Advocates call on Ford government to double ODSP amid rising cost of living

More than 200 advocacy groups have signed an open letter asking the Ontario government to double disability support payment rates and ensure they keep up with the soaring cost of living.

The letter, released by the Income Security Advocacy Centre, says the government's plan to increase disability support payment rates in next month's budget is far from what financial aid recipients need to survive.

The recent provincial election saw the Progressive Conservatives promise to raise Ontario Disability Support Program rates by five per cent and introduce legislation to tie annual increases to inflation.

ISAC says this proposal amounts to $58 extra per month for ODSP recipients and doesn't account for the 458,000 low-income people who receive support through Ontario Works (OW).

"This government has saved on social assistance costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to federal benefits and lowered caseloads. These savings must be reinvested," the letter, released by the non-profit on Monday, stated. 

"We call on this government to double both OW (Ontario Works) and ODSP rates, and to index these rates to inflation."

Social assistance rates have been stagnant since 2018, with a single person able to receive up to $1,169 a month on ODSP and $733 on OW — well below the poverty line.

ISAC says record-breaking inflation rates have driven costs up so high that it's impossible for social assistance recipients to pay for basic needs, including housing, food and medication.

"Ontario will not recover fully from the pandemic if people on social assistance are left behind," the letter stated.