Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance and Employment Committee Update

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Erick Terry
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1 Community and Health Services Department Office of the Commissioner MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Members of Committee of the Whole Adelina Urbanski, Commissioner of Community and Health Services DATE: September 12, 2013 RE: Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance and Employment Committee Update Significant provincially mandated multi-year reforms to Child Care and Homelessness are currently underway across Ontario. The Province is proceeding with Social Assistance Reform in stages The spring 2013 Ontario Budget announced initial steps to reform social assistance with a focus on improving client incomes, promoting better employment outcomes and increasing fairness, namely: A one per cent rate increase for Ontario Works recipients and people with disabilities on ODSP. A $14 top-up for single adults without children on Ontario Works. The top-up and the one per cent increase mean that single adults without children on Ontario Works would receive an additional $20 per month. A $200 a month earnings exemption to allow social assistance recipients to earn more without impacting their assistance. An increase in the asset limits and allowable assets in Ontario Works. More harmonized rules between Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works, such as those related to self-employment earnings and treatment of gifts. These initial changes, which will come into effect in the early fall, are according to the Province intended to set the stage for long-term social assistance transformation that will make this system better focused on helping more people find employment and providing recipients with improved financial security.

2 September 12, Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance and Employment Committee Update In July 2013, the Province announced a five-year multi-pronged engagement strategy to set social assistance reform in motion, including: A new Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion that will lead development of the renewed Poverty Reduction Strategy, with social assistance transformation as a cornerstone. A Minister s General Advisory Council which will include the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The creation of the Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee. York Region was invited to join the Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee York Region was one of ten municipalities chosen to be part of the Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee, which also includes the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association. Cordelia Abankwa, General Manager for Social Services was invited to be part of this team (membership list is included as Attachment 1), and sits on the Committee as York Region s representative. Committee members will focus on short and long-term initiatives and strategies to support social assistance reform The Committee, which held its inaugural meeting in July, is co-chaired by the Assistant Deputy Minister, Social Policy Development Division, Ministry of Community and Social Services, the Deputy City Manager, City of Toronto, and the Director of Policy at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Provincial members are Assistant Deputy Ministers from the ministries of Finance; Municipal Affairs and Housing; Children and Youth Services; Training, Colleges and Universities; Education; Health and Long-Term Care; and Economic Development Trade and Employment. The role of this committee is to provide input on social assistance directions, options and innovative approaches. Discussions will also focus on identifying potential impacts of Social Assistance Reform on municipalities, considerations related to implementation, and on approaching social assistance reform in an aligned and complementary manner. The goal of bringing members with experience with an array of portfolios is to advance social assistance reform within a vision of advancing broader human service integration. The scope of work will focus on the following key themes: Employment outcomes (e.g. simplifying employment-related benefits, finding better ways to link social assistance recipients with Employment Ontario). Improved incomes (e.g. exploring development of benchmarks that could support a consistent rate-setting method in future, examining role of special purpose benefits). Integrity and accountability (e.g. developing performance measures and opportunities for public reporting).

3 September 12, Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance and Employment Committee Update Service excellence (e.g. centralizing back office functions, introducing reloadable debit card). Strategic alignment/linkages (e.g. broader initiatives impacting employment services for social assistance recipients, including the commitment to integrating employment and training services and the renegotiation of federal-provincial labour market agreements, renewal of the poverty reduction strategy). Implications and Next Steps The Province and municipalities envision social assistance as a system that: Provides adequate support to recipients; Is simple to understand; Effectively promotes employment and self-sufficiency as the primary goal while recognizing the unique needs of individuals; and Is easily accessed, with multi-channel convenience and consistent service standards. Municipalities and the Province also have a shared interest in the design and delivery of more integrated human services including social assistance (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program), employment and training services and supports, child care, housing and other services and programs for low income populations. Given this, the Province s decision to move forward with Social Assistance Reform is positive. As well, the decision to bring a wide range of perspectives to the table to ensure alignment and integration across employment, human service and financial portfolios and phase this complex reform in over the next five to six years can align well with the Homelessness and Child Care reform and may help municipalities as they work to build capacity to absorb the impact of the significant reforms currently underway. Adelina Urbanski Commissioner of Community and Health Services CA/kn Attachment #

4 ATTACHMENT 1 Provincial and Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee Membership Ontario Government Ministries David Carter-Whitney Assistant Deputy Minister, Social Policy Development Division Ministry of Community and Social Services (Co-Chair) Dr. Vasanthi Srinivasan Assistant Deputy Minister, Health System Strategy and Policy Division Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Janet Mason Assistant Deputy Minister, Local Government and Planning Policy Division Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Janet Hope Assistant Deputy Minister, Housing Division Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Marie-Lison Fougère Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Programs Division Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Aryeh Gitterman, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Development and Program Design Division Ministry of Children and Youth Services Darryl Sturtevant, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Planning Division Ministry of Children and Youth Services Leah Myers, Assistant Deputy Minister, Pension, Income Security and Research Division Ministry of Finance Jim Grieve, Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Learning Division Ministry of Education Bill Mantel, Assistant Deputy Minister, Research, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Division Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment Ann Hoy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment

5 City of Toronto Brenda Patterson Deputy City Manager (Co-chair) Irwin Stanley A/General Manager Employment & Social Services Municipal Members Janet Menard, Commissioner, Human Services, The Regional Municipality of Peel Fern Dominelli, CAO, Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board Leo DeLoyde, CAO, District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board Cordelia Abankwa, General Manager of Social Services, The Regional Municipality of York David Landers, CAO, Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board Patti Moore, General Manager, Haldimand Norfolk Health and Social Services Margaret Roushorne, General Manager, Social and Children s Services, County of Lambton Anne Comtois-Lalonde, Administrator of Social Services, The United Counties of Prescott and Russell Jim Pine, CAO, County of Hastings Monika Turner, Director of Policy, Association of Municipalities of Ontario (Co-chair) Michael Jacek, Senior Advisor, Association of Municipalities of Ontario Petra Wolfbeiss, Director, Policy and Public Affairs, Ontario Municipal Social Services Association Provincial Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee Secretariat Erin Hannah, Director, Planning and Strategic Policy Ministry of Community and Social Services Josh Vandezande, Manager, Planning and Strategic Policy Ministry of Community and Social Services Provincial and Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee Membership 2

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