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Increases to social assistance income exemptions will decrease benefits for some people
Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, Lisa MacLeod, released details of the Ontario government’s 100-day review of planned changes to social assistance in the province on November 22nd.
A key feature of her announcement was a new formula regarding the retention of social assistance benefits for people with jobs. It had been widely reported by the government and in the media that the plan included increases to the amount of money a person can keep from their social assistance when they work.
That will not always be the case according to John Stapleton, Innovation Fellow with the Metcalf Foundation.
Under the government’s proposed new system, a single person who is working and receiving benefits from the Ontario Disability Support Program will be allowed to earn up to $6,000 per year before having his or her income support benefits reduced.
This is a significant increase to the exemption limit that currently exists for ODSP, which only allows for earnings of $200 a month or $2400 annually. For Ontario Works recipients, the exemption limit will be increased from $200 a month to $300. In both cases, each dollar received beyond these limits will result in a 75 cent reduction or claw-back in benefits. At present, earning beyond the established limits, in both cases, result in just a 50 cent reduction for each dollar earned.
The increase to allowable earnings will result in people retaining more of their benefits as long as their earned income from employment remains below a certain level.
According to calculations done by Stapleton, the increase of the claw-back from 50 to 75 percent means that once a person on ODSP earns more than $13,200 in wages in a year, they will actually be worse off under the proposed new system than under the current one. For people on OW, the impact occurs even sooner; a person will be worse off once their annual employment income hits just $6000.
The changes will also negatively affect the point at which a person is no longer eligible for social assistance income supports because of income earned through employment.
At present, a person on ODSP can earn $30,456 before income benefits are reduced to zero. Under the proposed new system, income benefits will end once employment income reaches $24,704. Currently under OW, benefits end when income earnings reach $19,922, and the new end point will be $15,328.
These changes are displayed in graphs produced by Hannah Aldridge from the Maytree Foundation (click here to view them). The charts also show the significantly higher cutoff point that would have existed had the changes proposed by the previous Liberal government in the 2018 Provincial Budget been enacted.
Gord Kyle, Community Living Ontario
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More details on Quayside emerge ahead of public meeting
Affordability and accessibility are both part of Sidewalk Labs’ plan to bring a “new type of inclusive urban community that puts physical, digital, and social innovation to work for a better quality of life.”
The company, which is affiliated with Google, released a draft site plan ahead of a December 8th public roundtable. Sidewalk Labs, in partnership with Waterfront Toronto, wants to develop a tech-driven neighbourhood, called Quayside, along the City’s waterfront.
The plan calls for up to 12 buildings of varying sizes to be erected over 12 acres. The 2,500 units would be split between condos and rental units, accommodating roughly 5,000 people.
20 per cent of the rental units would be deemed affordable housing, including 5 per cent defined as deep affordability, although the site plan doesn’t give any more details.
In terms of accessibility, streets, public spaces, and the buildings themselves would exceed the Accessibility for Ontarian’s with Disabilities Act’s Design of Public Spaces standards, the Ontario Building Code, and the City of Toronto’s Accessibility Design Guidelines.
Click here to see the draft site plan.
In September, Community Living Ontario and several member organizations came together, in-person and online, to help the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University explore how to make smart technologies associated with housing, transportation, and energy use more inclusive and accessible.
The Research Centre, which collaborates with others to ensure that emerging information technology is designed inclusively, is working with Sidewalk Labs on the Quayside project. A report has since been put together summarizing the comments and recommendations from the Co-designing Inclusive Cities session, which were submitted to Sidewalk Labs to help in the design process.
The full report is available by clicking here.
Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario
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Queen’s University scores more than points with basketball tournament
Participants in Ball 4 a Cause probably worked up more than a sweat and an appetite after taking part in last Saturday’s basketball tournament at Queen’s University. They likely gained a better perspective around inclusion.
The event was organized by Friends 4 Inclusion, a student committee that raises awareness about the need for inclusion and accessibility on campus and in the community. The group has a long association with Community Living Kingston and District.
“We’ve had a relationship with them for at least 20 years,” said Eleonor Egidio, the organization’s Volunteer Services Coordinator.
About 10 teams took to the court in specially-designed wheelchairs for an afternoon of fun. It was the third year for the basketball tournament. Previously, the committee organized a dodgeball tournament.
“They switched it up because they thought it related more to the people that we’re supporting, and it also allows students to get more of a sense of what it [could be] like to live with a disability,” added Egidio.
In addition to hosting awareness and fundraising events on campus and in the community, the committee also recruits student volunteers that are matched with a person who has an intellectual disability based on his or her areas of interest.
“I know in terms of having students as volunteers, there are organizations in some communities that think they’re a transient group, they’re short-term. I figure if it allows people we support to access the community, or to learn a skill, to participate more, then why not?”
Egidio also pointed out that some students take part in the volunteer program throughout their entire university career, often hanging out with the same person, participating in community events, and forming natural relationships.
Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario
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Community’s role in supporting people a focus of upcoming Learning Exchange
As the theme would indicate, people will be a big part of the third annual From Presence to Citizenship Learning Exchange, but the community will also play a large part of People Driving Change.
“It’s all about shifting the way we traditionally do business, and it’s about the people we support and stakeholders, the families, being in the conversations about what people want,” said Jim Turner, Executive Director of Community Living Atikokan, one of the event organizers.
“It’s also about educating the community, and how everyone has a right to be a part of it.”
The forum, which takes place from February 6th to the 8th at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport, is geared to agency staff, from direct support professionals to senior management.
“We’re excited by the line-up we’ve put together, and we’re looking forward to a really eventful few days,” added Turner.
The Learning Exchange will feature a mix of networking events, plenary speakers, breakout sessions, and panel discussions. The dynamic group of speakers includes Paul Born, Peter Block, David Chalmers, Doug Cartan, Susan Stewart, Al Etmanski, Janet Klees, Jeff Mills, and Eric Goll.
Turner stated that with Passport and other forms of individualized funding being available to more people and their families, they’re having greater opportunities to participate in the community and to fulfil their goals. As such, members of the community should be more educated in how they might be able to assist people who have an intellectual disability to be fully engaged.
“That’s the focus. It’s not the support organization doing all the work, [and it’s important] that the community understands that they have a role to play [in supporting all of its citizens].”
To view the program for this year’s Learning Exchange, click here. You can register for the forum by clicking here. The event also follows the Developmental Services Human Resources Forum on February 5th and 6th.
Ron Laroche, Community Living Ontario
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Celebrity cookbook to benefit Community Living Mississauga
Want to try recipes from Olympian Silken Laumann, CFL legend Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, Chef Michael Smith and support Community Living Mississauga?
A new cookbook, just released for the holiday season, Sip, Sup, & Socialize, includes over 100 recipes from famous and not-so-famous foodies with all net proceeds going to support people who have an intellectual disability through Community Living Mississauga.
The project came about as a way to remember Nancy Murless, who was supported by Community Living Mississauga much of her adult life.
“When Nancy passed away in 2010, we really wanted a way to honour Nancy and to bring awareness to, and support for, people who have an intellectual disability,” explained her brother, Doug Murless.
“We came across an old copy of a charity cookbook Sip, Sup & Socialize compiled in 1975 and decided to create an updated version.”
Doug and his wife, Karen Wilson, began emailing and texting everyone they knew to get recipes.
“We were so amazed by the response,” said Karen. “Everyone was on board with the idea right away and soon our inbox was full.”
The couple also decided to go after well-known chefs and celebrities to really create interest in the book.
“We wanted to get some recognizable names so we could leverage their celebrity for promotional purposes and create more awareness for people who have intellectual disabilities,” added Karen.
Through email and tweeting, the pair managed to get chefs such as Susur Lee, Michael Smith, as well as Olympians Heather Moyse and Silken Laumann, Hockey Night in Canada analysts Kelly Hrudey and Nick Kypreos — and even Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton.
“I tweeted Chelsea one night out of the blue to ask if she would send us a recipe and explained what it was for,” recalled Doug.
“A few minutes later she answered back and said, ‘Absolutely, what do you need?’ I was thrilled.”
The book is being sold for $30 (which includes tax) and the couple are hoping that once printing is paid for, the net proceeds will amount to approximately $20 per book which will initially be donated to Community Living Mississauga.
“Our goal is to eventually use the book to help raise funds for Community Living associations across Canada,” concluded Doug. “The need is great everywhere and we hope to help out in is as many communities as we can.”
You can pre-order your book at www.sixdegreesfromnancy.com.
Story submitted by Community Living Mississauga
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School is in and the Together, We’re Better Contest is back
Community Living Ontario is inviting elementary school-aged children from across the province to participate in a contest that promotes and raises awareness about inclusive education.
Submissions are now being accepted for the 6th annual Together, We’re Better Contest.
The intent is to have students and classes begin to think about inclusion and to start a conversation about how a diverse classroom offers better educational experiences for all students.
Classes and students can enter by submitting videos, stories, and poems that talk about how students who have an intellectual disability should be included in regular classes, and why their class is better because everyone is learning together.
The deadline to enter is Monday, January 28th, 2019, and winners will be announced on Friday, February 8th, 2019. February is National Inclusive Education Month.
Download the flyer for further contest details. Click here for the English flyer and here for the French version.
Update Friday Staff
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Great things await…at Great Wolf Lodge
Celebrate Community Living Month at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls. The resort is offering room packages for select dates in May, starting at $174.99 per night.
The offer is valid for the evenings of May 14th through to May 17th, and rooms must be booked by April 14th. The package includes waterpark passes for up to four people.
Click here to download the flyer and promotional code.
Update Friday Staff
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