Quote of the week

“Acting on [the Pascal Report] will establish Ontario as a world-class education leader. Families and children are ready. Municipalities and school boards are ready. Educators and champions of publicly funded education are ready…. This is our opportunity to get it right, for children and families today and for the benefit of all into the future.”

Who said it? Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie, at the release of a declaration calling on the province to enact Pascal’s early learning strategy in full. For more information, click here.

How is the Government Doing on Poverty Reduction? 25 in 5 to Release Commitments Checklist

On December 4, 2008, the Ontario government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy made 25 distinct commitments – commitments that laid a strong foundation toward opportunity for all Ontarians.

But what is government doing to meet those commitments?

As the one year anniversary of the Poverty Reduction Strategy nears, 25in5’s Accountability Table is putting the finishing touches on a report that outlines the government’s actions to date on these 25 commitments.

Watch for the release of this report during the week of December 4!

What can you do? Plan a Poverty Reduction Anniversary Action in your community!

Let us know about your plans at info@25in5.ca. We’ll share resources and tips with you, and we’ll let everyone know what you’re doing in an upcoming e-bulletin.

Action Alert! No Cherry-Picking on Early Learning!

In June, the Premier’s Advisor on Early Learning – Charles Pascal – delivered a ground breaking plan called With Our Best Future in Mind-Implementing Early Learning in Ontario.

The plan would benefit all children and families, including full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds and transforming schools into year round family-centred learning hubs with parenting, child care, and summer programs to create a continuous learning system. It’s a key component of an effective poverty reduction strategy.

Many 25 in 5 partners support this plan – but are concerned about recent media reports that the McGuinty government may “cherry pick” and only implement full day learning, without the important other continuous learning supports. A government announcement is expected shortly.

Please ADD YOUR VOICE to a growing chorus by sending a message as soon as possible to the Premier, Minister Wynne, and Minister Broten – the newly appointed Minister Responsible for Poverty Reduction.

Toward an Affordable Housing Strategy: A Message from the Housing Network of Ontario

On September 30, the final official public affordable housing strategy consultation was held in Thunder Bay. The Housing Network of Ontario would like to take this moment to congratulate everyone who has participated in the call for a strategy that leads to an Ontario where everyone can live poverty-free with dignity in housing that is stable, adequate, equitably accessible and affordable.

But the official consultation meetings are not the end of our work, and there are many opportunities to build the movement for affordable housing:

1. If you haven’t done so already, please make a written submission to the Provincial consultation process, highlighting the housing needs and solutions in your community. You can do so online or you can send a letter to Minister Watson at this address.
2. Attend a community or MPP housing consultation meeting. There are several planned in the coming weeks – check here for meetings upcoming near you.

We already have some victories to celebrate and to lift our spirits:

Inclusionary housing is one step closer in Ontario as MPP Cheri DiNovo’s Bill 198, An Act to amend the Planning Act with respect to inclusionary housing, passed second reading in the Ontario Legislature on September 24.

And MP Libby Davies’ Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians, just passed second reading in the House of Commons and is going to committee for review and possible amendment.

For more information, check the HNO’s on-line hub – you’ll get the latest news, reports from community meetings, tips for actions and plenty of other resources.

Update: Dental Treatment Programs for Low-Income Ontarians

The 25 in 5 “Dental Team” has been working tirelessly with public health authorities and Ontario’s Community Health Centres to ensure a solid dental treatment program for low-income people across Ontario.

Government has already allocated $13 million in 2009 to expand existing dental programs for low-income children. But one of their key commitments to poverty reduction is the investment of $45 million annually to provide dental care for all low-income Ontarians.

Ensuring a community-based infrastructure to deliver dental programs now and into the future has been one of the Dental Team’s priorities – in addition to making sure that adequate funds are available to pay for staff and services in those settings.

Details haven’t yet been released about the government’s plans, but work is ongoing to make sure all low-income Ontarians get the kind of dental care treatment program that we need.

“Do The Math” Highlighted in Star Editorial

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Put Food in the Budget campaign highlighted the importance of ensuring that people on Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program have enough income to afford healthy food and a life characterized by dignity, not despair.

The Op Ed reads: “Thanksgiving is a time to think about food. For many of us, this means planning a holiday feast with our families and celebrating an abundant harvest. But Thanksgiving also marks the beginning of the season of food-drives, the perennial call to “feed the hungry” over the winter holiday season.”

More here…

Report: Ontario’s Food Banks Hit Hard by Recession, Call for Action This Fall

A special report released on October 8th by the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) has highlighted the negative impact of the current economic downturn on families and food banks across the province.

As hundreds of thousands of Ontarians lose their jobs, food prices continue to rise, and more Ontarians turn to food banks, many organizations are also being hit by declining donations. The report was released just days before the Thanksgiving weekend, a crucial period when many food banks look to fill their shelves through community food drives.

The OAFB is also calling on the provincial and federal governments to act. Among its recommendations are: removing barriers to accessing social assistance by measures such as increasing restrictive asset limits and allowing Ontarians to collect OSAP and social assistance at the same time; and increasing the accessibility and adequacy of EI benefits by decreasing eligibility requirements for Ontarians to be in line with other provinces and by increasing benefit levels.

Download In the Midst of the Storm: The Impact of the Economic Downturn for Ontario’s Food Banks in 2009