Thanks to Community Food Centres Canada for a great article on the impossible budgeting choices faced by those living on inadequate assistance.
See the article Ontario Needs A New Common-Sense Approach To Social Assistance on the Huffington Post Blog.
An awesome article by our Ontario Association of Food Banks ally on fixing the poverty gap left by time and neglect.
Bringing Social Assistance Into This Decade Can Fix Poverty Gap
Op/Ed by Tom Cooper and Laura Cattari explaining why MPP Paul Miller’s Bill 6 will help fix social assistance in Ontario.
On September 23rd over 50 people gathered at Myler Hall, Christs Church Cathedral in support of MPP Paul Miller’s Private Members’ Bill — Bill 6, Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission), 2016. We heard from community activists, persons with lived experience of the social assistance system and MPP Hamilton East – Stoney Creek Paul Miller. And a big thank you to our MC Deirdre Pike who led us through Tom Cooper’s new game — The Price is Wrong!
The Hamilton Spectator reports, “The NDP is re-introducing Bill 185 which died when Liberals prorogued the legislature.”
See article HERE.
CBC coverage on prorogation’s affect on the survival of Bill 185
Plan to study social assistance rates in limbo as Wynne prorogues legislature
Tom Cooper and Laura Cattari of Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction look at why it’s time to fix social assistance on Maytree’s Blog.
NDP MPP Paul Miller is joined by Craig Foye of the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Anita Khanna of Campaign 2000, and Laura Cattari of Advocacy Hamilton to present his Bill 185: Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission). They discuss the gross inadequacy of current social assistance rates in Ontario, the effects of this deep poverty trap on children, families, and single people, and the path forward proposed in this bill that would tie social assistance rates to the actual cost of living in different Ontario communities.
The bill would establish a Social Assistance Research Commission tasked with recommending evidence-based social assistance rates to the provincial government on an annual basis.
Hamilton Mountain News reports:
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek NDP MPP Paul Miller seeks “fairness” in social assistance rates
The Hamilton Spectator reports on Bill 185 passing second reading.
Local MPP’s bill to create Social Assistance Research Commission passed second reading