OSSWA - Ontario Social Service Worker Association

Honourable Commissioners Lankin and Sheikh;

The February 2011 statistical report of the Ministry of Community and Social Services identified 389,693 residents of Ontario as beneficiaries of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) that month, while 460,028 received assistance through the Ontario Works program (OW). The membership of the Ontario Social Service Worker Association (OSSWA) includes many of the dedicated professionals who manage the benefits of those 535,251 families.

Our detailed knowledge and understanding of the goals and regulations of the OW/ODSP programs are inextricably paired with a deep and profound appreciation of the serious difficulties faced by those clients who were referred to as “…the most vulnerable Ontarians” in the 2010 budget¹. Many of our daily interactions leave us inspired by our clients, yet discouraged by a system that offers promise without resources. Serving as ODSP Income Support Specialists, OW Caseworkers, Supervisors, Family Support Workers and in many other positions, we have a unique vantage point to observe the complexities faced by clients and the systems that are in place to serve them. This dual perspective also allows us to serve as valuable contributors to the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario.

Section 2 of the terms of reference document is entitled “Vision” and opens with the following bold statement:

“Ontario’s social assistance review is guided by a vision of a 21st century income security system that enables all Ontarians to live with dignity, participate in their communities, and contribute to a prospering economy.”

Our association is encouraged by this statement, as it closely echoes the first of our 6 objectives which is to promote and work towards social justice for all. Some of our members have been serving their communities for more than twenty years and have watched with rising alarm as recipients of social assistance in Ontario have been pushed ever further to the margins of society. The recipients of OW and ODSP enumerated in the February statistics are provided too little financially to allow them to contribute meaningfully to the economy, they cannot afford accommodations and healthy food in the same month and they rarely participate in any community activities. Theirs is not currently the life of dignity envisioned in the statement quoted above. Our greatest concern lies in the total inadequacy of the benefits provided to the recipients of both programs. Measured against the three measures evaluated by Statistics Canada, the Low Income Cut off (LICO), the Low Income Measure (LIM) and the Market Basket Measure (MBM) the current rates of assistance in Ontario fail to meet every single minimum target in all household types. 1 Ontario. Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario. Terms of Reference. Page 2 of 2 When adjusted for inflation, social assistance rates in Ontario since 1990 have declined by 18% for single disabled persons, 23% for single parents with one child (the largest decrease across all of Canada for this category), 24% for couples with two children and an astounding 34% for singles who are not disabled (again, the largest decrease across Canada in this category along with Prince Edward Island). ²

When outlining the mandate, scope and outcomes of the Commission, the terms of reference document provides several very specific minimum standards for a newly reformed social assistance system. Of particular note is the third requirement which not only recognizes that the system is currently too complex, but expects that it will treat recipients fairly and equitably. Our position is that this must not only mean that every client is treated the same way as other clients but more importantly, that they can expect to have the same level of care and benefits as those who are not dependent on the social assistance system.

In their publication released in 2010, Dennis Raphael (Professor of health policy at York University) and Juha Mikkonen (vicepresident of the European Anti-Poverty Network Finland), examined 14 key social determinants of health. In the introduction, they provide examples of how the living conditions of Canadians influence life expectancy and the likelihood of experiencing many serious medical disorders. They draw particular attention to the responsibility of governments in considering the impact of their decisions:

Research is also finding that the quality of these health-shaping living conditions is strongly determined by decisions that governments make in a range of different public policy domains. Governments at the municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal levels create policies, laws, and regulations that influence how much income Canadians receive through employment, family benefits, or social assistance, the quality and availability of affordable housing, the kinds of health and social services and recreational opportunities we can access, and even what happens when Canadians lose their jobs during economic downturns.³

I recognize that the terms of reference do not limit your review to an evaluation of the adequacy of current benefit rates. As President of the Ontario Social Service Worker Association however, I do encourage you in the strongest terms to examine the terrible toll they take on recipients, staff and the province as a whole and recommend that the constant declines of the past 20 years be recovered and rates be made more reflective of the minimum costs of living.

Sincerely,

Shelley Styles
President, Ontario Social Service Worker Association

¹ Ontario. Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario. Terms of Reference.
² Canada. National Council of Welfare. Welfare Incomes 2009 Ontario (ON)
³ Mikkonen, J., & Raphael, D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: the Canadian Facts. Toronto: York University School of Health Policy and Management.

New Legislation under the Long-Term Care Homes Act to affect Social Service Workers

ONTARIO REGULATION 79/10

made under the

LONG-TERM CARE HOMES ACT, 2007

Made: March 10, 2010
Filed: March 29, 2010

Social work and social services work

62. Every licensee of a long-term care home shall ensure that there is a written description of the social work and social services work provided in the home and that the work meets the residents' needs.

Social work and social services work qualifications

63. Every licensee of a long-term care home shall ensure that social workers or social service workers who provide services in the home are registered under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998.

Designated lead

64. (1) Every licensee of a long-term care home shall ensure that the home's restorative care program, including the services of social workers and social service workers, are co-ordinated by a designated lead.

(2) The designated lead,

(a) must have a current general certificate of registration with a college of a regulated health profession or the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers; or

(b) must have,

(i) a post-secondary diploma or degree in recreation and leisure studies, kinesiology, therapeutic recreation or other related field from a community college or university, and

(ii) at least one year of experience in a health care setting.

Letter of Advocacy sent to Premier Mcguinty regarding the cancellation of the special diet allowance.

May 3, 2010

Premier Dalton McGuinty
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON
M7A 1A1

Dear Mr. McGuinty:

As President of the Ontario Social Service Worker Graduate Association, I am writing to you today to express our collective concern about your government’s plan to eliminate the Special Diet Allowance (SDA).

Our members are the professionals providing direct services to every vulnerable segment of Ontario in areas including child protection, youth, corrections, mental health, immigration, health care, and geriatrics. Every day, we witness the considerable and often heroic efforts our clients make to overcome the personal challenges they face. While our agencies may exist to meet diverse needs, the one fundamental issue we all deal with is poverty. Many of our members are staff with the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Programs where these cuts will be implemented.

Mr. McGuinty, there is overwhelming support in the medical literature that low income and poor health are linked. Your government’s Ministry of Health has in fact formally recognized this data in such programs as Eat Right Ontario, the newly introduced School Food and Beverage Policy and the Nutritious Food Basket Protocol which has required mandatory participation and reporting by local boards of health across the province since 1999.

In addition to these efforts, in May of 2009 your government passed the Poverty Reduction Act, the preamble of which states in part "The Government's poverty reduction strategy is guided by the vision of a province where every person has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, and contribute to and participate in a prosperous and healthy Ontario..."
Despite the admirable vision of the Poverty Reduction Act and the standards set by your Ministry of Health Mr. McGuinty, Ontario's social assistance programs have historically failed to meet the needs of recipients as a whole.

In February, 2009 the Association of Local Public Health Agencies of Ontario (ALPHA) released a six year summary of the Nutritious Food Basket data from across the province. In its conclusion, the report explains that one of the mandated roles of local health agencies is to promote access to sufficient and nutritious food so as to prevent chronic disease. The final paragraph of their report reads as follows:

"The most effective action in this regard will be to ensure that the living wage and social assistance rates are more reflective of the true costs of adequate nutrition, shelter, transportation, clothing, personal care and other basics. To be unable to meet these costs is to live in poverty, which many argue is the most significant barrier to good health."

While inadequate social assistance rates as a whole have been an ongoing concern to our members, the recent announcement concerning the cancellation of the SDA is particularly alarming. Despite your assurance that it will remain in place until a new nutritional supplement program will replace it through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, our association notes with alarm the use of the term "severe medical needs" in defining eligibility. We can only anticipate that the majority of current recipients will then be disqualified and face further negative health effects as a result.

This decision will also have serious implications for our health care system. With increasing wait times in the emergency rooms and surgeries, and many families without a medical doctor, now more than ever it seems imperative to approach these situations using preventative measures such as proper nutrition.

In explaining your decision to cancel the SDA, your government refers to the 2009 Auditor General’s Report as justification. Sections 3.09 and 3.11 of the report address Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and while Mr. McCarter does identify eligibility concerns related to issuing special diets, he places far greater emphasis on administrative and systemic failures within both programs. With respect to OW, the Auditor
General notes:

Although the Ministry has implemented a number of the changes we recommended in our 2002 audit, there has been limited improvement in the administration of the Ontario Works program since that time. It remains our view that the Ministry still has inadequate assurance that only eligible individuals receive financial assistance and in the correct amount.

The Auditor General identifies fifteen specific concerns about the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ oversight of OW. Eleven of the fifteen were clearly identified as a failure to comply with existing requirements. Examples include:

- Ongoing failure to meet verification standards at application since 2002.
- Annual financial reassessments were not completed in 50% of reviewed files.
- Efforts to recover overpayments on files have been "minimal" and the total amount owing has risen by 45% from $414 million to $600 million since the 2002 audit.

With respect to ODSP, The Auditor General recognized efforts to improve administration but again refers to systemic failures in his initial summary.

Nevertheless, serious issues remain in determining an applicant’s financial eligibility and the correct amount of assistance to be paid. The Ministry has established a two-stage process to ensure that only qualified applicants receive income support. The first stage is problematic because it relies solely on the individual volunteering financial information. To compensate for the risks associated with this, the Ministry’s second stage requires third party verification of certain information provided by the applicant. However, this verification requirement is largely ignored in practice.

The Auditor General also identified seven specific concerns related to ODSP in his report. He clearly identifies a failure to comply with existing requirements in five of them. Examples include:

- 60% of applicants received late payments after being found medically qualified for ODSP. The average delay was 58 days, 3 times longer than the limit established by the Ministry.
- The Ministry has failed to complete any of the medical reassessments required by legislation since 2002. There are now 37,000 outstanding.
- Overpayments have increased from $483 million to $663 million. One contributing factor is a failure to complete financial eligibility reassessments on files that have been identified as high-risk recipients.
We appreciate and encourage your government’s efforts to resolve the deficiencies identified by the Auditor General in his report. In doing so however, we urge you to reconsider your interpretation of his findings related to the SDA. His recommendations are that it be reviewed (OW Recommendation 4) and that suspicious or unusual cases be flagged for follow up (ODSP Recommendation 7). Instead of canceling this very necessary program, focus your corrective efforts on the greater concerns identified by Mr. McCarter.

Recent statements by your government focus on the rising costs of the SDA and conclude that the program is “unsustainable”. And yet, these statements are contrasted by the budget highlight document published by the Minister of Finance which includes a section discussing Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Plan. That section includes the following statement:

The Province has made a permanent commitment to break the cycle of poverty. In 2008, the McGuinty government announced a long-term poverty reduction plan that will provide the tools that families and individuals need to succeed and participate fully in society. The Open Ontario plan needs all Ontarians working at their best to compete in the global economy. This plan will help Ontario reach its full economic potential and lead to sustained economic growth. Supporting the vulnerable and helping them to succeed is not only fair but is also good for the economy.

Mr. McGuinty, the folks who require the assistance of the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Programs are already seriously marginalized. They are counted among the many vulnerable people identified in the budget highlight document I quote above. Considering the negative implications on their lives and our health care system, canceling the SDA seems entirely counterproductive.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing back from you regarding this important issue.

Sincerely,

Shelley Styles
President
OSSWGA

First Nations Technical Institue Facing possible Closure

The Honourable Chuck Strahl
Minister of Indian affairs and Northern Development and
Federal Interlocutor of Metis and Non-Status Indians
House of Commons
Room 100, Justice Building
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

The Honourable John Milloy
Minister of Training, Colleges &Universities, Ontario
Mowat Block, 3rd Floor, 900 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2

The Ontario Social Service Worker Association (OSSWA) represents many graduates from the Social Service Worker Diploma programs of 24 Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. As front line workers in Ontario, our members are keenly interested in the realities that face First Nation communities. Our Association is concerned that the Ministries of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and the Training Colleges and Universities Ontario are presently unable to commit to ensuring the survival of the First Nation’s Technical Institute (FNTI).

Created in 1985, FNTI was charged with creating culturally relevant post-secondary education and increased access for First Nation people who wished to attend post-secondary education. The need for this Institute was evident in the mid-eighties and even more so today. It is difficult to understand why the support for this facility is being withdrawn.

Mainstream educational institutions in Canada experience an unacceptable dropout rate among First Nation learners. This fact points to a systematic problem. FNTI has
contributed greatly to closing the educational gaps for indigenous people. They have done this without the luxury of stable core funding for over 20 years. Equitable funding for FNTI would foster even greater success. Culturally relevant and appropriate post-secondary programming is crucial for First Nation peoples.

At a time when the Federal government is now recognizing Canada’s past harms against Indigenous peoples through restitution and the Truth and Reconciliation process, it is difficult to understand why there is an inability to fund educational opportunities for these same peoples. Sustainable systematic accountability on all levels is long overdue. Access to meaningful education is a fundamental right that must be upheld.

The Ontario Social Service Worker;s Association, urges both the Federal and Ontario Governments to remove the threat of closure that is currently faced by FNTI. We call on both parties to work together and reconsider your current inequitable position effecting the education of First Nation peoples in Ontario. The loss of FNTI will have devastating consequences for current and future First Nation students. It is time to establish long term secure funding for this Institution. The stress of unstable funding has been tolerated far too long. First Nation youth need to know that they have a place to go for relevant, culturally appropriate post secondary education.

_____________________________________
Shelley Styles, President
Ontario Social Service Worker Association
1363 Woodroffe Ave Unit B
P.O. Box 33061
Ottawa, Ontario
K2C 3Y9

Cc: The Honourable Micheal J. Bryant
Minister Responsible for Native Affairs
Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs
720 Bay Street, 4th floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2K1

UPDATE

After significant community lobbying across the province, FNTI has secured funding for next year.

BILL 171 UPDATE - MARCH 21, 2007

The College was pleased to receive the following letter from the Hon. George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care respecting Bill 171 on March 19, 2007. As you can see, Minister Smitherman has confirmed that it is the intent of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to present a legislative amendment to Bill 171 respecting psychotherapy services. The College is very encouraged that this positive response from the Minister is consistent with the College’s request for a legislative amendment, as expressed in the attached Briefing Note, prepared by the College regarding Bill 171. The College looks forward to working with staff of the Ministries of Community and Social Services and Health and Long-Term Care as well as all Members of the Legislature as the Bill moves through the Legislative process. Second Reading of Bill 171 commenced on Tuesday March 20, 2007.

To view the letter from Minister Smitherman go to http://www.ocswssw.org/sections/pdf/Bill_171_Minister_Smitherman_Letter.pdf

To view the College’s Briefing Note respecting the need for an amendment to Bill 17 http://www.ocswssw.org/sections/pdf/Bill_171_Briefing_Note.pdf.

Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers is committed to respecting your privacy. For more information, view our terms and conditions or contact us at 250 Bloor Street East, Suite 1000, Toronto ON M4W 1E6.

© 2006 Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. All rights reserved.

Reduction in membership fees approved

On May 10, 2006, Council approved a By-law which reduced the annual fee and registration fee for members, effective January 1, 2007. A number of changes have been made in order to respond to recommendations from current and prospective members regarding the fee. They also reflect a strategic priority of Council to recruit and retain new graduates of social work and social service work programs as members of the College.

The following changes to the College's fee structure became effective beginning January 1, 2007:

For new graduates (those who apply for registration in the College in the year in which they graduate from a social work or social service work program), the registration fee decreased from $370 to $240 and continues to be pro-rated quarterly. Additionally, the annual fee for these new graduate members in the two subsequent years of their membership will be $240, provided that the payment of the annual fee is made prior to the date on which the late payment penalty is effective.

For new graduates, who graduated in 2006 and applied to the College in 2006, the registration fee remained at $370 and was pro-rated quarterly. However, the annual fee for these new graduate members is $240 for the two subsequent years of their membership provided that the payment of the annual fee is made prior to the date on which the late payment penalty is effective.

The non-refundable application fee remains unchanged at $75, payable when an application for registration is submitted to the College.

The annual fee for existing members of the College decreased from $370 to $340 per year.

If you have any questions about the new fee structure, please contact the College via e-mail at info@ocswssw.org.