ODSP Action Coalition expresses its deep disappointment with the 2024 Ontario provincial budget’s failure to address the critical needs of people with disabilities who rely on social assistance to survive.
“This budget illustrates just how out of touch this government is with the daily struggles of disabled Ontarians living in deep, deep poverty, particularly those who are unable to work” said Trevor Manson, a co-chair with ODSP Action Coalition. “The Province should recognize that keeping benefit rates so far below the poverty line leads to exponentially higher costs further downstream through increased homelessness, emergency room visits and involvement with the judiciary.”
ODSP Action Coalition is a provincial, volunteer grassroots advocacy group led by people with disabilities on ODSP, with a network of valued allies, that advocates for improvements to the income and other supports available to people with disabilities. As an advocacy group led by people with disabilities on ODSP, our coalition condemns the lack of meaningful improvements to social assistance and calls on the government to demonstrate care and compassion for its most vulnerable citizens by raising ODSP and OW rates to ensure a livable income.
People with disabilities deserve to live with dignity, adequacy and independence and the 2024 provincial budget fails miserably in living up to this expectation. In fact, the word “disability” was only uttered 3 times within Building a Better Ontario’s 200+ pages, in relation to ODSP’s 2024 inflationary increase, which is not new spending. Ontario Works meanwhile will again see no increase and no new investments.
ODSP Action Coalition strongly urges the provincial government to reconsider its approach by prioritizing the well being of Ontarians with disabilities. Disability is not a choice, while government policy is.
