The Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance has published a backgrounder on the current state of income security programs, outlining barriers to progress and making suggestions for actions to improve the current situation. The Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance is a coalition of civic leaders working to improve the region’s social, economic and environmental future.
The report lists six barriers to progress, including resistance to funding costly changes, outdated legislation, and lack of (or unwillingness to share) available data from government sources. Eight opportunities for action are also discussed in the document, including increasing alignment between employment insurance and social assistance programs, reducing incentives to work by delinking housing and other benefits from welfare, and protecting savings for those on assistance.
See “Income Security: Collective Responses for a Prosperous Toronto Region,” Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance, February 2011, available in short and long versions at www.civicaction.ca, andwww.civicaction.ca.