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Still
Can’t Pay the Rent and Eat Healthy
Response to Ontario’s 2010 Budget
by Brice Balmer, ISARC Director [article
in ISARC e-newsletter, April 2010]
The Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy did not receive significant financial support in the province’s 2010 budget. Increase to Basic Needs and Housing Allowances was only 1% which meant an increase of 11% since 2003 - increases that are less than the inflation rate over the seven years.
Families receiving Ontario Child Benefit income over the past three years had additional increases, but single adults were poorer than seven years ago. And, affordable housing did not receive funding in this budget.
The province did provide money for child care to replace the monies ($6.5 million) previously provided by the federal government. This was a welcome relief to municipalities, many of which already had waiting lists for child care. The budget also provided additional monies for re-training and post secondary education. Both essential during this recession.
As ISARC travels around the province with the Social Audit, local rapporteurs and recorders are hearing how difficult it is for people on social assistance and low wages to survive. One woman reported re-using toilet paper because she does not have enough money for foods and other essentials. “It’s an indignity,” she stated.
Many people coming to the Social Audits said they want a job but cannot find one. A single father with two children is trying his hardest to complete his high school so that he can get a decent job. He talked about his problems with transportation, food costs, and housing. He wants his children to do well in school and he needs to be an example.
Others had trouble accessing medical care. People on social assistance or low wages do not have the money for transportation. This is especially true for rural people because medical services are in the cities. Sometimes doctors prescribe a drug not covered by Ontario Drug Plan. Then people with low incomes have a difficult decision: pay for the drug or buy food.
Parents are struggling to pay course fees at high schools or the uniform which need to be purchased if their son is to play on the high school team. These difficult choices affect their ability to purchase good food for their family.
Rapporteurs and recorders are surprised by the difficulties faced by people on social assistance. And they were also surprised by the resilience. When some people at the hearings wondered why there was such poverty in this wealthy nation, the rapporteurs and reporters agreed. Why homelessness? Children living in poverty? Lack of food and other essentials? Problems with transportation to jobs or to school (especially for those in high school where the system does not provide transportation)?
One person who lost a job 18 months ago said that he did not know how to survive. He never expected to lose everything and then live on such a low income. He described himself as the “new poor” who previously had a good job in manufacturing. He used up all his assets and then finally was able to receive Ontario Works monthly payments. “There was no social safety net. I thought we had some protection in Canada. I didn’t. We don’t.”
The Ontario 2010 budget will not relieve the pain and struggle of people on the lowest incomes. There will not be additional housing dollars.
Hopefully the province’s Social Assistance Review will provide a road map, so that people with lowest incomes can at least have housing, food and other essentials for themselves and their children.
Perhaps increasing asset levels will mean that individuals and families do not need to sell everything before receiving social assistance.
Perhaps after the review, the social safety net might be put up again, even better than before.
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