The province has announced an overhaul of social assistance that will allow people receiving aid to keep more of the money they earn before support is reduced.

MPP Vic Fedeli says the plan is about a more effective, sustainable approach to helping people prepare to return to work and achieve better outcomes.

“Our plan is about a more effective, sustainable approach to helping people prepare to return to work and achieve better outcomes,” he says.

The province is also aligning its definition of disability with the federal government.

But, opposition critics say the threshold to qualify for disability benefits under the Canada Pension Plan is higher than it is for the Ontario Disability Support Program.

The government announced that provincial employment services will also see improvements through better, more streamlined supports, placing a greater focus on outcomes and exploring options for more locally responsive outcome driven employment service delivery models.

The province says they will better coordinate Employment Ontario and Social Assistance to make it simpler and easier for all job seekers reach their potential.

Officials say the government will take a coordinated multi-ministry approach to reduce red tape, eliminate unnecessary rules, and support individual action plans to establish self-reliance and ease off the system.

“We will implement these changes in a measured and careful way that minimized disruption for those on the system,” said Fedeli. “We are embracing an all-of-government approach that will provide wraparound support that is customized to the specific needs of individual people.”

Ontario’s plan for social assistance reform is guided by the following priorities:
– Moving People to Employment
– Reduce administration and paperwork so people receiving Ontario Works and front-line staff can focus on individual action plans that set out a path to health, wellness and preparations to return to work.
– Locally Focused Social Services
– Streamline social assistance and employment programs and increase local responsiveness and flexibility to help all job seekers reach their potential.
– Supporting People with Disabilities with Dignity
– Redesign the Ontario Disability Support Program to provide annualized income support with far fewer reporting requirements for Ontarians with severe disabilities.
– Cutting Red Tape and Restoring Accountability
– Eliminate barriers for people receiving social assistance and for those delivering support by simplifying rates, reducing administration, cutting unnecessary rules, and restoring service accountability through a simplified system to better focus on improving outcomes.

The first step in the changes will see the province work with municipalities to develop a plan to phase in changes, giving them flexibility to meet local needs in the context of their local economies, and undertake consultation with First Nations to develop a specific approach for social assistance and employment services on reserve.

The province has also launched a website, Ontario.ca/openforbusiness, to make matching job seekers with businesses easier. Employers can also post job opportunities at employer.jobbank.gc.ca.

(With files from The Canadian Press)

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