In 2016, the Government of Ontario established three working groups to help guide its thinking around tackling poverty: the Income Security Reform Working Group, the First Nations Income Security Reform Working Group, and the Urban Indigenous Table on Income Security Reform. The Working Groups released their report, Income Security: a Roadmap for Change, this fall – at a time when nearly two million Ontarians are living in poverty.
The report of the Working Groups is unprecedented in its recognition of the failure of the current system to address poverty, and in its call for a complete overhaul of the system. The report’s 10-year plan to reform and expand the income security system calls for incremental changes, including a 22 per cent increase in social assistance rates over three years; a new housing benefit to begin in 2019; and expanded health benefits for all low-income Ontarians, starting with prescription drug coverage in 2020.
OPSEU supports the progressive principles and vision outlined in the report. The strength of the proposed new framework lies in its multi-pronged approach, which recognizes systemic barriers, such as discrimination, racism, and inequality, and seeks to reform “the whole income security system.”
OPSEUs position recommends:
1. That the province establish a more immediate timeline to significantly increase OW and ODSP rates to bring them up to the Low-Income Measure (based on the most recent income distribution rates).
2. That the province establish a more immediate timeline to extend core health benefits to all recipients of income support.
3. That the province and the municipalities hire more workers and set new, significantly lower caseload thresholds for OW/ODSP workers to support the new service requirements to provide a person-centered, case-management approach focused on building positive relationships.
4. That, to support new service delivery practices, the Ministry Employee Relations Committee of the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) should include OPSEU member representatives from the OW program when the new service delivery practices are being discussed. This would help to:
- facilitate the transitions involved in supporting the workforce to adjust to new job requirements;
- provide input into a new program of mandatory professional development;
- involve worker representatives in collaboration with their union in creating and testing new pilot assessment tools;
- review and provide input to the implementation of new quality standards tied to performance; and
- troubleshoot issues arising in the process of facilitating a joint culture change.
5. That the province recommend that the federal government create a national, universal child care program and universal, free access to post-secondary education.
6. That the money proposed by the Working Group to be spent on the portable housing benefit be spent instead on expanding the province’s affordable housing stock and strengthening the Ontario Rental Fairness Act, 2017.
7. That the third-party body established to review and assess progress include a formal consultation process with unions involved in the delivery of social assistance in particular and social services generally.
