Anti-Poverty Activists Shut Down Office Of Minister Of Community And Social Services

Demand Raise in OW/ODSP Rates and Hands off the Special Diet!

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On Thursday, March 18th members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, OCAP Ottawa, and Ottawa's Under Pressure Collective teamed up to descend upon the office of Madeleine Meilleur, Liberal Minister of Community and Social Services.

As the Liberals are putting the finishing touches on the budget at Queen's Park, we made clear that we will not sit by quietly while the provincial government continues to attack the basic needs of poor communities. Filling the office and surrounding street front with angry chants we demanded an immediate 40% raise to social assistance rates and an end to the attack on the Special Diet supplement. While Meilleur's assistants responded to our demands by calling in the cops, people passing by greeted the banner dropped from the minister's rooftop, flyers, speeches and chants with words of encouragement and honking car horns.

While all this went down at her office Minister Meilleur was busy orchestrating the biggest cut to social assistance since Harris slashed the rates by 21.6% in 1995. Blatantly trying to circumvent orders from the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, the Liberals have sent clear signals that they intend to entirely eliminate the Special Diet Supplement. In a pathetic attempt to disguise their anti-poor agenda, rumors have circulated in the media that suggest the Liberals might offer a measly 3-4% raise. Essentially, they are robbing thousands of individuals and families receiving the Special Diet of hundreds of dollars a month, needed for basic housing and food costs, and offering them $18 to $31 in exchange. For poor people there is no difference between the McGuinty and Harris governments: same program, different facade.

Governments responded to the economic crisis by giving billions of dollars in bailouts and tax cuts to failed corporations and banks. Now they are looking to get that money back in the way of serious social cutbacks. The Special Diet is an example of this, but housing, social assistance, childcare, and all public services are under threat. We know that any cuts will result in an even bigger explosion of poverty and suffering in this Province.

If we let the government write our future, it will be bleak. We are calling on poor and working people in Ontario to organize and fight back.

We won’t pay for their crisis or their deficit. We demand the right to a decent income and a future free of poverty. Raise the Rates by 40% Now!

Join us on April 15 and fight for the right to decent income!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) Call-in / Email in Day: Tuesday, March 23rd
Contact the Minister of Community and Social Services at (416) 325-5225 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (416) 325-5225      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or madeleine.meilleur@ontario.ca and Janet Davis, Chair of the Council Committee responsible for Social Services in Toronto at (416) 392-4035 councillor_davis@toronto.ca.
**To the Province: Tell them you support the following demands: Restore Social Assistance rates to the 1993 level, Don't eliminate or reduce the Special Diet, Throw out the Provincial memos limiting access to the Special Diet.

** To the City: Toronto City Council must register its opposition to this new policy by the Province AND inform its own social services offices to respect people's right to the Special Diet

2) Come Out: Public Meeting - Testimony of Poor People Against this Government
Friday, April 9th: 6pm @ PARC (1499 Queen St W)

3) Come Out: Mass Demonstration
Raise the Rates - Rally and March Against the McGuinty Government
Thursday, April 15th: 12noon @ Allan Garden's Park (Gerrard and Sherbourne)