Economy

McGuinty: Province Won't Fast-track Social Service Uploading

By Ryan McGreal
Published February 11, 2009

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has ruled out the possibility that the Ontario Government would consider accelerating its plans to upload social service costs from municipalities.

"The short answer is no, I don't believe so," he said yesterday in response to the question.

Noting that the Province currently pays 80 percent of welfare costs, he added, "Just as [municipalities] have financial challenges, so do we, and wer're going to have to find a way to manage our way through these."

Unlike provincial governments, municipal governments are not allowed to run deficits, and analysts are warning of significant property tax hikes for homeowners to cover the squeeze on municipal budgets.

Municipalities cover the other 20 percent of welfare costs and administer the programs. With welfare rolls expected to surge as a result of the recession, this will increase municipal social services budgets even as businesses close and business property tax revenue declines.

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.

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By Grassroots are the way forward (registered) | Posted February 11, 2009 at 23:26:28

As per the article in the spec a week or so ago, it is now 13 days before one can see a worker, two weeks, that is considerble amount of time when one has no money and then to be introduced into a system that helping the people does not seem to be on the agenda.

The McQuinty government has spent time and money on their Community Converstions on Poverty Reduction and on their Temp Workers Consultation which is contributing factor to many that struggle, as Ontario Works will direct you into this industry where your basic employment rights are put to the test. Why does the system have money for consultants but none for the people?

One has to go through the system, to truly understand it, it is comparable to the Victorian Work Houses of a previous century.

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