In the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Ontario government committed to reviewing social assistance, with a focus on removing barriers and increasing opportunities for people to work. On November 30, 2010, the government announced the appointment of Frances Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh to lead the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario. The Commission is tasked with carrying out a comprehensive review, and providing specific recommendations and a concrete action plan for reforming the social assistance system to the government in June 2012. For more information about the review, visit www.socialassistancereview.ca.

In May 2011 the Commission released a Discussion Paper which seeks to confirm the key issues in social assistance today and to identify possible solutions. The Discussion Paper is available here: Discussion Paper: Issues & Ideas.

Feedback on the paper, including written submissions and conversations in communities, will help inform the development of options and possible approaches. The Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, in consultation with other stakeholders, are currently planning opportunities to provide feedback on the paper. For more information, email [email protected].

The Commissioners are visiting a select number of communities to participate in community conversations about the Discussion Paper. The closest city to Guelph & Wellington the Commissioner’s will visit is Hamilton on July 4th. For more information about this event, please visit here: Be Part of the Conversation in Hamilton.