The province has no immediate plans to increase funding for social assistance programs such as the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or the Ontario Works (OW) program despite a 15-year “steadily growing caseload,” documents obtained through a freedom of information request suggest.

A report, included in the transition binder of Minister of Children, Community and Social Service Michael Parsa and reviewed by CTV News Toronto, says funding provided through both these programs are a “last resort support” to individuals in financial need.

The report makes no specific mention of any plans to increase the funding for the programs, noting instead that “increases to rates and benefits to reflect inflation and cost of living will drive additional costs” in the years to come.

Almost 900,000 people are receiving funding through one of the province’s social assistance programs, representing about 6.9 per cent of the province’s population. This number has “steadily” increased over the last 15 years, the documents read, and is expected to further grow with the uncertain impact of the pandemic. [...]

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Tagging: @politicsofcanada

I’m not a political blog, I am aware of this, but the strike situation with education workers in Ontario right now is insane and if you’re someone who can’t see why these strikes are so important, you are part of the problem.

My mother was an English teacher for 30 years but is now retired. She stays in touch with her former colleagues, many of whom are still teachers. She spoke with one of them the other day, who is still an Educational Assistant. This woman has $400 dollars in her bank account, and will be spending $150 for a car repair. She has bills that companies are hounding her for that she can’t pay. Her husband is trying to get more work but they will most likely need to go to a food bank to survive. One of the students she works with attacked her the other day (the product of a breakdown where he wasn’t in control of his actions, and she has repeatedly stated she doesn’t blame him which shows the kindness in her heart). She has a bruise on her leg the size of a football because the kid threw a chair at her. Those are the kinds of things she has to go through for her job, and she is still not getting paid enough money to pay her bills and buy food to fucking survive.

Conservatives who do not want to raise wages for education workers will claim that school needs to continue no matter the cost. They will try to enforce this very real possibility that the government, for the first time in history, use the notwithstanding clause to prohibit further protest by teachers. They will happily celebrate the suppression of unions without ever seeing firsthand what EAs, guidance counselors, teachers, secretarial staff, and support workers in classrooms have to go through every day. So if you live in Ontario, please go picket if you can and support the education workers in your community. They deserve some love— and they deserve to get paid.

Holy shit y’all this is getting real!

@allthecanadianpolitics

Just a reminder that this blog does and always will support education workers, workers in general and the right to strike!

Ontario is now officially the dumbest province in Canada.

I will never make fun of Alberta ever again.

please please don’t forget to vote tomorrow if you live in ontario! we need doug ford OUT.

Ontario's Progressive Conservative government passed a motion Monday to skip public hearings for legislation that would allow hospital patients awaiting long-term care to be transferred to a home without their consent.

I hate it here.

Keffiyeh ban in Ontario legislature draws backlash | CTV News

ANTISEMITISM AGAIN

Look up what that piece of clothing is.

Look at this shit.

I am not safe, yet "the genocide in Gaza" (which isn't even a thing) across the sea is okay.

I get severe panic attacks seeing this.

Seeing my government failing us.

Doug Ford has done nothing good for Ontario.

Thanks for supporting antisemites under the guise of "anti-zionsm".

Fuck this.

Landlords are disgusting, they are leeches and parasites in our society and our government consistently gives them a fresh supply of hosts. Shelter is a human right and should not be a means for profit.

crumbs of a story im writing

clumsy rookie news photographer chasing after a gentleman thief to start an advice column ^_^

the thiefs legit job as a librarian doesnt pay enough to cover his rent (not enough public funding?), so he steals from rich politicians.

he kind of sees it as "hitting two birds with one stone," since the politicans are more interested in infrastructure than public funding anyway, and they have more than enough money so he doesn't feel bad doing it

since its done out of necessity, the thief is extremely meticulous and plans out his thefts. but hes also a theatre kid, so he makes a costume and more or less garners the attention of the community

the rookie is a newspaper photographer who has been following the thief for some time and has grown to admire him

the newspaper he works for is community oriented (organizing events and programs, advocating for the public) and believes the thief shares similar values

basically he proposes to start an advice column with the thief to build a rapport with the community, with the goal of winning over the public

the thief is hesitant because he's really only doing it for himself and doesnt want to get anyone else involved, but the rookie tells him to think of it as a way of helping everyone

the rest is kinda fuzzy.. i wanted to touch on community effort and public interests. I don't know if this will be the kind of story that encourages people to take action, I don't see myself as being any kind of model citizen. for now I'm just focused on pouring all my thoughts and faith in humanity into a story setting

Doug Ford’s Conservative government is leaving children with no choice but to attend schools that are falling into worsening disrepair, a product of underfunding in Ontario’s public education system.

The Ford government slashed $100 million from Ontario public school repair budget after first taking office in 2018. Since then, Ontario’s education sector has been underfunded to the tune of $2.5 billion, with schools left to manage with dwindling repair grants.

In the past few years, multiple schools have been reported as being costlier to fully repair than raze to the ground and rebuild entirely.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has reported a renewal needs backlog of 23,500 repairs that stems back years and continues to grow as they’re deprived of the money needed to significantly reduce the backlog. As of March 2023, the total cost of the repairs was pegged at $4.2 billion. [...]

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Tagging: @politicsofcanada

help my gf get out of bed in the morning

The Ontario Government (Home & Community Care) is currently denying my girlfriend vital PSW care unless she sleeps in a SINGLE-SIZED HOSPITAL BED, along with a number of other “recommendations” for her care routine that do not work with her body, which came from an OT with zero knowledge or experience with her rare disability. 

There is a policy in place requiring PSWs to abide by the OT’s recommendations because they are considered the expert, even though my partner has stated multiple times she has full mental capacity and is able to direct her own care. The recommendations will pose a risk to her health and safety, but the OT refuses to listen, even with the knowledge that my partner is not able to breathe properly in a hospital bed.

TL/DR version: my girlfriend, who requires physical assistance with all aspects of personal care, is being denied vital PSW care unless we sleep in separate beds and she gives up her autonomy, putting her health and safety at risk. 

She has been approved for some funding to hire her own attendants for two hours per day, but because of paperwork involved it will not start until November 20th.

Please consider donating to/sharing her gofundme so we can continue to afford private attendant care until funding starts!  

no way i just got a message from my doctor telling me to stop using after-hours clinics or risk being dropped as a patient what in the fuck

Apologizing for breaking his promise not to touch the protected area, Ontario’s premier said the process of opening Greenbelt land to development was 'too fast'

love when the hospital calls a week later than they said they would and they're like "oh our only opening is tomorrow at 8:40 am :)"