Shapcott
Ontario has made a substantial down payment to meet the housing needs of tens of thousands of people who are precariously housed or homeless. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and housing minister Jim Watson have announced plans today to invest $624.5 million over the next two years in affordable housing initiatives. When combined with matching federal dollars, it amounts to more than $1.2 billion. (...) Today’s provincial housing announcement meets the first priority set out by the Wellesley Institute in our 2009 budget recommendations to the Government of Ontario, which was to fully match federal affordable housing dollars. But provincial housing investments still lag behind the deep and persistent need across the province, and Ontario is lagging behind provides such as Alberta [see below] in making commitments for urgently needed new housing investments.
Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog
[ Wellesley Institute ]

---

For related links, go to the Canadian Social Research Links Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

---

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.

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

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: Elementary Teachers Applaud Government Focus on Education
- Community Living Ontario: McGuinty Government's Commitment to Developmental Services Encouraging
- Ontario Association of Food Banks: OAFB welcomes first step on a long journey to reduce poverty in Ontario
- United Ways of Ontario: Budget Addresses Needs of Vulnerable Ontarians
Source:
DAWN-Ontario

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"Ontario provincial budget 2007, analysis"
Web search results page
News search results page
Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

.

Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs
HOME PAGE

.

Ministry of Education
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
HOME PAGE
Publications

What's New

.

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
HOME PAGE
Site Map - All on one page, including links to what's new, programs and services, publications, contacts and links to related sites

.

Attorney-General 
HOME PAGE

Report of the Legal Aid Review 2008
July 2008 (PDF file date)
Complete report:
PDF version - 780K, 206 pages
HTML version - includes an expanded table of contents and links to individual sections of the report

Executive Summary (HTML)
Recommendations (key themes):
* management of the legal aid system cannot be approached in isolation from the broader justice system
* financial eligibility criteria need to be significantly raised to a more realistic level that bears some relationship to the actual circumstances of those in need.
* some range of legal aid services should be provided to all Ontario citizens on a non-means-tested basis
* LAO needs a strategic focus on mechanisms for facilitating greater integration in the delivery of legal aid services, minimizing the attachment of particular legal aid services to particular classes of institutions or classes of problems, and enhancing single entry point or one-stop shopping approaches to the need for legal aid services.
* LAO must be much more aggressive and enterprising in experimenting with innovative forms of service delivery
* the legal aid tariff needs to be significantly raised in the immediate future, along with salaries for staff lawyers in the clinic and duty counsel systems
* most of the objectives cannot be fully realized without a substantial infusion of additional financial resources.
Source:
Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General

Related link:

Legal Aid Ontario
In 1998, the Ontario government enacted the Legal Aid Services Act in which the province renewed and strengthened its commitment to legal aid. The Act established Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), an independent but publicly funded and publicly accountable non-profit corporation, to administer the province’s legal aid program. LAO’s mandate in the Legal Aid Services Act, 1998 is to “promote access to justice throughout Ontario for low-income individuals by means of providing consistently high quality legal aid services in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”

 

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Ombudsman Ontario

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Ministry of Labour 
HOME PAGE
News Releases

Minimum Wage goes up Monday (March 31)
A Better Standard Of Living For Hard Working Families
 News Release
March 28, 2008
When minimum wage earners in Ontario go to work Monday, they will be getting a raise.
Ontario is raising the minimum wage to $8.75 on March 31, 2008. This is the fifth increase since 2004.

Ontario's Minimum Wage Increases 2007 to 2010
- two more increases to get it up to $10.25 per hour by March 31, 2010

Ontario Minimum Wage Fact Sheet
- excellent info about the minimum wage in Ontario in a question-and-answer format

Ontario Employment Standards

Minimum Wage - Frequently-Asked Questions
Source:
WorkSmartOntario
"... the official website of the Ontario Ministry of Labour
for young workers and new workers."

Related links:

Minimum wage scare
Editorial
April 1, 2008
Some social activists are calling it "recession spook" – the talk of a looming economic downturn and the subsequent need to rein in the province's anti-poverty agenda. In that vein, some economists have warned that yesterday's 75-cent increase in the minimum wage to $8.75 an hour will lead to job losses. But the evidence for that is inconclusive, at best.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Hourly Minimum Wages by Province/Territory for Adult Workers, 2005 to 2014
NOTE: All Canadian jurisdictions are increasing their minimum wage levels in 2008, most in April or May.
Given the limited resources available in a one-person operation like Canadian Social Research Links, minimum wages aren't covered in this site as well as they could be (except in my own province, of course...); click the link above to see when and by how much the minimum wage level is increasing in all provinces and territories, from 2005 to 2014.
Source:
Labour Program of Human Resources and Social Development Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Minimum wage (International)
This resource is worth viewing --- it contains information on minimum wages in 17 countries (including Canada), along with some objective information on the debate over consequences of minimum wage laws, costs and benefits of minimum wage legislation, recent trends in the U.S., policy alternatives to the minimum wage and much more.
TIP: See "References" and "External Links" (at the bottom of the table of contents) for links to dozens and dozens of free online resources!

Ontario Government Raises Minimum Wage
Increase Helps Lowest-Paid And Most Vulnerable Workers
News Release
January 3, 2007
TORONTO — The Ontario government is raising the minimum wage on February 1, 2007, for the fourth time since taking office, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.
“We are providing Ontario’s lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers with the fourth increase in the minimum wage in four years,” said Peters. “It is to Ontario’s economic advantage to see that our workers are paid a fair wage.” The general minimum wage will be raised to $8.00 per hour on February 1, 2007.

Backgrounder
- incl. current and historical minimum wage levels for specific job categories going back to 1995 under the former Tory government

Source:
Ontario Ministry of Labour

Also from the same Ministry:

Ontario Employment Standards

Minimum Wage - Frequently-Asked Questions
Source:
WorkSmartOntario
"... the official website of the Ontario Ministry of Labour
for young workers and new workers."

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Minimum wage (International)
This resource is worth viewing --- it contains information on minimum wages in 17 countries (including Canada), along with some objective information on the debate over consequences of minimum wage laws, costs and benefits of minimum wage legislation, recent trends in the U.S., policy alternatives to the minimum wage and much more.
TIP: See "References" and "External Links" (at the bottom of the table of contents) for links to dozens and dozens of free online resources!

Google Web Search Results:
"Ontario, minimum wage"
Google News Search Results:
"Ontario, minimum wage"
Google Blog Search Results
"Ontario, minimum wage"
Source:
Google.ca

Ontario Government Raises Minimum Wage
Increase Helps Lowest Paid And Most Vulnerable Workers
News release
January 11, 2006
"TORONTO--The Ontario government is raising the minimum wage on February 1, 2006, for the third time since taking office, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.'We are providing Ontario’s lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers with the third increase in the minimum wage in three years,' said Peters. 'It is to Ontario’s economic advantage to see that our workers are paid a fair wage.' The general minimum wage will be raised to $7.75 per hour on February 1, 2006, and there will be a further increase to $8 per hour on February 1, 2007."
Source:
Ontario Ministry of Labour

.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH)
HOME PAGE

Province Eases Financial Pressures on Municipalities and Property Taxpayers
Provincial and municipal partners reach agreement
News Release
October 31, 2008
The McGuinty government is moving to upload all social assistance benefits and court security costs from municipalities, as stated in an agreement announced today by the Province of Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto.

Complete report:

Report of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal
and Service Delivery Review - Facing the Future Together (PDF - 1.6MB, 64 pages)
Fall 2008

Uploading Ontario Works
- this fact sheet (one of several backgrounders and related documents found on the Fiscal and Service Delivery website) provides a brief description of the current provincial-municipal funding arrangement for welfare in Ontario and a 10-year timeline for the gradual uploading of 100% of welfare costs to the provincial government.

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Some contextual information:
* Ontario is the only Canadian province that still requires a direct municipal government contribution towards the cost of providing welfare (known as the Ontario Works Program or OW) to the able-bodied needy population residing within their municipal boundaries. Municipalities pay 20% of the total OW bill on their territory.
* Last-resort financial assistance for people with disabilities is provided under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Municipalities also pay 20% of the total ODSP bill on their territory.
* The Ontario Government has already announced that the cost of ODSP will be gradually be transferred to the provincial government between 2009 and 2011.
-----

Source:
Provincial Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review
[ Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing ]

Related links:

Hefty housing costs stay local in "good news / bad news" provincial funding deal
October 31, 2008
By Michael Shapcott
Good news: The Ontario government, along with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the City of Toronto, jointly announced earlier today a plan to upload the costs of several provincial income assistance programs back to the provincial level over the next decade. This will give municipalities some significant fiscal breathing room – as it takes the cost of this income-distributive program off the municipal tax base and returns it to the provincial tax base, where it belongs. The timing is good as the demand for income assistance programs may well increase with the current economic crisis. Bad news: The cost of the provincial social housing program – which was downloaded to municipalities under the former Harris government starting in 1998 – remains at the local level.
Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog
[ The Wellesley Institute ]
The Wellesley Institute advances the social determinants of health through community-based research , community engagement , and the informing of public policy.

Uploading move good but slow
November 1, 2008
It won't happen as quickly as urban advocates would like, but a newly announced deal between Ontario and its hard-pressed municipalities goes a considerable way toward lifting a historic burden from them. In the deal announced yesterday, the province has agreed to "upload" the cost of all welfare benefits from municipalities (which now pay 20 per cent of the cost) by 2018. An important principle is thus underlined – income support programs are best paid through the income and sales taxes, not through property taxes. Collectively, Ontario's municipalities stand to save more than $400 million yearly from this shift.
Source:
The Toronto Star

Ontario Throne Speech
November 29, 2007
Source:
Premier of Ontario

Related link:

Ontario Throne Speech and housing
November 30, 2007
By Michael Shapcott
The Ontario government opened the current session of the provincial Legislature on Thursday, November 29, with a promise to “begin work” on “reducing child poverty” by developing a poverty reduction strategy that would include “more affordable housing”. This promise needs to be matched with funding and programs before it will have any impact on actually reducing poverty in Ontario.
Source:
The Wellesley Institute Blog
[ The Wellesley Institute ]

Residential Tenancies Act
The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) takes effect January 31, 2007. On June 22, 2006, the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) received Royal Assent. This act, once it is proclaimed by the government, on January 31, 2007, will replace the Tenant Protection Act, 1997 (TPA). The new legislation will give tenants more protection while keeping Ontario’s rental housing market strong. Our aim is to create a rental housing system that protects tenants, helps landlords and promotes investment in Ontario’s rental housing market.

Highlights of the new legislation

Residential Tenancies Act Takes Effect
News Release
January 31, 2007

Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
Backgrounder
January 31, 2007

Affordable Housing
Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program

Housing Research Reports

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Related links:

City of Toronto - includes a link to the same release and backgrounder as you'll find on the CHMC and MAH sites above - PLUS a link to the Memorandum of Understanding (small PDF file) signed by partners CMHC, MAH, Ontario municipalities (as represented by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario) and the City of Toronto, in the implementation of the Agreement.

Allocation announcement starts the ball rolling on new Affordable Housing Program
August 31, 2005
Source:
Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association

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From the The Toronto Star:

Needy families to get help with rent
News Release
April 29, 2005
"Ontario is getting back into the affordable housing business today with the announcement of a $602 million provincial-federal deal. Sources say the $602 million, which will start flowing this fall, will build 15,000 affordable housing units and provide rent supplements to 5,000 needy families across Ontario. There are about 150,000 Ontario families awaiting affordable housing. In Toronto alone, there are 63,000 families on the waiting list."

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Google.ca News Search Results : "Canada, Ontario, affordable housing agreement"
Google.ca Web Search Results : "Canada, Ontario, affordable housing agreement"
Source:
Google.ca

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Residential Tenancies Act Consultation (2004-2005)

Landlord and Tenant Board

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Management Board Secretariat
HOME PAGE
News Releases, Minister's Statements, Speeches
What's New

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Education Quality and Accountability Office 
HOME PAGE

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Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC)
HOME PAGE

The Ontario Human Rights Code
HTML

Publications - links to annual reports andConsultation and Discussion documents covering a variety of topics related to human rights

More OHRC housing resources - incl. backgrounders, consultation paper, background paper and more...

Sample site content:

Commission launches report calling for collective housing strategy
News Release
July 8, 2008
Toronto - Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall and the Ontario Human Rights Commission today launched “Right at home: Report on the consultation on human rights and rental housing in Ontario.” This report, which follows a year of public sessions, meetings and submissions involving hundreds of individuals and organizations across the province, focuses on housing as a human right, and sets out a framework for collective action to identify, remove and prevent discrimination in rental housing.
* includes links to five backgrounders

RIGHT AT HOME : Report on the
consultation on human rights and rental housing in Ontario (PDF - 460K, 107 pages)
Approved by the Commission: May 28, 2008

Commission Launches Consultation on Human Rights in Rental Housing
News Release
May 9, 2007
Toronto - Today the Ontario Human Rights Commission released a background document and consultation paper on human rights in rental housing. Public meetings begin this June in Sudbury, Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto to hear people’s stories and bring much needed attention and action to this fundamental issue.
* Background Paper
* Consultation Paper
* Invitation Letter
* Public Meetings
[ Aussi disponible en français ]

The Commission's public meetings will take place as follows:
June 13: Sudbury
June 14 : Toronto
June 25 : Ottawa
June 27 : Kitchener-Waterloo
June 28 : Toronto

Commission Defines Connection Between Human Rights and Family Relationships
May 2, 2007
Toronto - Today the Ontario Human Rights Commission released the results of its groundbreaking initiative on discrimination based on family status. “Ontario is proud to be the first jurisdiction to examine the human rights implications of barriers faced by families who are caring for children, aging parents or relatives, and family members with disabilities”, said Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner. The Cost of Caring: Report on the Consultation on Discrimination on the Basis of Family Status and the Policy and Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Family Status highlight the results of the Commission’s public consultation on family status, and provide employers, landlords and service providers with guidance on rights and responsibilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”).

The Cost of Caring: Report on the Consultation on Discrimination on the Basis of Family Status

Policy and Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Family Status
- Table of Contents

Fact Sheets - links to 35 fact sheets on a variety of topics under the theme of human rights, such as discrimination based on age, race or disability, accommodation of people with disabilities, mandatory retirement, etc.

Sample publications:

Pivotal Time for Human Rights, Ontario Human Rights Chief Commissioner Reports
News Release
June 29, 2006
Toronto – On releasing the Commission’s 2005-2006 Annual Report today at Queen’s Park, Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall commented that, “This is a pivotal time for human rights in our province.” The Chief Commissioner highlighted a number of issues where progress is being made as well as areas where more work needs to be done to protect and promote human rights for the people of Ontario:
* the Ending Mandatory Retirement Statute Law Amendment Act
* removing barriers for persons with disabilities
* the rise of Islamophobia
"(...) While we welcome the opportunity for reform, the Commission shares many of the concerns expressed regarding Bill 107 – an Act that would significantly amend Ontario’s Human Rights Code – and is working hard with communities and government to ensure that the Bill meets accepted international principles for human rights institutions."

Ontario Human Rights Commission
Annual Report 2005-2006
June, 2006

Human Rights Commissions and Economic and Social Rights
January 2002
Research Paper
HTML | PDF (170K, 44 pages)

Guide to the Human Rights Code
July 2000
PDF (134K, 63 pages)

Policy on Drug and Alcohol Testing
September 2000
HTML | PDF (43K, 19 pages)

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Provincial Auditor 
HOME PAGE
Index of Reports by year and by topic

2006 Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
- includes chapters on Children's Aid Societies, the Child Welfare Services Program, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP - see below), Community-based Services and much more...

Ontario Disability Support Program (PDF file - 154K, 6 pages)
(Section 4.03 of the 2006 report)
Here's an excerpt (with bolding added by me) from section 4.03:
"To help enable the Ministry to efficiently and effectively administer the Ontario Disability Support Program, the Ministry should:
• develop and produce accurate and useful performance and operational reports;
• provide recipients with more complete information; and
• correct known system deficiencies on a more timely basis."
[*Comment re. the MCSS annual reports: I hardly think that an eight-page report covering two years is either accurate, useful or complete...]

NOTE: The ODSP section of the 2006 report is a followup to The ODSP section of the 2004 Annual Report (PDF file - 187K)

Also from the 2004 report:

Ontario Works Program: Follow-up (PDF file - 70K, 9 pages)
NOTE : the Ontario Works section of the 2004 is a followup to the Ontario Works section of the 2002 Auditor's report (PDF file - 196K)

Links to all Ontario Auditor reports - all on one page, reports back to 1997

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Legislative Assembly
HOME PAGE (frames only) - includes members, documents, hansard, services, info and library 
e-Laws - consolidated laws and regulations of Ontario

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Citizenship and Immigration
HOME PAGE

Women's Directorate
HOME PAGE
The Ontario Women's Directorate (OWD) provides focus for government action on issues of concern to women. A division of the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, the OWD has two key areas of activity: preventing violence against women and promoting women's economic independence.

Resources
- incl. links to : * Public Education Resources * Significant Dates * Training Resources * Facts and Statistics * Gallery of Greats * Career Development Resources * Publications

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Ministry of Culture
HOME PAGE

Seniors' Secretariat
HOME PAGE

Resources for Seniors

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Accenture Canada - formerly Andersen Consulting
In January 1997, the Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services entered into an agreement with Andersen Consulting for the development and implementation of the business processes and technologies inherent in the new social assistance system that is to be put in place through the Business Transformation Project

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2004 Annual Report of the Office of the Provincial Auditor of Ontario
[NOTE: click the link above to access any of the report sections below; I've hyperlinked only the Ontario welfare-related links below.]
Chapter One: Overview and Value-for-money Audit Summaries pdf (108kb)
Chapter Two: Towards Better Accountability pdf (70kb)
Chapter Three: Reports on Value-for-money (VFM) Audits
Introduction pdf (26kb)
Attorney General: Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee
Centre for Leadership and Human Resource Management : Human Resource Renewal
Community and Social Services: Ontario Disability Support Program pdf (187kb)
Environment: Air Quality Program - Groundwater Program
Finance: Land Transfer Tax Program
Health and Long-Term Care: Community-based Services - Independent Health Facilities
Labour: Employment Rights and Responsibilities Program - Occupational Health and Safety Program
Management Board Secretariat: Purchasing Cards - Travel and Other Related Expenditures
Ontario Media Development Corporation and Ministries of Culture and Finance: Media Tax Credits
Transportation: Maintenance of the Provincial Highway System
Chapter Four: Follow-up of Recommendations in the 2002 Annual Report
Introduction
Ontario Works Program pdf (70kb)

NOTE: this section of the Annual Report includes further observations concerning the Business Transformation Project (Ontario's not-so-excellent Accenture adventure), for example:
"The intent of the Common Purpose Procurement agreement was for the Ministry to work closely with the selected private-sector vendor to develop and implement new ways of delivering services and, in so doing, share the investment in and risks and rewards of the project. However, we concluded that the Ministry did not meet this objective, in that it accepted most if not all of the risk for the Business Transformation Project while Accenture received a disproportionate amount of the rewards."

Source:
Office of the Provincial Auditor of Ontario

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Accenture IT System Under Fire in Ontario:
Upgrade needed to calculate welfare benefit changes; inquiry sought into deal with vendor
August 2, 2004
"Questions about the cost, stability and usability of a controversial $213.8 million welfare payments system being used in Ontario continue to plague IT services firm Accenture Ltd., which developed the system for the province's Ministry of Community and Social Services. In the most recent development, an Ontario legislator is calling on the province's attorney general to open a formal inquiry into the contract with Accenture, including an investigation of whether the province did sufficient due diligence before awarding it and whether there were any improprieties during the bidding process. Accenture is currently billing the province nearly $1 million (U.S.) to tweak the mainframe-based system so it can calculate a 3% across-the-board increase for welfare recipients. The upgrade is expected to eventually cost the province a total of $7.5 million, which includes the coding work and the creation of a specialized testing system, according to a spokeswoman for the social services ministry."
Source:
Computerworld

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The Accenture-Tory computer welfare scandal continues:
Contracting out scandal left behind by Ontario's Mike Harris government
July 15, 2004
"Toronto - An Ontario government internal assessment says the controversial computerized welfare system set up for the former Harris government by Accenture, formerly Anderson Consulting, was shut down for 16 days last year, costing taxpayers $2.4 million in wages. The former Conservative government signed a controversial $180 million contract with the consulting firm in 1997 and the system was finally completed in January, 2002. Accenture was eventually paid $284 million. The Harris administration then signed another $32 million contract with the outfit to operate and maintain the system."
[NOTE: if you scroll to the bottom of this NUPGE article, you'll find links to six more articles about Andersen Consulting and welfare in Ontario.]
Source:
National Union of public and General Employees (NUPGE)

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Google.ca News Search : "Accenture, Welfare, Ontario"
Google.ca Web Search : "Accenture, Welfare, Ontario"
Source:
Google.ca

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Accenture Canada defends welfare system, says it can calculate 3% hike
July 12, 2004
"TORONTO (CP) -- The computer system that calculates welfare and disability payments for Ontarians is well-equipped to make changes, the chairman of Accenture Canada said Monday in defending a delay in payment hikes.
"The statement out there that the system can't make changes is incorrect, and I flatly rejected that statement -- it can," David Seibel said of the computer system his company built for Ontario's Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Source:
Canoe Canada
NOTE: As at July 19, clicking on this link pops up an error message. If you go to the Canoe home page and do a site search on the word "Accenture", you'll end up with the exact same article header and link - and that link is also dead.

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Fie on you, Mr. Baird, for disability mess
by Helen Henderson
Jul. 10, 2004.
"So John Baird thinks it's "laughable" to point the finger at him or the former Conservative government for the $500 million computer boondoggle that has stalled a long-awaited raise in support payments for people with disabilities. Deny. Deny. Deny. At least the man stays in character."
Source:
The Toronto Star

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$20M to fix welfare pay delay
Glitch in welfare computer program has Liberals, Tories playing blame game
670,000 people in Ontario must wait...
July 7, 2004
"It could cost another $20 million to fix the Queen's Park computer problem that has Liberals and Tories pointing the finger of blame at each other. More than 670,000 people on welfare and disability assistance will have to wait weeks for a 3 per cent increase because the government's $500 million computer system cannot yet calculate the increase, slated to go into effect July 1."
Source:
The Toronto Star
NOTE: in this article, Janet Ecker, the former Conservative Minister who was responsible for welfare in Ontario from 1996 to 1999, says she was surprised that the Ontario Liberals were "blaming the technology" for the delay in a welfare increase "because there is always a lag between the announcement of a rate hike and it actually taking effect."
Like she'd even remember --- the last time welfare rates were actually "hiked" in Ontario was two years before the Ontario Conservative Party won the 1995 provincial election. In October of 1995, the Tories slashed Ontario welfare rates by 21.6% for everyone except people with disabilities. Technically, she's correct --- unless the announcement of a rate hike is made at exactly the same time as the hike itself, there is a lag. In the real world, though, and based on my 25 years as welfare information specialist with the federal government, I can say that governments, Ontario's included, have always announced welfare rate increases a few weeks to a month before their implementation.
[Gilles Seguin]

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Provinces strive to avoid Ontario-style welfare glitch
July 7, 2004
"As Accenture works to correct a $20-million problem, we check in with other parts of the country to find out how they're evolving their disbursement systems. The secret may be in the mainframe."
Source:
ITBusiness.ca

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Accenture Receives Gold Award for Successful Public-Private Partnership
Media Release
November 25, 2003
"Toronto - Accenture was presented with the Gold Award for Service Delivery by the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships at an awards ceremony last night in Toronto. The award was given in recognition of Accenture's work on the Business Transformation Project for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS)."

Case Study: Ministry of Community and Social Services
Two-page summary of the Business Transformation Project - "a comprehensive examination and redesign of social assistance programs aimed at improving services, reducing caseloads and operating more cost-effectively" - from start to finish.
...
"The Results:
The public-private partnership between the Ministry and Accenture has resulted in improved client service, increased program integrity, and substantial savings for taxpayers. When the program was completed in January 2002, the redesigned system had generated an estimated $301.9 million in net savings, representing a net return of 143% for the Ontario government. To date, the program has generated $692 million in savings. In fact, now that the project is complete it is expected to generate an estimated $200 million in annual savings for the province, municipalities, and taxpayers." [Excerpt from the Case Study page]

Business Transformation: Delivery Management
Systems in Human Service from Accenture

Client Perspective on Business Transformation Project:
Transforming Ontario's Social Assistance Delivery system (PDF file - 340K, 3 pages)
February 2002
Source:
Canadian Government Executive Magazine

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Boldly Going Where No Law Has Gone Before:
Call Centres, Intake Scripts, Database Fields and Discretionary Justice in Social Welfare
MS Word file - 250K, 58 pages
[ HTML Version by Google.ca]
October 2003
Lorne Sossin [Faculty of Law, University of Toronto]
Detailed presentation of Ontario's welfare system administration since the mid-1990s - the Welfare Service Delivery Model, the Business Transformation Project (Accenture), the Consolidated Verification Process, and much more - also includes information about welfare administration in the U.S. since the implementation in July 1997 of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- special focus on caselaw related to welfare administration in Ontario and the U.S.

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Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

ACCENTURE: A snapshot of cost overruns job loss and dissatisfaction
June 24, 2003
"Accenture has more than 75,000 employees based in more than 110 offices in 47 countries delivering a wide range of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. (...) Accenture is the new name for Andersen Consulting, (...) major provider of management and technology consulting. Outsourcing for government includes computer systems design and network creation and management. Accenture's history of public services outsourcing, and privatization of major parts of service delivery under a certain time period, has often been very problematic. There have been problems in many state governments in the USA and the Province of Ontario."

.....................................................................................................................................

Ontario Works (PDF file - 195K, 39 pages)
"The Ministry paid Accenture $246 million to March 2002, which was significantly more than the original $180-million payment cap. In our view, the basis for these payments continues to be questionable because:
- savings attributed to the Business Transformation Project and hence to Accenture were exaggerated; and
- contrary to the recommendations of the Provincial Auditor and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to minimize out-of-cap expenditures, the Ministry paid Accenture $66 million outside the original $180-million payment cap. Of that amount, $22.2 million related to work that the Ministry had agreed to do in January 2001 and later but was unable to perform.
The new service-delivery system did not adequately support the administration of Ontario Works because of numerous unresolved systems defects. Business Transformation Project staff considered many of these defects to be emergency or high-priority items in need of repair."
Source:
2002 Annual Report of the Provincial Auditor
December 2002
Provincial Auditor of Ontario

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Business Transformation Project/Common Purpose Procurement (2000 report - Office of the Provincial Auditor)

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1998 Report of the Provincial Auditor of Ontario - See section 3.01 --- Business Transformation Project 
Source : Audit Reports on Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services (Office of the Provincial Auditor) 

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Value-Based Procurement by the Ontario Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services (PDF file - 18 pages, 61K)
August 1999 
- Go to Appendix B in this report to find the Ontario information
Source : National Governors' Association (US) 

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Discouraged, Diverted and Disentitled
Ontario Works New Service Delivery Model (PDF file - 1.9MB, 43 pages)
Dean Herd and Andrew Mitchell
Workfare Watch Project
Posted March 2003
A project of the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and the Ontario Social Safety Network
"The new Service Delivery Model for social assistance, the key element of the Business Transformation Project (BTP) [involving Andersen Consulting/Accenture], has been fully operational across the Province since January 2002. (...) The report has two main aims: to describe the key features of this new service delivery model and to highlight some of its early impacts. It does so in a qualitative manner, evaluating the new SDM through the experiences and perspectives of Ontario Works recipients, those encountering the new system on a daily basis. The report is based on 7 focus groups that took place in Brampton, London, Peterborough, Sault St Marie, Scarborough, St. Catharines and Toronto in mid 2001."
Source : Community Social Planning Council of Toronto

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GATS/WTO Pusher Profile: ACCENTURE (PDF file)
"Identifying Characteristics: Big business consultants who are big-time privatization pushers of government services, especially social services. Makes lots of money replacing people’s jobs with machines, love to slash welfare benefits, and pillage public health care and education funds."
Source :
Corporate Campaigns (links to 19 more GATS/WTO pusher profiles)
"Corporations pushing the World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services Agenda"
[Polaris Institute]

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From Workfare Watch:

Andersen and the Auditor (Press Release) - November 28, 1998
Andersen and the Auditor (Backgrounder) -  November 28, 1998 - Review of and commentary about the Ontario Auditor's report on the government's hiring of Andersen Consulting in the context of provincial welfare reforms

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Andersen Consulting Exposed (PDF file - 360K, 9 pages)
April 2000
"Andersen Consulting is a huge US-based job-slasher and consultant on privatization. Their revenues in 1999 were $16.3 billion, much of it earned at the expense of public employees and the poor around the world. Andersen Consulting has made its biggest bucks by providing governments with the 'professional services' to help them privatize and contract out as well as slash jobs and replace staff with automated phone systems. This publication exposes Andersen Consulting and provides insight into the following questions: What are Andersen Consulting's favourite ways to profit from welfare reform? What is at stake for Canadians? What's wrong with the sweetheart deal signed between the Ontario government and Andersen Consulting and why was that deal slammed by the Ontario Auditor General in a recent report? Finally, this publication reveals Andersen Consulting's Top 10 major screw-ups around the world."
Source : National Union of Public and General Employees

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List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the third periodic report of Canada : United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (June 10, 1998) 
Ontario Government Response to the U.N. List of Issues - November 1998 
This report contains a wealth of information about welfare reforms in Ontario in recent years

Ontario Municipalities - from munisource

Media


Yahoo Canada List of Ontario Newspapers


 Go to Ontario Municipal Government and Non-Governmental Organization Links

CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH LINKS HOME PAGE
 PAGE D'ACCUEIL - SITES DE RECHERCHE SOCIALE AU CANADA
Google
Search the Web Search Canadian Social Research Links Only
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

 

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