Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Benefit programs are delivered through various service providers under different funding
arrangements. Social assistance is delivered by the province, municipalities and First Nations,
but mainly funded by the province. And the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) is funded by the
province, but administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. A lack of co-ordination has
created gaps, duplication and higher delivery costs, so those in need must navigate a complex
array of access points. Program eligibility criteria also vary. Many programs are income-tested;
others are universal; still others determine eligibility based on a client’s specific needs.
This can create unintended inequities and barriers to employment.
There is scope to do better: income testing can be centralized and income verification can
be automated; processing applications, eligibility assessment and payment can also be
automated; and eligibility criteria can be standardized across similar programs to reduce
barriers to employment.
Some positive steps have been taken to simplify access to income-tested programs.
The Ontario Benefits Directory now provides one-stop information on over 40 programs and
tax credits. Similarly, there is a new single-window access to developmental services and
supports. These must be just the beginning.
More effective programs and lower costs can flow from a fully integrated system that improves
both delivery and administration; this should ensure strong support for clients most in need.
Pursuing such a model means that data collection (with full protection of personal information
and privacy) must improve. Measuring client outcomes is needed to evaluate program
effectiveness and to understand how programs interact.
Social Assistance: We approached social assistance differently than other programs
because the <strong>Commission</strong> for the Review of Social Assistance (SAR <strong>Commission</strong>) under
Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh is already studying these programs. The SAR <strong>Commission</strong>
will report later this year, well after our work is done. Yet because social assistance affects
the province’s finances, we too must propose recommendations. We have focused on
applying the themes that run through our report, such as achieving administrative efficiency,
rationalizing jurisdictional oversight and shifting from measuring inputs to outcomes. By no
means do our recommendations address all aspects of social assistance that warrant reform;
on that, we defer to our colleagues on the SAR <strong>Commission</strong>.
Social assistance consists of the provincially delivered ODSP and the locally delivered OW.
Maintaining two separate programs delivered by two levels of government is less efficient than
a single program and it perpetuates the antiquated idea that individuals who are eligible for
disability supports are unemployable. We urge the SAR <strong>Commission</strong> to examine alternatives,
including a consolidated model of a single, provincially funded social assistance program
delivered at the local level.
38