Community Voices

Contributions from others in the community

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Recent Posts

Talking our way out of poverty

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By Deborah O’Connor

Lets talk, shall we? Somehow, over many years of increasing poverty and misery for the disadvantaged, a large cadre of well meaning, middle class social agency workers have built up a philosophy that threatens to perpetuate the very problems they claim they are trying to solve. Encouraged, even enabled by government bureaucrats, these people have drowned out the cries of protest that seek immediate solutions, and reduced the real activists to a marginalized and demeaned fringe element. Consider the recent federal budget, and comments from the local executive director of Habitat for Humanity made to Rick Norlock, our federal Member of Parliament at his annual budget breakfast. Despite cutting off funding to build affordable housing back in the early 90s, with no plans to bring that back in spite of the current crisis in homelessness, this charity worker congratulated Mr. Norlock for throwing a few paltry crumbs in the direction of social housing. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices

Observations from a recent Northumberland County Council meeting

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By Deborah O’Connor

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the monthly County Council meeting with fellow citizen journalist Scott Lamberton. We were there to record our impressions of the occasion, from the timely showing of a video on local poverty from the Halliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Health Unit, to another from newly hired consultant Tim Welch explaining how he’ll spend the nearly $42,000 awarded to his company to develop a 10-year plan for housing and homelessness in Northumberland. Following that, there was discussion about the 2013 County budget, a $95 million package that looks after many of our most crucial services. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Politics

Funding loss cripples local agencies serving poor

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By Deborah O’Connor

The last year has been a tumultuous one in Ontario for those caught in the welfare trap. Faced first by the austerity demands of the Drummond Report, then the final report from the Commission to Review Social Assistance, released after the legislature was already prorogued, the year ended with no clear direction in place but cuts to basic supports imposed regardless. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice

Welfare reform report released in a vacuum

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By Deborah O’Connor

The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance finally released its long awaited report, “Brighter Prospects: Transforming Social Assistance In Ontario”, today following a one-month delay. Too bad nobody is home at the Ontario Legislature to act on it. It’s not likely to make much difference anyway since many activists aren’t expecting anything positive from it. While the reforms designed to cut the welfare rolls and save money will no doubt be eagerly embraced, those who would improve the system and the lives of those affected are not welcoming it, if past government behaviors are any indication. The facts are while the Liberal government in Ontario added about 130 million to the welfare budget this year, corresponding cutbacks clawed away half of the rolls. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice

Analysis shows Ontario’s poor under fire despite political spin

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By Deborah O’Connor

It’s been a tough year for the disadvantaged in Ontario. First, we had the Drummond Report recommending all sorts of drastic options for our public programs, including social assistance. And then, the 2012 budget took away with one hand more than twice what was given by the other. As if that wasn’t tough enough, the Social Assistance Review Commission is expected to release their own report in September, and all indications point to more pain for the poor. Meanwhile the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Rental Market Report for Spring 2012 shows another drop in vacancy rates, down to just 2.3per cent across Ontario. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Politics, Social Justice

Poverty law as threatened as the poor by Ontario austerity measures

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By Deborah O’Connor

Legal clinics, the seemingly silent side of Legal Aid Ontario, may be home to many idealistic, justice seeking lawyers, but they are still part of the government funded, and very official, legal system, subject to the same been counting instincts of administrators everywhere. Like so many other public services, they have grown bit-by-bit, region-by-region, until every geographic corner of Ontario has been covered, each clinic a unique entity. Perhaps grown complacent after years of steady funding, the clinics seem somewhat shocked that bean counters at head office are less impressed with their noble attributes than in the past and looking for radical change in how they conduct their business now. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice

Prescription for legal clinics from Legal Aid Ontario

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By Deborah O’Connor

In the first article of our series we looked at Ontario’s system of legal clinics and how Legal Aid Ontario, their funder, sees their operations. In their discussion paper of May 2012 LAO calls upon clinics to examine their most fundamental views of the system and find more responsive, and more cost effective ways to deliver their services. Predictably, the clinics are feeling threatened by this latest challenge since they have already had several years of belt tightening and increased pressure to do more with less. Contained in LAO’s report are many criticisms of how clinics do business. There are complaints small clinics in rural areas are inefficient, despite the fact that the clinics provide what is usually the only life-line for low income residents caught up in legal problems threatening their income, housing, and well being. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice

Tightening the screws on Ontario’s legal clinics: part one

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By Deborah O’Connor

Since 2008 there have been three major discussion papers examining the state of the Province’s legal clinics, the latest released in May 2012 with the intimidating title of “Ideas for the Future Development of Clinic Law Delivery Services in Ontario”. This one is the most critical of the system yet, and announces its purpose is to challenge clinics to “address fundamental questions about long term structure and sustainability of clinic law services in Ontario”. With a background that includes taking part in the formation of the Northumberland Community Legal Clinic based in Cobourg, and many years of employment there as a community legal worker, this writer admits upfront that legal clinics are dear to my heart. While criminal and family law matters eat up the lion’s share of legal aid funding and use private bar lawyers to assist clients, the clinics, that part of Legal Aid Ontario that deals with poverty law specifically, are unique in how they practice the fine art of securing social and economic justice for clients. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice

Poverty: Premier just doesn’t get it

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By Deborah O’Connor

Sunday’s charming scene showing Dalton McGuinty shooting hoops with low income kids at a recreation centre in Toronto was a heart-warming sight that belied the message he delivered to Ontario’s poor while he was there. Claiming he won’t balance the books on the backs of the poor, he proceeded to announce a freeze on welfare rates and a 50 percent cut to previously planned increases to the Ontario Child Benefit over the next two years. If these measures don’t hurt the poor, it’s hard to imagine why not. For starters, Statistics Canada reports the Consumer Price Index for Ontario rose almost three percent in the last year, making his welfare rate freeze a cut in any practical sense. Boasting that his government has restored twelve percent of the twenty two percent welfare rate cuts imposed in 1995, he chooses to ignore the fact that ten percent remains unrestored, and that inflation has brought the impact of the 1995 cuts all the way up to a fifty percent loss for recipients by now. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices

Client shares insight into welfare reform

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By Christine Watts

It is hard to feel hopeful or mentally stable when I think about the upcoming provincial budget and report from the Commission Reviewing Social Assistance.  My concern is no longer whether they plan to slash the net out from under us – but when and by how much they will reduce our income, benefits and supports. If the under-employed and those who lack access, mobility and ability are suddenly expected to find work and this requirement is imposed through an inhumane and unrealistic program; the clients will no doubt be blamed for laziness and lack of effort.  (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Social Justice