Monday, October 12, 2009

How to write a letter to a politician

Sitting down and writing an original letter to a politician isn’t as convenient as sending a form letter or email composed by someone else, but it is much more effective and much more likely to receive a personalised response.

Starting out

1) Start broad. Work out what the issue is you are passionate about. Now get specific. What change do you want to see? What message do you want to deliver?

2) Do background research. This will help you to refine your thinking on the issue and will give you information to support your view and argue your case.

3) You might want to try and find out:
Statistics—has any relevant research been done which could support your case? For example: if you were writing a letter to the Minister for Health about banning smoking in clubs and pubs you might want to find out how many people have suffered health problems as a result of second hand smoke.

Who has done what. What actions have been taken by the government? By the opposition and minor parties? By organisations who are passionate about the issue?

Who thinks what?
What’s the government’s view?
Where do the opposition and minor parties stand on the issue?
What views are presented by key organisations?
Any other interesting facts?
Has there been a recent demonstration?
Has the issue received any media attention? 4) Ideas for where to search:

The website of the government department responsible
Federal or state parliament websites. Here you can search Hansard, which is the transcript of parliament. It’s great for finding out who said what. You can also find out about any Bills (laws) that are being introduced that affect your issue. The easiest way to learn about a Bill is to read the Minister’s Second Reading Speech or the Explanatory Memorandum (EM). Both should clearly explain what the Bill is about.
Political party websites. Websites of key organisations involved in your issue.

5) Which politician? Make sure you address the letter to the right politician. There are heaps of tools in the ActNow government toolkit that will help you work this out. Tips for writing the letterLanguageUse formal language but remember you are expressing your point of view, so phrases like ‘I feel’ and ‘I want to see’ are good to include. Be politeBeing abusive or offensive won’t do you any favours—you can be firm and state your case without being rude.

LayoutContact details:

Include your name and contact details in the top right-hand corner of the page

Include their name and contact details underneath on the left-hand side of the page Form of address:

Dear Prime Minister
Dear Premier
Dear Minister
Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr (surname) Introduction:

State what the issue is

State what you want done about it Body:

Focus on two or three main points which support your view. Use examples from your research as evidence. Conclusion:

Reiterate your view expressed in the introduction

Pick one strong example from your letter to back up your point

Ask for the politician to respond to your letter

Conclude with a salutation, e.g. regards, yours sincerely
http://www.actnow.com.au/Tool/How_to_write_a_letter_to_a_politician.aspx

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Friday, September 25, 2009

HEALTH: Report says too many children in Ontario have poor eating habits, don't get enough excercise

Making parents feel guilty about their children's eating and exercise habits isn't likely to produce healthier kids, a Queen's University researcher says.

A report by the Heart and Stroke Foundation recently released says too many of Ontario's children have poor eating habits and don't get enough exercise, but Dr. Elaine Power is concerned that reports like this one focus too heavily on the role of parents and not enough on societal factors, such as poverty, the role of schools and food marketing.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation study asked 1,189 Ontario parents of children between six and 12 years of age about their children's diet and exercise habits. The study concluded that many of the province's children are living an unhealthy childhood due to a lack of physical activity and poor eating habits.

The study found, for example, that only one in eight Ontario children (13%) eats the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day. It found that 24%ate junk food three or more times a week.

It compared the findings to a 1998 national survey and concluded that there had been little improvement in children's eating habits since then, and even some regression.

"The report should serve as a wakeup call that the health of our children is not making the grade," said Dr. Andrew Pipe, a Queen's grad and spokesman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The report warns that this generation of children will live shorter lives than their parents because they have a higher risk of developing such life-threatening illnesses as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

A major problem is poverty, she says. Power notes that the Heart and Stroke Foundation study did a good job of pointing out that some children don't eat healthy foods because their parents can't afford them.

"Fruit and vegetables are often the first things to go," she says, "If you're looking to keep your kid from getting hungry, lettuce really doesn't cut it. Fruit and vegetables don't fill people up in the way that bread and potatoes and starches do."

If Ontarians want their children to be more healthy, the focus should be not on parents, but on what society can do to bring this about, says Power. "How, as a society, can we do a better job of producing healthier, happier kids in the future?"

"The problem is, that would cost money and some people would object on that basis. You're talking about raising taxes."

Whole Story http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1766727

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Where Does All The Money GO

Township staff to DSSAB: Is that your final answer?


Answers to questions raised by Seguin Township’s representatives with the district’s social service provider have been delivered to Seguin council, and the councillors are not happy with the answers provided.


In April, council sent along questions about the Parry Sound District Social Service Administration Board’s (DSSAB) long-term financial plan after the board and the township disagreed over what should be done with provincially uploaded social service money.


Seguin’s representatives to the board, Coun. Bruce Gibbon and Coun. Susan Adams, had asked questions about the new administration building, which will hold all of the DSSAB’s operations under one roof. They wanted to know what was the approved budget for the project, and what is the current estimated cost to complete it. In response, the DSSAB did not provide specific answers, but did mention the amount of the awarded tender almost $3.5 million.


Seguin asked how is it possible that the investment budgeted for the new facility is twice that invested in public housing between 2006 and 2010, and they wanted to see a “synopsis of the rationale supporting the investment.”


In its response to Seguin, DSSAB said the business case for the $2.3 million project was done informally with the board during an in-camera session and no such case analysis was provided.


In a letter addressed to Adams and Gibbons, Patterson said the 2009 levy to District of Parry Sound municipalities incorporates the influx of provincial dollars for an overall reduction in the local cost of the Ontario Disability Support Program, as well as increases to Ontario Works, Child Care, and Social Housing programs and capital repairs.

“The board is charged with the task of adequately planning for anticipated expenditures under various provincial acts and regulations as well as responding to concerns and risks of our municipal environment,” she wrote.
http://www.parrysound.com/press/1249666693/

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/


Ron Payne

Welfare Legal

Hamilton, Ontario

Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Thursday, August 20, 2009

More Worker Fraud

An Aroland First Nation resident faces numerous fraud-related charges after an extensive Nishnawbe Aski Police Service investigation into her activities as Ontario Works administrator in the community several years ago.

Carrianne Towedo, 30, was arrested May 24. Police allege more than $100,000 was taken from Ontario Works.

Towedo was scheduled to appear in Thunder Bay court May 26 to face three counts of forgery, fraud over $5,000, breach of trust and uttering forged documents.

http://www.wawataynews.ca/node/11522

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
WelfareLegal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Bureaucrat’s victims robbed of $1.23 million

Government worker pleads guilty to stealing from ill, homeless

TORONTO — Preadorshani Biazar was a relatively low-earning provincial bureaucrat with an unemployed husband when she was arrested in 2007 — yet she was able to travel the world, own three Toronto-area homes and drive an expensive luxury SUV.

On Tuesday, the woman’s secret source of wealth was unearthed in a Toronto courtroom, as Biazar pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.23 million from mentally ill, homeless and even dead people whose interests she was supposed to be protecting.

They include the tale of one homeless, mentally ill man who had lived on the streets for decades when Biazar took over his case in 2007. Because the man’s government benefits went untouched, he had accrued nearly $116,000 in an account.

She drove a BMW X5, owned a $30,000 power boat and travelled to Europe, Las Vegas, Dubai and Halifax. The family took multiple ski vacations to Mont Tremblant and Collingwood and ationed at summer resorts.

See the whole story
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Government+worker+pleads+guilty+stealing+from+homeless/1790881/story.html
For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Welfare worker had escort licence, stole rent cheques

From the archives.

This welfare worker fraud story came to light after the BC government sold a batch of computer tapes at a government auction.

A former welfare case worker was accused of embezzling money and using her job to recruit workers for an escort service, a confidential document from computer tapes sold by the B.C. government has revealed.

She said the woman wrote cheques to herself using money that should have gone to pay for the rent of ministry clients.

The transcript is contained in a file on one of 41 computer tapes sold by the provincial government on May 17, 2005, at a public auction in Surrey. The tapes were sold for $101 in an auction lot along with other assorted computer equipment.

Among the other files on the tapes are records on thousands of people's medical status -- including a listing of some people with HIV or mental illness -- and a record of whether they are considered fit for work.

That file also contains social insurance numbers, provincial health numbers and other confidential information.

Another file on the tapes contains a listing of the names, social insurance numbers and internal government file numbers for more than 30,000 refugees.

While much of the sensitive information on those tapes deals with members of the public, there is also confidential information on government employees themselves.

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=aebf3fbd-24ab-4225-a3bd-dd5628eb60ae&p=2

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Welfare Fraud Pays Well If Your A Worker At The Top

Over time Welfare Legal has been posting information regarding the corruption of Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The one thing that stands out on this subject is the fraud that is being committed by upper management.

One of these cases has now gone through the court system and the results are shocking to say the least. It is the case of Salvatore Cuglietta who was a manager at the Ministry of Community and Social Services office in Sault Ste. Marie where he administered a number of programs, including the Ontario Disability Support Program. Cuglietta had bilked the provincial government and taxpayers of nearly $600,000.

Prosecutor Glen Wasyliniuk said the ministry was seeking restitution of the money taken from “the taxpayers, the people of Ontario.’’ As well, it wanted a further $93,000 to cover the cost of the forensic investigation, the Crown attorney said.

Both the Crown and defence called for a three-year prison term in a joint submission that was part of a plea bargain.

Well here is where it gets good, The judge sentenced Cuglietta to 3 years in jail but did not order him to pay any restitution. This guy steels $600,000 from, in essence the people that need the money the most and he doesn't have to pay one cent back. (WOW)

One could say that Cuglietta will make $200,000 a year for three years while he sits in jail. (What A Deal) The deal becomes sweeter when we will learn that he will probably be released in record breaking time on early parole. (Unheard Of)

The question now becomes why? What is it about the system that nobody wants out? Just think about all the corruption that I have produced on this blog and this is just a very small tip of the iceberg.

Those at the very top, like him, would have full knowledge of what I have been talking about. He has been paid off and paid off big time, to keep his mouth shut.

Those that live in poverty trying to survive, will sleep better at night knowing that Cuglietta will be looked after, getting 3 good meals a day, his own room with TV and playing golf, daily at Club Fed.

Link http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1577830

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

$600K Fraud COURT: Crown will seek penitentiary term for former Ministry of Community, Social Services manager

An anonymous letter alerted authorities to a large-scale fraud committed by a manager at the Ministry of Community and Social Services office in Sault Ste. Marie, a judge heard Tuesday.

The letter triggered an investigation that discovered Salvatore Cuglietta had bilked the provincial government of nearly $600,000 over a 12-year-period.

During that period, the accused was a manager at the local office, where he administered a number of programs, including the Ontario Disability Support Program.

Cuglietta created a false client claim under the disability program, paid out funds to the false female client and deposited the money in a bank account, Crown attorney Glen Wasyliniuk said.

The payments included $208,000 basic income, $137,000 for accommodation, $54,000 for medical supplies, $94,000 for house repairs, and $82,000 for medical transportation.

See Full Story http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1565796

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 11, 2009

Worker Fraud

It never ends.

Approximately one fourth of the frauds in this Report caused at least $1 million in losses.


The most affected industries in our survey were government & public administration (13.3% of all cases), retail (11.1%), and banking & financial (10%).

Occupational Fraud and Abuse is a widespread problem that has the potential to affect any organization.

http://www.finlay-associates.com/PDF/occupationalfraud.pdf

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario

Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

What Were They Thinking

A plan to give free 72-hour emergency survival kits to some of Ontario’s highest-paid civil servants at taxpayer expense has been quashed by Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci.

The move came after the Toronto Star obtained an internal government document on the plan, part of emergency preparedness week and “especially timely given the current H1N1 flu virus,” said the memo, which also cited recent emergencies such as last summer’s propane explosion in North York.“We are not impressed,” said Laura Blondeau, a spokesperson for Bartolucci.

See Full Story http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/226828--minister-nixes-plan-to-give-free-survival-kits-to-civil-servants

Who needs the kits most are the people on Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Plan, Canada Pension Disability Plan or any others on a fixed income without additional support from family and friends.

The rate for a single on Ontario Works is under $600.00 monthly. They do not have the financial resources to store enough items to last an additional 72 hours let alone the next day. Kits should be available for those in need when needed for free. Money should be made available to the support systems already in place to hand these out when disaster strikes. Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance and many other organizations assist when they are needed to supply support. Unfortunately they are always struggling for money to support those in need.

Past employment of mine has included looking after Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support clients. Their cupboards and fridges were often bare when visits were made. Monies they received often had to go to pay rent to keep them housed. There is no way any of them would have been able to hoard 72 hours worth of food and save it for a rainy day. It would be gone long before a crisis hits because their life is in a constant state of crisis.

http://durhamregion.typepad.com/emergency_planning/2009/05/free-survival-kits-for-those-who-really-need-them.html

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.

Would this be worth are while lobbying for, here in Ontario, for some Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program Recipients?

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.

Lifeline Assistance is part of a program that was created by the government to provide discounted or free telephone service to income-eligible consumers. To help bring you this important benefit, SafeLink Wireless is proud to offer Lifeline Service. Through our Lifeline Service you will receive FREE cellular service, a FREE cell phone, and FREE Minutes every month! SafeLink Wireless Service does not cost anything – there are no contracts, no recurring fees and no monthly charges.

Any Minutes you do not use will roll-over. Features such as caller ID, call waiting and voicemail are all also included with your service. If you need additional Minutes, you can buy TracFone Airtime Cards at any TracFone retailer Walmart, Walgreens, Family Dollar, etc). SafeLink Airtime Cards will be available soon.

Your exact benefits, including the number of free Minutes you will receive, depend on the state you live in.

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario

Friday, May 8, 2009

Free cars for poor fuel road rage

Free wheels for welfare recipients program is revving up despite the stalled economy, as the keys to donated cars loaded with state-funded insurance, repairs and even AAA membership are handed out to get them to work.

But the program - fueled by a funding boost despite the state’s fiscal crash - allows those who end up back on welfare to keep the cars anyway.

The state pays for the car’s insurance, inspection, excise tax, title, registration, repairs and a AAA membership for one year at a total cost of roughly $6,000 per car.


The program, which started in 2006, distributes cars donated by non-profit charities such as Good News Garage, a Lutheran charity, which also does the repair work on the car and bills the state.

“If you look at the overall picture, this helps make sure people aren’t staying on cash assistance. It’s a relatively short payment for a long-term benefit,” Kehoe said.

Applicants for cars must have a job or prove they could get one if they had the car in order to qualify. Once they have the wheels, they must send DTA their pay stubs to prove they are employed.

See Full Story http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_05_07_Free_cars_for_poor_fuel_road_rage/srvc=home&position=also
For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

AUTO INSURANCE RECOMMENDATIONS COULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT ACCIDENT VICTIMS, TAXPAYERS

On 31 March 2009, the Financial Services Commission (FSCO) released its "Five Year Review of Automobile Insurance" to the Minister of Finance. The report provides a number of recommendations which will greatly impact access to assessment and treatment for car accident victims, and have far-reaching implications affecting Ontario taxpayers.

For example, FSCO recommends reducing the cap for medical and rehabilitation benefits from $100,000 to $25,000. Unless injuries are mild, $25,000 in insufficient to ensure injured people are returned to pre-accident levels of functioning.

Specialized rehabilitation is not available under OHIP, and those who cannot afford to pay for private treatment, rehabilitation, and attendant care services may never live independently or return to work. Those who cannot be cared for at home will be placed on waiting lists for long-term care placement or nursing homes, or take up hospital beds in the interim.

With the loss in income, and out-of-pocket expenses for treatment or homecare, families will face significant financial strain. Bankruptcies will rise, homes will be lost to foreclosure, and applications for social assistance (e. g., Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, subsidized housing) will increase.

See Full Story http://www.theenterprisebulletin.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1554748

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Houses for homeless, no strings attached

300 people in Toronto to be housed in September as part of $110-million study

Toronto is about to join four other Canadian cities in a $110-million study aimed at determining how best to house homeless people who are mentally ill.

The Health Canada-funded project, being run by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, a non-profit group, intends to house 300 people in Toronto through a "housing first'' approach, meaning regardless of whether the client is off drugs, alcohol or both, housing will be provided for them.

"Housing first means housing isn't contingent on all these rules,'' Keller says in an interview, adding the project will offer treatment for drug, alcohol or psychiatric problems – if participants seek it.

See Full Story http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/626090#comments

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Two-in-three low income Toronto families face food insecurity

Two out of three Toronto families in low-income neighbourhoods are unable to get the food they need and community initiatives such as food banks and school nutrition programs are not able to arrest a problem of this size and scope, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

Food insecurity -- the lack of access to food due to insufficient resources -- was an issue for 80 per cent of families on social assistance in the studied neighbourhoods. Even among the employed, the rate was just under 60 percent.

"Despite the presence of food banks, an alarming number of people are going hungry, which constitutes a serious public health issue," said Sharon Kirkpatrick, who undertook the research as part of her doctoral work at U of T's Department of Nutritional Sciences. "There is a misperception that programs such as food banks are a panacea. Clearly, we need new strategies for confronting the root problem of poverty."

See Full Story
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2009/05/01/03150.html

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario

Friday, May 1, 2009

Court deems law biased against alcoholics, addicts

An Ontario law that excludes alcoholics and drug addicts from receiving long-term disability payments has been found to violate the provincial Human Rights Code.

The 3-0 decision issued this week is the latest court ruling in a 10-yearlong legal fight initiated in 1999 by Robert Tranchemontagne and Norman Werbeski, who both suffer from chronic alcoholism. A lawyer for the two men said the decision is legally sound and she hopes the province will "move on" instead of filing an appeal.

A spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services declined to comment about the specifics of the ruling. "Our lawyers are in the process of reviewing it. We have not decided whether to file an appeal," said Sandy Mangat.

Whole Story
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=1529813

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

What They Look For In A ODSP Worker

Locche sat down at a table in front of two people and was grilled on her knowledge of the Ontario Disability Support Program, the ministry in general, how she would handle a high volume of calls and how she has fun at work.

Is this geared towards finding conservative type workers?
Have you ever seen anything like this in your job applications?

OK, OW Bureaucrat does this sort of thing happen with Ontario Works (OW) worker applicants?

OW Bureaucrat is a group of Ontario Works employees that want to tell the truth about people that live in poverty.

I have checked them out and in my opinion they are legitimate. http://www.ontarioworks.info/

See the full story.
http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/528479

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Is It Incompetence Or Bad Faith

Is It Incompetence Or Bad Faith


On March 20 2009 Hamilton, Ontario ODSP Income Support Specialist Sarah Merritt-Kellogg wrote in three different letters that ODSP clients have 30 days to ask for an Internal Review from the date of a decision letter.


This was just 6 weeks after telling me, while I was representing a client, in front of her, that she was very good at her job (I have the tape recording if anyone would like to hear her). Well I had second thoughts of this within minutes of her statement.


IT would seem that poor Sarah was either, not trained properly on, read, or is purposely misleading her clients regarding the new regulation on the allotted time to ask for an Internal Review.


The regulation clearly states


Request for Internal Review


58. (1) The prescribed time for requesting an internal review is 10 days from the day the decision is received or deemed to have been received under section 50 of the Act. O. Reg. 222/98, s. 58 (1).
Note: On May 1, 2009, subsection (1) is amended by striking out “10 days” and substituting “30 days”. See: O. Reg. 48/09, ss. 4, 5 (4).
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_980222_e.htm#BK74


It is obvious that this new time line doesn’t start until May 1st. What will the repercussions be? Will the Hamilton ODSP honour her new illegal time period. Will The Social Benefits Tribunal strike it down? Who knows, only time will tell how many of the disabled will be denied benefits that they are entitled, because of a system that does not care that it doesn’t work properly (ONE MORE TIME).


Ron Payne

Welfare Legal

Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004(at)hotmail(dot)com welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Cost Of Poverty

• Poverty has a significant cost for governments. The federal and Ontario government are losing at least $10.4 billion to $13.1 billion a year due to poverty, a loss equal to between 10.8 to 16.6 per cent of the provincial budget.

• Poverty has a cost for every household in Ontario. In real terms, poverty costs every household in the province from $2,299 to $2,895 every year.• Poverty has a very significant total economic cost in Ontario. When both private and public (or social) costs are combined, the total cost of poverty in Ontario is equal to 5.5 to 6.6 per cent of Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The cost of poverty is reflected in remedial, inter generational, and opportunity costs.

• The remedial costs of poverty related to health care and crime are substantial. In Ontario, poverty-induced costs related to health care have an annual public cost of $2.9 billion. The national added cost to health care budgets is much greater, at $7.6 billion per year. The poverty-induced costs related to crime in Ontario have a relatively small annual public cost of $0.25 to $0.6 billion, split between federal and provincial governments.

• The annual cost of child or inter generational poverty is very high. If child poverty were eliminated, the extra income tax revenues nationally would be between $3.1 billion and $3.8 billion, while for Ontario, the additional (federal and provincial) taxes would amount to $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion. The total economic cost (private and social) of child poverty Ontario is $4.6 to 5.9 billion annually.

• Opportunity costs or lost productivity due to poverty has a great economic cost. Federal and provincial governments across Canada lose between $8.6 billion and $13 billion in income tax revenue to poverty every year; in the case of Ontario, Ottawa and Queen’s Park lose a combined $4 billion to $6.1 billion.

Full story
http://indpress.wordpress.com/an-analysis-of-the-economic-cost-of-poverty-in-ontario-a-plan-to-cut-poverty-in-half-by-2020-by-yhe-oafb/

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

Blog http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/
Group http://groups.google.com/group/bad-faith-in-owodsp?hl=en

Legal Clinics

The questions

Are you satisfied with your local legal clinic?
Have you ever been turned down by your local legal clinic and what did you do about it?
Do you have faith in your local legal clinic?
How could your local legal clinic improve itself if at all?
Have you been hurt by any of the above?
Have you ever wished you could have gotten help from somewhere else?

For more stories go to http://welfarelegal.blogspot.com/

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
Email welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com
Group http://groups.google.com/group/bad-faith-in-owodsp?hl=en

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Letter To The Minister, Disabled Workers

January 16, 2009
Minister of Labour
The Honourable Peter Fonseca
400 University Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Minister Fonseca:

We are the Disabled Workers who could not attend the annual December 4th, 2008 demonstration at the Minister of Labour on University Ave. We are grateful to the Disabled Workers who could attend. We, like them, are from many parts of Ontario and could not travel due to lack of funds, extreme illnesses, chronic pain and lack of transportation.

Some of us have paid the ultimate price - loss of a family member due to a workplace fatality or occupational disease. Some of us still linger in the appeals process 8 years later and some even more years. We do not receive the compensation or support that we desperately need from the compensation system. You are the one responsible as part of the Ontario government, to make the reforms which we so desperately need. You have said you have met many Disabled Workers in your office, so you have had the chance to learn directly about our difficult situations.

Your government has made strong public declarations about reducing and eventually eliminating our poverty. Yet in the recent Poverty Report, Disabled Workers are not even mentioned. In fact, even cost of living adjustments from the WCB are clawed back from those who are on social assistance. We do not recognize the Poverty Report as being valid because of our exclusion. For those of us downloaded onto the provincial and federal levels, with ODSP or CPP-D, we live in a constant state of financial anxiety and we resent being a burden on the taxpayers rather than on the employers, who should be responsible for all the costs from workplace injuries and diseases.

You have not addressed many of our concerns. The Board is still using deeming to reduce benefits to injured workers who cannot return to work. The privatization of vocational rehabilitation has led to expensive and very ineffective labour market re-entry programs. Vocational rehabilitation should obviously be back inside the WCB, so the Board can advocate for re-employment of Disabled Workers.

You have not mentioned eliminating experience rating, which continues to provide incentives to employers to suppress injury claims and forces Disabled Workers into premature and unsafe return to work and because there is no moratorium on these rebates we do not feel the review will go far enough nor be objective.

However, our biggest concern is we are amongst the Disabled Worker community who is the most excluded of all, those who suffer with daily Chronic Pain. Are there not physical manifestations of disability in many psychological illnesses? Why would there not be psychological illness manifested in physical disabilities? Which are worsened while forced through the 'process' of trying to claim what is our rightful compensation, or was our right, before the Meredith Principles were thrown out the window by the Board.

This Catch-22 is universally known by all parties involved. Chronic pain sufferers are impaired by a condition that cannot be supported by objective findings, they have been subjected to persistent suspicions of malingering on the part of employers, compensation officials and even physicians. Yet after the one year cut-off date of compensation, a year during which proper medical evaluations are not done, using up-to-date MIR's etc., to truly get at the extent of the injuries, most especially spinal injuries, the disabled worker is now at the mercy of relying on the provincial health care system, whilst desperately looking for representation to field the demands of the Board, the Employer to keep the overwhelming stress at bay. If you live in a rural area, you must move to a city with the specialists and medical equipment needed to address your injuries. Now well into the quagmire of being isolated, depressed, in chronic pain and setting up the ride programs your town/city offers to get you to your appointments, the borrowing of wheelchairs and medical aids from Legions/Salvation Army and other charitable organizations, you are most likely visiting a Bankruptcy Trustee, because CPP Disability or ODSP or welfare cannot sustain your family. You've just been downloaded onto your community/family/neighbours, exactly what Sir Meredith said should not happen.

What Sir Meredith did say was Disabled Workers are to receive compensation for as long as the disability lasts. It has not gone unnoticed that the Board trots out the Meredith Principles (MP's) when they change WCB legislation. In so doing, the Board compels the general public to believe the change is of 'benefit' to workers, when in fact the change is about cost-cutting measures and therefore does 'harm' to workers. We respectfully request the Board to uphold the MP's as they were originally intended and to stop using the MP's as a public relations tool.

In our opinion Section 15.1 (2) Subsection (1) of the Charter has been violated See Ontarians did you ever ask why? http://iwocac.ning.com/forum/topics/ontarians-did-you-ever-ask-why , which takes us back to the stereotype that chronic pain stems from weakness of character rather than from the injury itself, a legitimate medical condition caused by the Board's malingering appeals process. All of this could be avoided by early medical intervention and treatment, which is denied to the grievously injured and disabled worker because it means a permanent pension until age 65. Far from dispelling the negative assumptions about chronic pain sufferers, the scheme actually reinforces them by sending the message that this condition is not "real", in the sense that it does not warrant individual assessment or adequate compensation. Chronic pain sufferers are thus deprived of recognition of the reality of their pain and impairment, as well as of a chance to establish their eligibility for benefits on an equal footing with others. This message clearly indicates that, chronic pain sufferers are not equally valued as members of Canadian society.

One other issue we would like to bring to your attention is a meeting in April of 2008 regarding the AMA guidelines. Prof. John F. Burton Tells NY Workers' Compensation Board: AMA Guides are "Hokum" and "Not Evidence Based". You will find all imbedded links to that meeting on this website:
NYWCA http://www.nyworkerscompensationalliance.org/archives/workers-compensation-ama-guidelines-prof-john-f-burton-tells-ny-workers-compensation-board-ama-guides-are-hokum-and-not-evidence-based.html
and the Update http://www.nyworkerscompensationalliance.org/
Canadian Disabled Workers have pointed out how, in Ontario, these AMA guides are still being used illegally by WCBs to determine impairment ratings. We respectfully request this be brought to the attention of the Board.

There are a number of other urgent issues which we could mention, but we wanted to focus on those which we consider the most important. Nevertheless, we would be remiss if we did not ask for an update on the issue the Sun brought to our attention with regards to Jill Hutcheon being paid by both the board and the labour ministry for years. As the Minister responsible for both the WCB and the MoL you have a commitment to hold both entities accountable to the general public. As well as an update on the Review the Board requested of its Experience Rating (Rebates to Companies that kill), brought to Mr. McGuinty's attention by the Star.

In our current economic hard times, we are very concerned the Board will be receiving pressure from employers to cut benefits. We have already paid too high a price, giving our province our health and labour and receiving nothing in return. We ask again that you strongly commit to a reform of our worker's compensation system that will fully compensate us for our losses and support us in being full, respected members of society.

We ask that you bring justice to Disabled Workers and their families and to please remember that many people have concluded WCB is a negative social determinant to the Health of our most vulnerable group and we believe this cannot be overstated enough.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We anxiously await any and all replies.

Yours truly,

D. M. Boyle (Hamilton, Ontario)
Pete Clare (Lambton Shores)

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