Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

466
CHART 20.9 Employment Insurance Coverage, September 2011
Per Cent
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Excluding Ontario, the average
coverage rate for other
provinces is 50.5 per cent.
NL PE NS NB QC ON MB SK AB BC
Note: EI coverage rate refers to EI regular beneficiaries as a per cent of unemployed persons. Some EI regular
beneficiaries are not accounted for in Statistics Canada’s definition of unemployed persons, which results in EI coverage
rates exceeding 100 per cent in Newfoundland. EI Part II is not included.
Source: Statistics Canada.
Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities
Individuals with severe disabilities face significant barriers to participating in the labour
force, gaining employment and earning a decent wage (see Chart 20.10). Those with severe
disabilities are half as likely as those without disabilities to participate in the labour force.
Those who are active in the labour force are twice as likely to be unemployed, and earn over
40 per cent less if they can find a job. As described by the Caledon Institute, people with
severe disabilities “have a tenuous relationship to the labour force.” 12
12 Michael Mendelson, Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Ernie Lightman, “A Basic Income Plan for Canadians with Severe Disabilities,”
November 2010, Caledon Institute of Social Policy.