The Council of Canadians Hamilton chapter supports an important piece of legislation titled Bill 6, the Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission), 2016.
The NDP Member of the Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Paul Miller, has put forward Bill 6 which calls on the provincial government to create a standing commission that would annually look at the cost of living in various regions of Ontario in order to inform social assistance rates. The bill also calls on the government to address precarious work and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Chapter activist Mary Love further explains, “This private member’s bill would set up an independent third party body that would establish evidence-based rates for social assistance throughout the province of Ontario. We know that the rates have never recovered from Mike Harris’s cuts, and with housing costs soaring here, disadvantaged people aren’t getting nearly enough to cover basic needs; at least Bill 6’s reality check on the cost of living in poverty would make it impossible for governments to pretend that these rates are adequate. The group enjoyed breakfast treats, including homemade sandwiches, and lively conversation.”
Love tells us, “Supporters of both the Campaign for Adequate Welfare and Disability Benefits and the Hamilton Chapter of the Council of Canadians held a Bill 6 Phone Zap Morning Coffee Party on Thursday, Nov. 16 at Hamilton’s wonderful Evergreen Collaboration Station storefront that lets community groups like ours use space for free. We rang the phones all morning, talking with staffers and leaving messages for Premier Kathleen Wynne and Liberal MPPs Peter Milczyn, Ted McMeekin, and Yasir Naqvi to get Bill 6 on the Standing Committee’s agenda so it can be made law THIS FALL.”
She highlights, “We hope that this Bill 6 phone blitz will spread to other towns.”
To help with the effort to get Bill 6 on the Standing Committee’s agenda and passed this fall, please contact:
Premier Kathleen Wynne
kwynne.mpp@liberal.ola.org
416-325-1941
Peter Milczyn
Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Pmilczyn.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
416-585-6500
Ted McMeekin
Chair, Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills
tmcmeekin.mpp@liberal.ola.org
416-314-0143
Yasir Naqvi
Government House Leader
ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org
416-325-7754
You can also help amplify this call by retweeting this message to them.
