The Ontario Government’s pre-budget consultations are currently underway at Queen’s Park. The Federal budget is set to be released at the beginning of March (that is unless Harper decides for another spontaneous vacation), with the Ontario Budget, and most Provincial budgets, then set to be released by the end of March or beginning of April.

It will, no doubt, be the same tired old routine. Agencies,services,and organizations will line up to sing for their supper in front of the all-party Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. The committee will be sent the same message that the government has gotten and ignored time and time again – that people in this province are suffering,that the people of Ontario cannot handle further cuts to programs or cuts to jobs,that their poverty reduction strategy is failing and that this province desperately needs to see a raise in funding for social assistance,childcare, and education.

December 8th, 2009 - Today, starting at 11:30am, members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and more than 150, to at times 250 people, who are struggling to survive on Ontario Works and ODSP occupied the 12th floor and main lobby of Toronto's Metro Hall - the head of Welfare bureaucracy in Toronto.

Despite intimidation, the group refused to leave and instead demanded the right to have their Special Diet forms properly processed. The group was loud and determined - chanting "We won't be quiet 'till we get the special diet!". Social Services responded by vaguely telling the group that they are waiting on 'clarification' from the Province on policy around the Special Diet. They then issued an ultimatum and sent in a large team of police, including ETF, who were preparing to mass arrest and physically remove people from the building. After almost 4 hours, the group was forced to exit the building. But this fight is not over - the group from today has vowed to return with an even larger number of supporters.

For the Youtube video, click here

For photos, click here

Come out and defend people on social assistance. Friday, October 23rd

Wilson:
Get on the bus at 2pm at:
- Jane and Finch
- Jane and Sheppard
- Falstaff
or, the corner of Jane & Wilson at 2:30pm

As a lead up to the November 5th Campaign for a Poverty Free Ontario
Province-Wide Day of Action, OCAP, Jane Finch Action Against Poverty and a number of people on social assistance will be conducting 2 mass case actions on October 23rd at two of the most notoriously bad welfare offices Toronto: Atwell and Wilson.

Today, more people than ever are being forced to live on welfare in Ontario. They face two major problems. First of all, the income they receive does not let them pay their rent and feed their families properly. Secondly, welfare offices like Atwell and Willson do all they can to deny even the small benefits people are supposed to get. When they apply for Special Diet, Community Start Up and other benefits, they are denied their rights. This must stop.

Welfare offices are now all open.

In the past two days we have seen several problems with people being able to access the Special Diet. If you are having any of these problems, call us immediately.

1.Workers will only issue the Special Diet for August even if your forms were filled out in June or July: This is illegal. The regulations state that you have to be issued the Special Diet for the entire month that the forms are filled out. This means that if your form was filled out on June 30th they have to give you money for all of June and July. If your forms were filled out anytime in July, they have to give you the money for all of July. It doesn't matter that there was a strike and they didn’t process it, they have to give you your money.

2.They have lost your forms that you submitted during the strike:

• a) If you have a copy – Call us. We will fight to get welfare to give you your money.
• b) If you don’t have a copy – call your doctor and hopefully your doctor will have a copy of it. Without a copy, it will be really hard to get your money but we will see what we can do. It is possible that they will find them as people have just gone back to work. In the meantime, make another doctor’s appointment and get new forms so you can at least get the money again.

3.The office is "out of Special Diet forms": They have to give you the forms if you ask for them. Do not go to another office to get them because you have to get them from your own office (some people have been given the run around and told to go all over the city to get forms and it has just been a waste of time). If they say they don’t have them – they have to get them. Give them 1 day and if they still don’t have them call us.