25 in 5 wrote to the Premier about the cancellation of the Special Diet Allowance, which will have an impact on several thousand OW and ODSP recipients, and the 1% increase to social assistance rates, which falls short of the inflation rate. You can read 25 in 5′s letter here.
We’ve received the following response from the Premier: (click here to download PDF)
May 6, 2010
Dear Mr. Creek and Mr. deGroot-Maggetti:
Thank you for your valuable feedback regarding poverty in Ontario. I appreciate the importance of this matter and want to acknowledge the hard work of your organization and its members in this regard.
Supporting the vulnerable and helping people succeed is not only fair but is also good for the economy. And, in this challenging economic climate, it is more important than ever. That is why, in the 2010 Ontario Budget – which will move forward our new, five-year Open Ontario Plan for jobs and growth – we committed to advancing our Poverty Reduction Agenda by:
- Increasing the adult basic-needs allowance and maximum shelter allowances for people on the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works again this fall – the sixth increase made to rates since 2005
- Raising the minimum wage to $10.25 per hour on March 31, 2010.
- Through these initiatives, our government has made a permanent commitment to break the cycle of poverty.
My colleagues in the Ontario government and I remain deeply committed to the well-being of our province’s most vulnerable citizens.
As this important issue would best be addressed by the Honourable Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services, I have forwarded a copy of your correspondence to her so that she or a member of her staff can respond to you directly.
Thank you again for writing. Please accept my best wishes.
Yours truly,
Dalton McGuinty
Premier
C: The Honourable Laurel Broten
Dalton is delusional if he thinks his itty bitty 1% increase in social assistance rates in the fall and his teeny weeny 75 cent increase in minimum wage per hour is going to cover the 2.1% annual increase in rent, the 2.8-3.3% increase in electricity just imposed May 1st, the 8% HST tax grab (the list of affected services and products can be found at http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/en/taxchange/taxable.html), the rate increases from companies like Union Gas for Natural Gas (which has quarterly increase (implemented on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1) every year , transportation cost to appointments (drastically affects those living in rural areas), and the increase in food prices. He and his “colleagues in the Ontario government” need to open their eyes, take the blinders or rose coloured glasses off, wake up and smell the coffee or do something because they are not seeing the WHOLE picture!
Of what use is a minimum wage of $10.25 hourly going to do for the disabled who can’t work? As for your increase in the fall of 2010 of 1% or $5.30 monthly,inflation will have eaten that up long before we ever see it. Your sixth increase in wages still leaves us far short of the Mike Harris cuts. I am still getting about 12% less than I was in 1994 and approximately half of what minimum wage currently is. Yeah, we have come a long way, unfortunately the wrong way. Hopefully your lying, cheating non caring attitude will be gone come the next election.
The only thing that can truly eleviate poverty are jobs, even $10.00 an hour jobs. That is at the root-cause of OW over-load.
For instance, my wife’s brother mentioned that his lawn-care company needed staff, so my wife suggested a person she knows who needs a job and has a family to support.
He started the very next morning.
As to O.D.S.P. recipients, they should get a base increase in the amount of at least $500 per month.
One of my friends is confined to a wheelchair living on his own in an Apartment that has wheelchair access. That extra money would really help this person out, allow him to get the proper foods, as he has a colostomy bad.
It seems prety obvious that both of these government programs are long-overdue for a top to bottom restructuring, to put the focus back onto their clients needs, instead of touting the bottom line to the rest of Ontarians who have never experience being on O.W. and O.D.S.P., or the poverty therein.