Our Call to Action advocates for:
- Minimize claw back on income supports from other jurisdictions and reinvest any revenues from remaining claw backs into income supports for vulnerable people
- Set rates for all income supports at levels that provide livable incomes for recipients
- Address the breakdowns and backlogs in the Social Benefits Tribunal so everyone has access to a fair hearing
- Review the changes to social assistance administration to ensure that everyone has access to appropriate supports from case workers, and no one is shut out by digital access issues
The Province is engaged in a significant transformation of the entire social assistance system.
They have outlined their plans here
The change, in essence, reallocates the roles in social assistance by:
- Putting the province in charge of all applications making that system more centralized as well as shifting to an online model
- Putting the “Service Managers” (mostly municipal governments) in charge of “life stabilization” programs including access to supports and services like housing, childcare, etc.
- Moving all employment programs to a third provider that has not yet been decided but could be municipal governments or private companies.
The reforms do not address social assistance rates which continue to be far, far below the poverty line (as much as 60% below in many cases)
For a review of the changes click here to read Open Policy’s analysis.
You can read media reports about concerns relating to the plan here
Click here if your community wants to be informed or engaged on this issue.