Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Executive Summary
Employment and Training: Our workforce focus means that the employment and training
component of social assistance becomes even more crucial. Chapter 9, Employment and
Training Services, highlights recent efforts to integrate these services through Employment
Ontario (EO). Further integration of OW and ODSP’s employment services with EO would
address program overlap and likely produce other benefits — better client service and
outcomes and perhaps even lower-cost employment services and reduced demand for
social assistance.
Many people with disabilities can and want to work. Yet we are only now beginning to
understand how to accommodate people with physical disabilities in the workplace; we are
even further away from doing so for those with mental disabilities. The government should
work to help employers and employees alike to understand and accommodate the specific
needs of these individuals in the workplace.
Among those with severe disabilities, many are unemployable; they would be better served
by a national basic income program instead of social assistance. The province should
advocate for such a program with the federal government and other provinces.
The federal Employment Insurance (EI) program does not meet the needs of the modern
labour market. Unemployed Ontarians do not receive equitable income support and
appropriate training opportunities to help them return to the workforce. Also, the increasing
proportion of people who are either new workers (often new immigrants) or young people in
non-standard employment (such as part-time or temporary employment) do not quality for EI.
The recommendations of the Mowat Centre EI Task Force, if implemented, would be a
considerable improvement.
Should social spending growth fall below the 0.5 per cent target, any savings should be
used to remove barriers to moving back to the workplace. Three areas command attention.
First, potential social assistance recipients must divest all liquid assets above a threshold —
$1,645 for a single parent of one child receiving OW. This deprives social assistance
recipients of the most basic means of climbing the “welfare wall” and is counterproductive.
Second, anyone getting social assistance is covered by the ODB program, but loses coverage
on finding a job. This is a strong disincentive to work. Third, in the unlikely event that funds do
remain after doing the first two, the basic needs and shelter amounts of social assistance
should be raised to fill any gap.
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