Artist: Linda Ellen Arthurs

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Speak out against the budget cuts!

The 2012 Ontario Budget is out of step with the reality facing hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who struggle with a lack of the healthy, quality, equitably accessible housing they can afford.

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·       There are 1,301,395 tenant households in Ontario and 125,000 residents living in housing co-ops; accounting for almost one-third of our province’s population.

·         Over 13 percent of households live in poverty in Ontario and 627,530 of these households are unable to afford shelter that meets adequacy, suitability, and affordability norms, placing them in core housing need. Persons with disabilities, people of colour, single mothers, Aboriginals and new immigrants are all disproportionately among this number, and most, but not all of these, are tenants.

·         Thousands more stay in homeless shelters across Ontario ; for instance, in 2010, 22,276 people in Toronto , 7,156 people in Ottawa and 2,859 people in Waterloo Region had to stay in homeless shelters.

And yet the 2012 Ontario Budget failed to move forward on constructing new affordable housing or providing a housing benefit to help people pay the rent. Instead, Finance Minister Duncan tabled a budget that threatens the ability of Ontarians to keep a roof over their heads:

• The government wants to freeze social assistance rates and delay the scheduled increase in the Ontario Child Benefit.
• They also intend to cut the Community Start-up and Maintenance Benefit, which helps save the housing of thousands of tenants on social assistance each month who are facing eviction.
• The Budget would also get rid of the rental housing building inspectors where local government does not provide this service, which will result in increased substandard housing in rural and northern communities.
• The Budget also includes the fourth consecutive cut to the operating budget of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), a 12% reduction from fiscal 2009. 

The Liberal Government and the NDP have asked for our opinion on the budget. We need to tell them that:

• The Community Start-up Benefit should not be cut!
• Social assistance rates should not be frozen – people on assistance need an increase that will let them keep up with the rising cost of living!
• The full Ontario Child Benefit must be implemented now!
• Provincial building inspectors must continue to be available to keep rural and northern rental homes in good repair!
• Reverse the cut to the operating budget of MMAH

Answer the Liberals’ survey at:  http://budget2012.questionpro.com/

Contact the NDP at: http://www.ondpcaucus.com/yoursay/

All Ontarians should be able to equitably access housing they can afford, and supports should be provided to ensure thriving, inclusive communities. This budget should strengthen the economy, create jobs and support the construction of new affordable housing. There’s still time for us to reverse course and ensure that Ontario moves forward on reducing poverty and addressing the housing needs of people of all incomes.

Housing Network of Ontario

www.stableandaffordable.com

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List names public-sector workers who earn more than $100,000

CBC News

Posted: Mar 23, 2012 11:32 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2012 6:01 PM ET

Read 281 comments281

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Ontario’s 2012 sunshine list

(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

Approximately 7,500 Ontario civil servants joined the province’s $100,000 club last year, the provincial government says.

The government’s so-called “sunshine list,” released Friday, shows nearly 79,000 workers made six-figure salaries in 2011, an increase of 10 per cent from the previous year.

Some of the top earners are energy-sector CEOs, including Ontario Power Generation’s Tom Mitchell, who pulled in $1.8 million, and Hydro One’s Laura Formusa, who earned $962,000.

Although more than 100 people from Ornge air ambulance made the list, noticeably absent is deposed CEO Chris Mazza. That’s because Mazza was paid through for-profit companies set up by Ornge. It’s also one of the reasons why he was dismissed.

About 135 other Ornge workers, including paramedics and low-level managers, were included on the list of Ontario’s top paid public sector workers in 2011.

Auditor general Jim McCarter criticized the high salaries of Ornge’s former executives and directors in a scathing report released earlier this week.

Ornge’s spinoff companies, which shielded it from public disclosure laws, are being wound down. But all employees at Ornge will be subject to those laws from now on, said a spokeswoman for Health Minister Deb Matthews.

Other interesting notes from the sunshine list:

• David Johnston received $610,000 from the University of Waterloo last year even though he was sworn in as Canada’s Governor General in 2010.
• Toronto Police Services Chief Bill Blair earned almost $330,000
• TVO’s Steve Paikin, host of The Agenda, made $295,000 in 2011.

The annual release of the sunshine list is an Ontario tradition dating back to the mid-1990s when Mike Harris’s Conservative government wanted to expose top-earning civil servants.

The threshold of $100,000 hasn’t changed since. If the salary criteria had grown with inflation, the government says, three quarters of the names wouldn’t be on it.

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Canada Without Poverty, formerly named the National Anti-Poverty Organization, was founded in 1971 and is a federally incorporated, non-partisan, not-for-profit and charitable organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty in Canada.  All directors on our 16-seat Board of Directors have the lived experience of poverty.  Please see our website for more information and for our Terms of Reference for directors.

We are currently in search of seven positive-minded, enthusiastic and otherwise qualified individuals to serve on our Board.  The vacant seats are for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and two at-large seats (not geographically affiliated).  Potential candidates should be passionate about reducing and eliminating poverty locally, provincially/territorially and nationally.  Ideal candidates have a commitment to act on poverty from a human rights basis; previous Board experience, with an understanding of Board governance; excellent interpersonal skills; and a solid commitment to team work.

If you are interested in joining a great group of people, on our Board of Directors, and making a new contribution to the cause of poverty’s elimination in Canada, please submit:

1)      A 2-3 paragraph statement of interest, including identification of your lived experience of poverty;

2)      Your résumé;

3)      The names, phone number(s) and email address of two persons to serve as references for you.

For more information on or to apply for this opportunity, please contact Harriett McLachlan, President of the Board of Directors at harriett.mclachlan@live.ca. 

Please note our new Ottawa office: Canada Without Poverty, @UnderOneRoof, 251 Bank Street, 2^nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3.

Thank you!
Canada sans pauvreté, ex-Organisation nationale anti-pauvreté,  est un organisme caritatif non partisan et sans but lucratif, fondé en 1971, constitué en vertu d’une loi fédérale et   se consacrant à l’élimination de la pauvreté au Canada.   Tous les administrateurs de notre Conseil de seize (16 ) membres ont une expérience vécue de la pauvreté.  Consultez notre site Web pour de plus amples informations sur CSP et pour les modalités du mandat des administrateurs (en anglais seulement)..

Nous recherchons actuellement sept personnes positives,  enthousiastes  et qualifiées pour notre Conseil.  Outre deux postes d’administrateurs hors cadre (sans référence géographique), les postes vacants sont affiliés au Nouveau-Brunswick, à la Nouvelle-Écosse, à l’Île du Price Édouard, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest et au Nunavut.  Les candidates et candidats éventuels se consacrent  avec passion à  l’atténuation de la pauvreté aux niveaux local, provincial et national.   Ils devront vouloir s’attaquer à la pauvreté selon  l’optique des droits de la personne.  Ils devront avoir acquis une expérience préalable du fonctionnement et de la gouvernance des conseils, posséder d’excellentes aptitudes interpersonnelles et être profondément déterminés à travailler  en équipe.
Si vous êtes intéressé(e) à vous joindre à un groupe dynamique, à siéger à notre Conseil d’administration, et à contribuer à la cause de l’élimination de la pauvreté au Canada, soumettez: 

1)      Une déclaration d’intérêt de 2 à 3 paragraphes, incluant une description de votre expérience vécue de la pauvreté;

2)     Votre curriculum vitae;

3)      Les noms, numéros de téléphone et adresses courriels de deux personnes pouvant agir comme références.

Pour de plus amples renseignements ou pour soumettre votre candidature, communiquez avec Harriett McLachlan, présidente du Conseil d’administration à l’adresse  harriett.mclachlan@live.ca. 

Veuillez noter la nouvelle adresse de notre bureau d’Ottawa: Canada sans pauvreté @UnderOneRoof, 251 rue Bank, 2^ème étage, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3.

Merci!

Rob Rainer

Executive Director / Directeur executif

CANADA WITHOUT POVERTY / CANADA SANS PAUVRETÉ

Working in alliance with the CWP Advocacy Network / Travaillant en alliance avec le Réseau de revendication CSP

Honorary Directors / Directeurs honoraires

Right (Très) Hon. Joe Clark

Hon. Louise Arbour

Hon. Monique Bégin

Hon. Ed Broadbent

Ovide Mercredi

Ottawa office / Bureau d’Ottawa: @UnderOneRoof, 251 Bank Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3; (613) 789-0096 (1-800-810-1076)

Vancouver office / Bureau de Vancouver: (604) 628-0525
Web Site; Facebook; Twitter

Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada /  Dignité pour tous: Campagne pour un Canada sans pauvreté

The truth is that our country – the ninth richest in the world – is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, employment erosion, mental health and youth suicides.  In doing so, we hide the fact of a very serious national public health problem.

Hon. Monique Bégin

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