Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

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TRANSFORMING SOCIAL ASSISTANCE OBJECTIVE: Transform social assistance programs to be simpler and eliminate coercive rules and policies. Create an explicit focus on helping people overcome barriers to moving out of poverty and fully participating in society. Income security reform will not succeed without transformation in Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program The overall legislative framework, structure and certain assumptions underpinning these programs are not working effectively with other elements of the income security system It is time to rethink aspects of these programs so they do a much better job of helping people move out of poverty and participate in society LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK Recommendation 7: Fundamentally change the legislative framework for social assistance programs to set the foundation for a culture of trust, collaboration and problem-solving. Individuals accessing and staff administering Ontario Works and ODSP adhere to a set of rules that are enshrined in legislation, regulation and policy directives (referred to as the legislative framework) This legislative framework sets the tone and expectations for what rules must be followed, and how In social assistance, the end result is an emphasis on eligibility verification and technical, often inflexible, approaches to people that often put benefits at risk. The current legislative framework clearly emphasizes the wrong priorities It enshrines: • Ontario Works as a “temporary program” that belies the reality that for many individuals it is the primary safety net 90 Income Security: A Roadmap for Change
• Employment as the only desirable goal within Ontario Works, failing to recognize the barriers people are facing and the crucial importance of other outcomes related to health, well-being and social inclusion that are necessary to finding success in the job market or being connected in one’s community. • A focus on compliance and verification with a rigorous series of reporting requirements. These requirements are specific, and if not met often result in form letters enforcing real or perceived threats about the imminent cancellation or reduction of assistance The Ontario Works legislation establishes a program that: • Recognizes individual responsibility and promotes self-reliance through employment • Provides temporary financial assistance to those most in need while they satisfy obligations to become and stay employed The financial eligibility rules in both Ontario Works and ODSP need to change. While eligibility rules and administration are necessary, it is critical that the legislative framework establish broader goals and promote a culture of respect, collaboration, support and autonomy, as opposed to one of constant surveillance and threatened sanctions This requires a completely new framework for Ontario Works early in the implementation of the Roadmap that goes beyond simple amendments, as well as regulation changes under both programs to reduce unnecessary and ineffective rules The new legislative framework will also require explicit recognition of the authority of First Nations to determine rules that do not work well in their communities This will allow for a unified and clear sense of direction, appropriately adjusted for the unique needs of individual First Nations communities, and provide a fresh start for those currently accessing the program and people who need help in the future (See pages 129-147 for further discussion and recommendations) First Nations communities will have the autonomy and flexibility to opt out of the legislative framework or portions of it, to exercise their self-determination and implement their own model(s) using a humanistic community-based approach Income Security: A Roadmap for Change 91
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INCOME SECURITY A Roadmap for Chang
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ACHIEVING INCOME ADEQUACY69 Setting
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A CLOSING NOTE164 APPENDIX A: Membe
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INCOME SECURITY: FUTURE STATE Essen
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3. Recognizing the Experience of In
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ENGAGING THE WHOLE INCOME SECURITY
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• The federal government enhance
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• Individual choice and well-bein
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• Conduct analyses on current and
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A TRANSFORMED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE STR
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• Initially exempt 25% of Canada
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SELF-GOVERNANCE AND RESPECT FOR FIR
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• First Nations social service pr
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• The capabilities, skills and pr
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SEQUENCING REFORM The Roadmap recom
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We recommend the Province commit to
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2015 also saw a commitment by the f
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MESSAGE FROM THE URBAN INDIGENOUS T
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Community members stressed the impo
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INTRODUCTION PURPOSE The Income Sec
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Income Security Reform in the conte
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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
Page 94 and 95: A key strength of Ontario’s curre
Page 98 and 99: DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 Develo
Page 100 and 101: People need to feel they have perso
Page 102 and 103: focussing primarily on eligibility
Page 104 and 105: • People are able to access servi
Page 106 and 107: • A simpler social assistance str
Page 108 and 109: 8.6 Regularly situate Ontario Works
Page 110 and 111: We note that ODSP has many positive
Page 112 and 113: as simple and streamlined as possib
Page 114 and 115: 9.4 Provide provincial-level assist
Page 116 and 117: Because moving to an assured income
Page 118 and 119: A TRANSFORMED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE STR
Page 120 and 121: This flat-rate structure would appl
Page 122 and 123: DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 11.1 Trans
Page 124 and 125: First Nations Delivery Agents of On
Page 126 and 127: INCOME AND ASSETS Recommendation 13
Page 128 and 129: additional costs they may have—wh
Page 130 and 131: 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
Page 136 and 137: The first Indian Act was passed by
Page 138 and 139: While the recommendations noted abo
Page 140 and 141: DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS 16.1 Based
Page 142 and 143: 16.10 Take steps to ensure that Fir
Page 144 and 145: • 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
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Canada Pension Plan - Disability (C
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Indigenous Friendship Centres: Not-
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Old Age Security (OAS): A pension p
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Rent-Geared-To-Income (RGI): Financ
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Trauma-informed practice: Practices
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Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

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