TORONTO – Small fixes will not be enough to bring about the transformational change Ontario’s social assistance needs, says a progress report by the province’s social assistance review commission. More employment support for those on welfare, including those with disabilities; streamlined delivery and new benefits available to all low-income people outside the welfare system are [...]

HAMILTON – More than 1.7 million Ontarians live below the poverty line; 89,000 of them live in Hamilton. But that population hasn’t been getting the attention of the three major party leaders leading up to next week’s provincial election. It’s the middle class — not people in poverty — who are the focus of the [...]

DURHAM — With the provincial election on, a coalition of social and religious groups wants to make poverty an issue. Poverty Free Ontario kicked off its campaign last week in 16 Ontario communities, including Oshawa. Ted Glover, one of the organizers in Oshawa, said, “It’s sad we have to use the words poverty and Ontario [...]

FORT ERIE – It’s an issue that isn’t brought to the discussion table often — but Bridges Community Health Centre (CHC) isn’t letting it slip past the politicians in October’s provincial election. The community centre , which focuses on promoting health and developing the community, is partnering with Poverty Free Ontario, a non-partisan provincial initiative [...]

York Region candidates canvassing your support for the Oct. 6 provincial election can expect a taste of their own marketing medicine. Poverty Free Ontario, a non-partisan initiative urging all political parties and electoral candidates to make poverty an election issue, launched Let’s Vote for a Poverty Free Ontario at Newmarket’s Inn From The Cold Thursday. [...]