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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-07-14, Page 21REcTIVE- correspondence at The Citizen for just $1.00 per sheetl KEN PENNINGTON'S .iti6446( Music for all occasions. D. J. SERVICE CALL (519) 887-6069 JOHN HAASNOOT MASONRY Brick, Blocks, Chimneys, Repairs, Fireplaces Wroxeter, Ont. 519-335-3714 UNICEF cards and gifts save lives. For a free catalogue, call: UNICEF Canada 1-800-567-4483 unicef United Nations Children's Fund DUNBAR & COOK ELECTRIC LTD. Home, Farm & Commercial Wiring Wireless Home Security Systems DON PAU 357-1537 ,L) C JIM AMPBELL SANITATION Septic Tank Cleaning Jim Campbell Lloyd Weber 527-0085 887-6700 DON° ORRGE°119 '3.00 THURSDAY SAVE ON YOUR CLASSIFIED AD THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1993. PAGE 21. Silipo announces progs. for low income people Ontario is going to scrap the welfare system as we know it and replace it with more effective programs, Tony Silipo, Minister of Community and Social Services announced July 8. "We are going to replace welfare with new programs that help people get training, get education, and get back to work," Mr. Silipo said. "For the fist time since the welfare system was crated in the 1950's and 60's, we are going to focus on helping people prepare for and get jobs." The Ontario government's plans are outlined in a public paper, "Turning Point New Support Programs for People with Low Incomes" which Mr. Silipo released July 8. The paper announced the government's intention to create three new programs, The Ontario Child Income Program, The Ontario Adult Benefit, and JOB LINK. "This announcement is about jobs and independence," Mr. Silipo said "It's about providing people with full range of supports they need to get jobs. It is about providing people with financial support while they are making the transition to jobs. And it is about providing support in a way that enables people to get jobs." The Ontario Child Income Program will take children's benefits out of the welfare system. It will provide a monthly cheque to all low-income families in Ontario including low-income families with parents working full-time. Families with the lowest incomes will receive the largest benefits. The total benefits that a family is eligible to receive will depend on the number of children in the family. Mr. Silipo noted that taking children's benefits out of the welfare system will "remove one of the big roadblocks that the current system puts in the path of parents who want to work." Unemployed parents who take a job will no longer be forced to give up children's benefits or lose access to other supports such as prescription drugs. The Ontario Adult Benefit will replace the complicated two-tiered Family Benefits/General Welfare Assistance system - with a streamlined, unified system with one set of rules that will be applied in the same way across the province. Adults will be provided with a monthly cheque that will take into account the cost of food, clothing, shelter, and personal needs. A long-term income supplement will be provided to Ontario Adult Benefit recipients who aren't able to work full-time. Extra financial support will also be given to persons with disabilities to cover disability-related expenses. JOB LINK will help Ontario Adult Benefit recipients prepare for and find work. It will help clients develop a personalized plan that outlines the education, training and other supports they'll need to return to work. When JOB LINK is fully developed, it will place participants in over 100,000 places each year in Ontario's high schools, community colleges, training courses, and pre- employment programs and connect them to apprenticeship programs and workplaces. The TURNING POINT public paper outlines Ontario's new programs in "broad brush strokes." Over the next 18 months, the Ontario government will be having discussions with stakeholders and making final decisions on key delivery and design issues. Reacting to the release of the province's public paper on Social Assistance, Turning Point, Joe Mavrinac, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) strongly cautioned the province not to categorize municipalities as just another stakeholder group interested in the reform of the social assistance system. "Municipalities are committed to ensuring and improving the economic, social and public health of the communities municipal councils represent. We insist that discussions on 'who delivers' social assistance take place between the two levels of governments involved in the provision of the services - the Province and municipalities," said Mavrinac, who is also the Mayor of Kirkland Lake, in response to the Province's intent to consult with interested groups on the details of the system design, delivery and other operational issues. "The municipal role in social assistance is one part of a broader function which includes employment services and child care. The Province must consider the impacts on other related services in reforming the social assistance system." "Municipalities are committed to improving the accountability and the delivery of the system to allow for more effective and cost- efficient services to the client, It is therefore imperative that municipalities have significant input and intimate involvement in the factors determining the quality of life and economic prosperity of their communities. The Association of Munici- palities of Ontario (AMO) is a non- profit organization with membership for approximately 700 of Ontario's 831 municipal governments, representing over 95 per cent of the province's population. Mr. Silipo said that the legislation to set up the new programs will be introduced by late 1993 and the programs will be in operation in 1995. "Ontario has reached a turning point in the way we provide support to people with low incomes," Mr. Silipo said. "The creation of a new Ontario Child Income Program will remove one of the big obstacles that stands in the way of parents who want to work and will provide greater support to the working poor. "The new Ontario Adult Benefit will support adults in trartsition to work, and will provide benefits in a way that is simple, understandable and fair. And the creation of JOB LINK will shift Ontario's focus from providing people with cheques, to helping people learn Continued on page 22 for just $4 dollars and .00 per sheet if more. Phone charges FREE in 0't "Faxing at The Citizen is just so easy...and inexpensive too! owning my own business means I don't have a lot of time to do everything I should do... ti ',warm /„si4 Caldwell- Construction • residential & agricultural structures • framing • siding • drywall • roofing & trim Estimates & Prints R.R. # 3 Blyth 523-9354 ARE FUN-DAMENTAL!