Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

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INTRODUCTION PURPOSE The Income Security Reform Working Group, the First Nations Income Security Reform Working Group and the Urban Indigenous Table on Income Security Reform 4 included a diverse group of people with different perspectives, expertise and experiences who have been working towards a common purpose: to recommend tangible changes and improvements to Ontario’s income security system so that it better supports the diversity of people who use it, and to outline the sequencing of reforms over 10 years. The recommendations and the sequencing form a Roadmap to guide government in making decisions and investments that require ongoing collaboration with others, and in recognizing First Nations constitutional rights in designing and implementing the recommended reforms. While the three groups met independently of one another, they brought common views on the need for change The recommendations in this Roadmap are not mutually exclusive—for example, many recommendations in the First Nations section would equally apply in the rest of the province 4 See Appendix A for the Working Groups’ membership 34 Income Security: A Roadmap for Change
WHY THIS MATTERS Ontario’s income security system affects us all. No matter our background, our successes or our challenges, we all have a shared interest in supporting everyone’s ability to thrive and contribute to the social fabric of our communities and the economic well-being of our province. Almost everyone has at least one family member, friend or neighbour who is grappling with poverty. As you read and reflect on the Roadmap, we encourage you to keep in mind that the line between poverty and just getting by is a thin one, and many people are a missed paycheque or a family emergency away from needing help. Here are six reasons why income security reform is everybody’s business: 1. People are facing greater labour market instability, less job security, and more non-standard or precarious work, all of which make it harder to achieve an adequate standard of living. Consider this: • The number and kinds of jobs available are changing due to factors such as economic growth, technology, demographics and consumer behaviour Service-sector jobs are more prevalent, while higher-paying manufacturing jobs are less common 5 . Changes in the labour market are having a significant impact on people’s ability to earn adequate, sustainable income to improve their circumstances 5 Please see Changing Workplaces Review, Final Report, June 2017 Source: https:// files.ontario.ca/books/mol_changing_workplace_report_eng_2_0.pdf pg 33–34 Income Security: A Roadmap for Change 35
Page 1: INCOME SECURITY A Roadmap for Chang
Page 4 and 5: ACHIEVING INCOME ADEQUACY69 Setting
Page 6 and 7: A CLOSING NOTE164 APPENDIX A: Membe
Page 8 and 9: INCOME SECURITY: FUTURE STATE Essen
Page 10 and 11: 3. Recognizing the Experience of In
Page 12 and 13: ENGAGING THE WHOLE INCOME SECURITY
Page 14 and 15: • The federal government enhance
Page 16 and 17: • Individual choice and well-bein
Page 18 and 19: • Conduct analyses on current and
Page 20 and 21: A TRANSFORMED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE STR
Page 22 and 23: • Initially exempt 25% of Canada
Page 24 and 25: SELF-GOVERNANCE AND RESPECT FOR FIR
Page 26 and 27: • First Nations social service pr
Page 28 and 29: • The capabilities, skills and pr
Page 30 and 31: SEQUENCING REFORM The Roadmap recom
Page 32 and 33: We recommend the Province commit to
Page 34 and 35: 2015 also saw a commitment by the f
Page 36 and 37: MESSAGE FROM THE URBAN INDIGENOUS T
Page 38 and 39: Community members stressed the impo
Page 42 and 43: Income Security Reform in the conte
Page 44 and 45: 2. Essential needs are increasingly
Page 46 and 47: • Research by the Social Planning
Page 48 and 49: The Additional Costs of Disability
Page 50 and 51: • From 2011 to 2014, the incidenc
Page 52 and 53: • Studies also show that adult-on
Page 54 and 55: • Indigenous peoples have signifi
Page 56 and 57: A NOTE ON PREVIOUS REPORTS Over the
Page 58 and 59: ONTARIO’S INCOME SECURITY SYSTEM
Page 60 and 61: services 64 More than 68% of socia
Page 62 and 63: FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL INCOME SECUR
Page 64 and 65: The federal Canada Child Benefit, t
Page 66 and 67: ENVISIONING THE FUTURE VISION All i
Page 68 and 69: GUIDING PRINCIPLES The following pr
Page 70 and 71: and structural racism to ensure equ
Page 72 and 73: 3. Recognizing the Experience of In
Page 74 and 75: Critical steps must also be taken t
Page 76 and 77: areas, including remote areas In se
Page 78 and 79: DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 1.1 The Pr
Page 80 and 81: ONTARIO HOUSING BENEFIT Recommendat
Page 82 and 83: • People must be able to access a
Page 84 and 85: “I’ve been waiting for housing
Page 86 and 87: Children who are being cared for by
Page 88 and 89: When a child is in the care of a Ch
Page 90 and 91:
WORKING INCOME TAX BENEFIT Recommen
Page 92 and 93:
CORE HEALTH BENEFITS Recommendation
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A key strength of Ontario’s curre
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TRANSFORMING SOCIAL ASSISTANCE OBJE
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DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 Develo
Page 100 and 101:
People need to feel they have perso
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focussing primarily on eligibility
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• People are able to access servi
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• A simpler social assistance str
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8.6 Regularly situate Ontario Works
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We note that ODSP has many positive
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as simple and streamlined as possib
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9.4 Provide provincial-level assist
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Because moving to an assured income
Page 118 and 119:
A TRANSFORMED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE STR
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This flat-rate structure would appl
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DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 11.1 Trans
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First Nations Delivery Agents of On
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INCOME AND ASSETS Recommendation 13
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additional costs they may have—wh
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HELPING THOSE IN DEEPEST POVERTY OB
Page 132 and 133:
Single Non-disabled Person Fall 201
Page 134 and 135:
• Setting the Standard Flat Rate
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The first Indian Act was passed by
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While the recommendations noted abo
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DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 16.1 Based
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16.10 Take steps to ensure that Fir
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• Community-based initiatives spe
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• Increasing and expediting help
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Until further changes to the 1965 A
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A CALL ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Th
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The Roadmap emphasizes the need for
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IMPLEMENTING AND MEASURING CHANGE M
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3. The need to take a system-wide a
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SEQUENCING CHANGE: A 10-YEAR ROADMA
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YEAR 2 The second year of implement
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YEARS 4 TO 10 Years 4 to 10 will ma
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THE COST OF INACTION Poverty is int
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• Ontario Drug Benefit costs for
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• Social Assistance, through: •
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A CLOSING NOTE This Roadmap holds t
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Violet Boissoneau Linda Cobiness Jo
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APPENDIX B: POVERTY REDUCTION STRAT
Page 176 and 177:
Canada Pension Plan - Disability (C
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Indigenous Friendship Centres: Not-
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Old Age Security (OAS): A pension p
Page 182 and 183:
Rent-Geared-To-Income (RGI): Financ
Page 184 and 185:
Trauma-informed practice: Practices
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Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

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