Thread by @shailenepanylo

A hot take that shouldn’t be a hot take:

Simply raising the #OW and #ODSP rates isn’t good enough.

Some thoughts:
1) If raising the rates is an interim measure towards a #UBI #GLBI, fine. But #OW and #ODSP are riddled with barriers and were not meant to create a living wage.

What do I mean? Well the #OW Act of 1997 defines ‘assistance’ as “life stabilization assistance and basic financial assistance” - no matter how you look at it, stabilization =/= thriving, living, equitable. It’s an interim fix to a structural failure.

2) An Act created the same year I was born is overdue for a serious overhaul. We have come far in our understanding of social determinants, #mentalhealth, #disability and more, and bandaids have been implemented.

Bandaids don’t fix systemic holes.

3) The cost of living and inflation have gone beyond sustainable, and COVID has made services and goods many #ODSP recipients rely on more expensive. There’s also a backlog. Raising rates once doesn’t mandate they must continuously be updated to match need.

4) Don’t even get me started on housing. #Affordablehousing where? Accessible, affordable housing… where?! Demand has increased, costs too, but #Oshawa hasn’t built affordable housing in decades. DECADES.

And we’re one of the fastest growing cities in Canada.

5) Then we have #dental, #eyecare & #pharmacare to consider. These are built into #ODSP to a degree but providers and recipients deserve better pay and easier access to care.

6) A #GLBI / #UBI would enable us to expand a liveable wage and health coverage to everyone, without clawing back any additional disability services and needs people have. It can also be more proactive and inclusive of developing care needs, like for elders.

I’ve got so many thoughts but the TL;DR is one-time actions don’t create systemic change that is needed to keep a benefit and our communities equitable and humane.

#OW #ODSP #Poverty #onpoli