Poverty Awareness in York Region

Shoddy Treatment of the Poor

Nov. 17, 2006. 01:00 AM
by CAROL GOAR, Toronto Star

The first time the McGuinty government raised welfare rates, it inadvertently fumbled. The second time — which takes place at the end of this month — it chose to be insensitive.

Provincial officials claim nothing has changed.

Judge for yourself.

Two and a half years ago, Finance Minister Greg Sorbara announced a 3 per cent increase in social assistance and disability support payments (both are considered welfare). It was the first boost in 11 years.

"Whatever challenges the province faces, we must not forget the challenges faced by the most vulnerable," Sorbara said in his inaugural budget.

He set an implementation date of July 1, 2004. But the Liberals discovered that the computer software put in place by their Tory predecessors was incapable of processing a simple rate increase.

It took an astonishing 11 months to straighten out the glitch.

In the interim, the government improvised. It sent welfare recipients two lump sum payments along with their regular benefits. People on disability support got an extra $240. People on social assistance got $130.

Thanks to these top-ups, the increase was effectively retroactive to July 1.

The delivery was ham-handed to be sure. But at least the government tried to treat the province's poorest citizens fairly.

Last spring, then-finance minister Dwight Duncan announced a second increase in welfare rates. In his March 23 budget, he signalled the government's intention to raise social assistance and disability support payments by 2 per cent. No implementation date was given.

Ontarians who depend on these benefits waited for further details. None came. They asked their caseworkers when they'd see the increase. Local officials said they didn't know. They phoned the Ministry of Community and Social Services and got nowhere.

By midsummer, some turned in frustration to the Star. Using sources not normally available to welfare recipients, the newspaper ascertained that the increase would take effect at the end of November — a full eight months after the minister's announcement.

This still has not been communicated to the 420,000 people directly affected. The first notification they will get is an insert, with this month's cheque, explaining the increase.

What will not be explained is why the Liberals took two-thirds of a year to do what they announced and why they kept welfare recipients in the dark the whole time.

The increase will not be retroactive. There will be no acknowledgment — monetary or otherwise — that the government treated the province's poorest citizens shoddily.

It wouldn't be wildly expensive to show a bit of decency.

If the increase were backdated to July, a severely disabled welfare recipient would get an extra $95.90. An individual on basic social assistance would receive an additional $53.60.

The total cost would be $31.8 million.

To put that in perspective, it is the equivalent of one-third of a day's worth of provincial health spending.

It would require three hours' worth of provincial tax revenues.

Regrettably, this small injustice is likely to slip by unnoticed.

Most taxpayers don't know anyone on welfare and don't have much sympathy for those who depend on the public purse.

Most MPPs aren't inclined to go to bat for people who seldom vote.

Most journalists aren't interested in chronicling the indignities of life on welfare.

Even anti-poverty groups have stopped demanding that Premier Dalton McGuinty reverse the punitive welfare cuts imposed by his predecessor, Mike Harris. They've concluded that it is a lost cause.

In short, it would be easy for the government to deliver this month's long-delayed welfare increase without a word of apology or a dollar of recompense.

But for electors who voted Liberal in hopes of restoring the values on which Ontario was built, it would be nice to see an act of moral leadership from the premier.

For teachers who are trying to integrate character development into their lessons, as McGuinty says they should, it would be nice to point to politicians who voluntarily did the right thing.

For kids who are being taught to stand up for people who can't fight for themselves, it would be nice to see grown-ups practise what they preach.

The Liberals seemed to grasp this when they took office. They knew they couldn't solve all of the problems they inherited, but they tried to move ahead responsibly and compassionately.

Over the course of their mandate, they discovered they could get away with less. Ontario is the poorer for it.