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You’re Invited – Monday November 29

• Charity may help Jean, but not our broken welfare system: Fiorito
  February 15, 2013

  Jean has cancer and can’t afford to eat properly. Many people want to help. But does individual charity mask the poverty of our welfare policy?

  Jean has cancer. She is my age. She knows what the future holds. She shrugs.

  It’s coming to us all.

  You remember that her disability cheques cover her rent, her phone, her television, and not much else; for all her other needs, including food, she has maybe a hundred bucks a month.

  In addition to her disability cheque, she gets a few crumbs of money as part of the special diet allowance, because she has hypertension and high cholesterol.

  But she has not been getting a particular portion of the special diet allowance — the portion meant for those who have cancer — because of this cruel qualifier: she has the illness, but she is not losing weight.

  Oh, well, then.

  Read more here

• $45M dental-care boost protects poorest children
  October 1, 2010

  Ontario is expanding free dental services for poor children to include preventative care such as check-ups, cleanings, X-rays and fillings, the Star has learned.

  Health Minister Deb Matthews will announce Friday that the “healthy smiles” program — costing taxpayers $45 million annually — is designed to help 130,000 kids aged 17 and under.

• Big bang for full-day learning buck
  August 30, 2010

  Ontario is missing out on a significant economic payoff by offering a scaled-down version of full-day learning this fall, says a report being released Monday. A new economic analysis of the initiative outlined by the premier’s early learning adviser last spring shows an immediate return of $2.02 for every dollar invested in operations and $1.47 for every dollar spent on new classrooms, says the report, obtained by the Star.

• Funding shortages for home services are staggering
  August 27, 2010

  ARCH Disability Law Centre, dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, says its campaign was prompted by “an alarming and growing trend of adults with intellectual disabilities being unable to afford vital supports that would facilitate their development, independence and participation in the community. “This crisis is growing and we need your help,” ARCH says.

• Radical change for Ont. mental health urged
  August 26, 2010

  A new report says a “radical transformation” of mental health and addiction care is needed in Ontario if people are to receive the help they need.

• Progress Made on Child Poverty: All Parties Must Work Together to Meet the Goal, Advocates Urge
• Press Release- Political Parties Called to Act on Poverty: Political Commitments Grid Released
• 25 in 5 Urges Four Priorities for Action in 2011 Budget
• 25 in 5 Welcomes Social Assistance Review; Recommends Interim Steps
• Poverty reduction key to economic recovery
• You’re Invited – Monday November 29
• Submission to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, the Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the Minister of Community and Social Services

• Making Good on the Promise: Evaluating Year One of Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy

  A year ago, as Canada plunged into one of the sharpest recessions since the Great Depression, the Ontario government assumed long-awaited leadership to tackle poverty.

  On December 4, 2008, it promsied to enact a plan to reduce child and family poverty by 25 per cent by 2013.

  Making good on that promise would lift more than 90,000 Ontario children and their families out of poverty within five years.

  This is the first in a series of annual reports from 25 in 5 that tracks the Ontario government’s progress on their Poverty Reduction commitment.

  Click here to download the entire document …

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