That Council endorse the briefing note and draft resolution requesting the Government of Ontario to act urgently to raise the social assistance rates to an acceptable level that correlates with the cost of living;
WHEREAS all families and individuals in the province of Ontario are grappling with a higher cost of living, with the costs of basic needs like food and housing outpacing inflation;
AND WHEREAS the most vulnerable amongst us – those reliant on social assistance incomes, such as Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) – are impacted even more by the current economic climate;
AND WHEREAS Ontario Works rates have been unchanged since 2018, sitting at a maximum of $733 per month for a single person;
AND WHEREAS in 2023, there were 1,054 Ontario Works cases in Georgina;
AND WHEREAS York Region has urged the Province to update Ontario Works and ODSP shelter allowances to take into account local housing market realities so that recipients can afford safe, stable housing;
AND WHEREAS it has been acknowledged by the provincial government that adjustments should be made for inflation when it comes to ODSP (the first ODSP adjustment last year added about $80 to a single recipient’s basic payment, bringing it to $1,308 per month) – an adjustment that York Region has been urging the government to replicate with Ontario Works since 2023;
AND WHEREAS both Ontario Works and ODSP support is inadequate to manage against the inflationary increases to the cost of living;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
- THAT the Town of Georgina calls on the Government of Ontario to act urgently to raise the social assistance rates to an acceptable level that correlates with the cost of living;
- THAT the Government of Ontario ensures social assistance supports keep pace with the rate of inflation by adjusting Ontario Works each year, as has been done with ODSP; and
- THAT the Province, as was requested by York Region, increase program delivery funding to manage York Region’s ballooning caseload; and
- THAT the Clerk be directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Honourable Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, the Honourable Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health, the Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA), York Region Chairman Wayne Emmerson, The Regional Municipality of York and its lower-tier municipalities, Prince Edward County and the Town of Grimsby.