TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:
WHEREAS both Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients live in legislated deep poverty; and
WHEREAS people on fixed incomes are forced to make untenable choices between buying food and paying rent just to survive and the Ontario government’s meager $58-increase to ODSP rates and freezing of OW rates at $733/month do not keep pace with the actual cost of living; and
WHEREAS average rents alone are significantly more than the entire monthly payments received by social assistance recipients, and affordable housing wait lists in some communities are up to 10 years’ long and even longer for people who need supportive housing; and
WHEREAS the Ontario government’s current approach to social assistance rates is indefensible and denies recipients a dignified life;
THEREFORE WE, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately double Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program payments to recipients as part of an overall strategy to reduce poverty in Ontario.
To download a written copy of the petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario click here.