Read this to find out how to apply to Ontario Works (OW) for financial assistance to help you with costs like food, housing, and prescription drugs. It explains: what information OW can ask you for, and what to do if OW refuses to give you...

This is a guide to disability benefits from OW and ODSP in...

Many people need financial help to ensure the health and well-being of their families. This pamphlet can help you understand what financial resources exist to assist you as you raise your grandchildren. It can help you understand how to apply for these resources and who to contact for further...

The poorer you are, the more likely you are to have worse health, to receive worse health care and to die earlier. A report by Health Quality Ontario, Income and Health reveals significant differences in people’s health risks, care and outcomes based on income. Below is a snapshot of the...

This resource provides a directory of community legal clinics in Ontario. Community legal clinics provide information, advice, and representation on various legal issues, including social assistance, housing, refugee and immigration law, employment law, human rights, workers' compensation,...

In this report we use a set of indicators that measure health risks, health care and health outcomes, and through these indicators we see the link between income and health – how income impacts health, and how health impacts income. The results reveal a tremendous opportunity to make life better...

The Community of Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) website contains answers to common questions pertaining to a number of legal topics, including: COVID-19, debt and consumer rights, and employment and...

As the world continues to change at a rapid pace, the future remains bright for university graduates. With a growing need for a skilled and adaptable workforce to contribute to the betterment of our businesses, our communities and our province, university-educated graduates are using the advanced...

This resource provides a list of free legal information resources produced by Community Legal Education Ontario...

Lisez la présente brochure pour connaître les règles que les agents d’Ontario au travail (OT) et du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées (POSPH) appliquent pour décider: si 2 adultes qui habitent ensemble sont des conjoints ou conjointes si 2 personnes qui habitent...

La brochure vous concerne-t-elle ? En lisant la présente brochure, vous apprendrez quels sont vos recours si vous considérez qu’une décision sur l’aide d’Ontario au travail (OT) ou du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées (POSPH) est mal fondée. Les décisions...

This guide from CLEO explains what you need to know about working while on social assistance. Money from a job or training program can affect how much you get from Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program...

Is this booklet for you? Read this if: ••you are applying for or getting assistance from Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) ••you need information on OW or ODSP rules about getting child or spousal support from your spouse or another parent of your...

Read this to learn what you can do if you disagree with a decision about assistance from Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). This can include a decision to: refuse to give you financial assistance; reduce the amount of assistance you get; cut off your assistance....

Just over seven years after the Government of Ontario launched a major poverty reduction strategy, it has broadened the scope to include not just families with children but, also, adults and people experiencing homelessness. This paper drills down on one key but complex policy file that is...

This paper focuses on proposed system transformation in Ontario Works, and explores the possibilities and limitations associated with the proposed changes in 2018. First, it looks at the broader context within which the government’s social assistance reforms are taking place. Second, it provides...

Ontario tenants who have fallen behind on their rent because of COVID-19 will need provincial help to stay housed when the current eviction ban is lifted. A new analysis calls for targeted rent relief, a gradual easing of the eviction ban, and a reintroduction of rent...

Narrowing the definition of disability used by the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) could have serious implications. Improving the program’s assessment process would yield better results for applicants, Ontario's social safety net, and the government. This report explores the role of...

This is a submission paper by SEDI to the Ontario Ministry of Child and Youth Services. Social and Enterprise Development Innovations (SEDI) is a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty through program and policy innovation. We are pleased to...

This guide summarizes retirement savings options for people living in...

In 2016, Prosper Canada partnered with the Ontario government and nine non-profit organizations through the Ontario Financial Empowerment Champions and Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving projects, to pilot delivery of community financial help services for low-income Ontarians. Third-party...

Research has shown that even short-term isolation can have long-term impacts to mental health. Social and community supports are essential for vulnerable persons, especially during times of severe impacts to routine and imposed social distancing. This report discusses the findings of the Rx:...

In its 2016 budget, the Government of Ontario committed to conducting a basic income pilot project as part of its preparations for comprehensive reform of its social assistance programs. Taking particular note of “today’s dynamic labour market” and a need to “strengthen the attachment to...

Many laws affect your financial rights and responsibilities within your relationships. In Ontario most of the laws apply to two-person relationships and some laws apply differently to married couples than to partners who are not married. Either way, these law can affect you financially when you...

This is the first in a series of @ Issue Papers that looks at the participation of traditionally under-represented cohorts in postsecondary education. The purpose of this @ Issue Paper is to summarize what is currently known about the participation of low-income students in PSE, with a particular...