Letter: Rising OW and ODSP rates are not keeping pace
Ontario Works benefits have been frozen since 2018 at $733/month, losing $140 in value. The Manitoulin Legal Clinic urges Ontario to raise rates to match inflation and help recipients.
Letters to the Editor
Social support programs not keeping pace, even frozen for last eight years
To the Expositor:
In communities across the Manitoulin District, we see every day the impact of a social assistance system that has not kept pace with the realities people face.
This July, people receiving Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits will see a 1.9% increase to reflect inflation. However, people receiving Ontario Works (OW) will continue to have their benefits frozen for the eighth consecutive year. Despite the rising cost of housing, food, transportation, and other necessities, Ontario Works rates have not increased since 2018.
Much has changed since the last increase. Housing costs, food prices, transportation expenses, and everyday necessities have all increased significantly. Across our communities, we have seen growing food insecurity, increased demand for community supports, and more people struggling to meet their basic needs.
In the Manitoulin District, these challenges are magnified by the realities of living in a rural and remote region. The cost of groceries, transportation, and housing can be significantly higher than in larger urban centres. Many residents face additional barriers, including limited employment opportunities, seasonal work, long travel distances, and a shortage of affordable housing. For people living on low incomes, transportation costs and access to services can create additional barriers to employment, healthcare, education, and other essential supports.
When people receiving Ontario Works cannot afford basic necessities, the impact is felt throughout our communities鈥攏ot only by individuals and families, but also by local businesses, community organizations, and service providers working hard to support those in need.
For a single adult, the maximum Ontario Works benefit remains $733 per month. After years without meaningful increases, inflation has significantly reduced the purchasing power of that amount. According to the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC), the frozen benefit has lost nearly $140 per month in real value since 2018. A benefit that does not keep pace with the cost-of-living leaves people further behind every year.
As a community legal clinic serving the Manitoulin District, we see firsthand how inadequate income supports contribute to housing instability, food insecurity, and increased barriers for people trying to move forward. Our clients are people in our communities鈥攏eighbours, family members, caregivers, workers, and individuals facing difficult circumstances. They deserve a social assistance system that recognizes the realities of living today.
It is important to remember who relies on Ontario Works. Recipients include single parents, young people who cannot find adequate work, people facing barriers to employment, and individuals who provide unpaid care to older adults or family members with disabilities. Many people receiving Ontario Works want to work but face circumstances that make employment difficult, including limited job opportunities, caregiving responsibilities, transportation barriers, or insufficient hours of work.
When people do find employment, the current rules can make it difficult to build financial stability because benefits are reduced as income increases. Supporting people as they transition into the workforce requires a system that encourages stability and opportunity, not one that leaves people struggling to survive.
A system that leaves people in poverty does not serve our communities. If the government is unwilling to significantly increase Ontario Works rates, it should at minimum ensure that benefits keep pace with inflation and allow recipients to retain more of their employment income. These changes would help people move toward greater independence while strengthening communities across Ontario.
Treating Ontario Works recipients as though the economy has not changed since 2018 helps no one. It is time for Ontario to recognize the economic realities facing people today and ensure that social assistance provides a pathway to stability, dignity, and opportunity.
Susan Mullen
Community Legal Worker
Licensed Paralegal
Manitoulin Legal Clinic
Members Discussion