Ontario welfare reform plan is on the right track
Posted on October 26, 2012 in Social Security Policy Context
Source: Toronto Star — Authors: Editorial
TheStar.com Opinion/Editorials
October 24, 2012.
Fighting poverty has slipped far down the public agenda. Even in a province that still boasts an official poverty reduction plan, it has become the issue that dares not speak its name. With public finances squeezed and the middle class worried about just clinging on, the political class would rather ignore it.
Now Ontario has been presented with an ambitious, far-reaching plan to modernize our $8.3-billion welfare system. Commissioners Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh propose “transformational change” to make the system simpler, more effective at getting people back into the workforce, and accountable to the public. It will be a tough sell, especially with the provincial government on hold for months, but they’re on the right track.
Lankin and Sheikh make a powerful case that the existing system doesn’t accomplish either of its goals – making sure the poorest Ontarians have a decent minimum income, and helping those who can work start supporting themselves as quickly as possible. Even those inclined to blame people on welfare for their own misfortune should agree that if we’re going to spend billions, let’s make sure it’s for something productive.
Right now Ontario has two major programs – Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program – that together support 892,000 people. The plans have more than 240 benefit rates and hundreds of complex rules. Instead of figuring out how to get recipients back into paid work, caseworkers spend as much as 70 per cent of their time just mastering the ever-changing regulations. This makes no sense.
Lankin and Sheikh propose merging the two programs into one, cutting the rules by at least half and putting much more focus on helping people support themselves “to the maximum of their abilities.” The idea is, among other things, to erase the distinction between the so-called deserving poor (children and the disabled) and the rest (able-bodied adults on welfare).
Disabled people, in particular, are understandably worried they may lose out if their separate support system is combined with a welfare system that has lower basic benefit rates. Any government that implements these reforms must make sure that the disabled – the most vulnerable of all – don’t come out on the short end. And disabled people should embrace greater opportunities for training and employment, as long as the changes don’t penalize them.
In the short run, people on welfare face more pressing problems than an eventual restructuring of a vast bureaucracy. Ever since the Harris government slashed benefits back in the 1990s, they’ve been subsisting on shamefully small amounts. For a single able-bodied person it’s just $599 a month now – 66 per cent below the poverty line. Try making that stretch in an expensive city like Toronto.
Lankin and Sheikh call for raising that immediately by $100 a month, and letting welfare recipients earn another $200 a month without having it clawed back. The bill for this, they calculate, would net out at $340 million a year.
That’s a lot of money at a time when Ontario’s treasury is bare. But consider this: it would boost the basic welfare rate to just a dollar a day above what it was way back in 1995 – and that doesn’t even account for inflation.
Politicians will never rush to confront welfare’s ills – and the timing now is worse than most, with a shuttered legislature and finances in crisis. But a new government will eventually have to tackle these problems, and this week’s blueprint for change provides an excellent place to start.
< http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1276745–ontario-welfare-reform-plan-is-on-the-right-track >
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
This entry was posted on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 8:33 pm and is filed under Social Security Policy Context. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Recent Comments
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
I feel that is among the so much significant info for me. And i am satisfied studying your article. However should commentary on some basic issues, The site style is ideal, the articles is in reality excellent : D. Excellent activity, cheers
Hi my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
Glad to be one of several visitors on this awful internet site : D.
Thanks pertaining to discussing the following superb written content on your site. I ran into it on the search engines. I will check back again if you publish extra aricles.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
Thanks for posting this. Looking for these resources 😀
Hi my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
Thanks For This Blog, was added to my bookmarks.
have already been reading ur blog for a couple of days. really enjoy what you posted. btw i will be doing a report about this topic. do you happen to know any great websites or forums that I can find out more? thanks a lot.
I know this is not exactly on topic, but i have a blog using the blogengine platform as well and i’m having issues with my comments displaying. is there a setting i am forgetting? maybe you could help me out? thank you.
Nice blog. Could someone with little experience do it, and add updates without messing it up? Good information on here, very informative.
I had highly recommend this blog to my good friend, it’s so good
Very Interesting Information! Thank You For Thi Information!
You are one talented writer thank you for the post.
I think I might disagree with some of your analysis. Are the figures solid?
I absolutely adore your site! You aggressive me as able-bodied as all the others actuality and your broiled PS is absolutely great!
A cool post there mate ! Thank you for posting.
Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading through your articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!