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WHAT'S NEW
- Read ISAC's pre-budget submission to the Ontario legislature's Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Budget 2013.
- Changes have been made to the Special Diet Allowance program as a result of ISAC's continuing legal work at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. Find out more about these changes and what you should do if you are on OW or ODSP have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions.
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Budget 2012 eliminated the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit and the Home Repairs Benefit. These cuts will hurt people on OW and ODSP across the province. Act Now to Save Housing Supports for People on OW and ODSP - join our email campaign online and get important tools for your own advocacy work!
- Read ISAC's reactions to and analysis of the Ontario 2012 budget, which made the largest cuts to direct benefits for people on OW and ODSP since the McGuinty government was first elected in 2003.
- The way that three provincial tax credits are being paid to people with low-incomes is changing. This means these credits are no longer being paid in lump-sum tax refunds. Click here for more information about how and why payment of tax credits is changing, and on avoiding getting into bad contracts with tax filing companies.
- Bringing In Women's Voices! Are you a woman in Ontario struggling to make ends meet? Are you a mother raising kids on your own? Learn more about our project working with low-income moms across the province. And check out our Facebook page!
- If you are currently getting Special Diet and are confused about the changes and the new application process, please read these information sheets:
- The Federal Tax Court has made some recent rulings relating to the Child Tax Benefit in situations of joint custody, custody by someone other than a parent, and spousal separation. For an overview of recent jurisprudence, see ISAC’s April 2011 paper :
- For an update on the procedure for applying for the Child Tax Benefit or appealing a decision to deny or reduce your Child Tax Benefit, see ISAC’s powerpoint presentation prepared for the Northern Regional Training Conference in April 2011:
- Read ISAC's Comment on the 2011 Ontario Budget
- The Ontario government’s announcements of Nov 30 on the social assistance review and special diet allowance program are both welcome steps forward on the road to improved income security for Ontarians. Click here to see ISAC's press release on the government's announcements.
- Short-term rule changes to OW and ODSP could make life better for people receiving support. The Social Assistance Review Advisory Council recommended 14 changes to government in February. Some have been made, but many are yet to be implemented. See the full list of recommendations in PDF here or in Word here.
Quick Links
This site also features materials from CLEONet, an online clearinghouse for legal resources, news, and events produced by community organizations and legal clinics across Ontario.
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