Ontario announced this week that it will be increasing financial assistance rates for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works. This is welcome news for people with lived experience of mental illnesses in the province, who constitute nearly 50% of ODSP recipients. The rate increases come into effect in September 2016 for ODSP and in October 2016 for Ontario Works. Starting this fall, new rates include:
- $25 per month for single adults receiving Ontario Works
- 5 per cent for families receiving Ontario Works
- 5 per cent for individuals with disabilities who receive ODSP
- Financial assistance for parents who receive income through the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities program will increase by 1.5 per cent.
In addition, Ontario is raising the general minimum wage for the third consecutive year on October 1. The rate will increase from $11.25 to $11.40. Minimum wage rates for liquor servers, students under the age of 18, hunting and fishing guides, and homeworkers will also increase at the same time. Since 2014, minimum wage legislation has been in place which ties the increases to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), providing annual, reliable increases to workers and predictability for businesses .
CMHA Ontario has long championed increases in minimum wage and social assistance rates as part of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy.
For more information on the rate increases, visit the Government of Ontario website.