Letter to Minister MacLeod

Office for Systemic Justice

Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada

London, ON, N6A 4X3

August 1, 2018

The Honourable Lisa MacLeod

Minister of Children, Community and Social Services,

Queens Park, Toronto ON M7A 1E9

Dear Minister MacLeod,

We are writing to urge the Ontario government to restore the Basic Income Pilot Project and the planned 3% increase to OW and ODSP benefits.

In April 2018, the Toronto Star reported that the Ford Campaign guaranteed it would keep the Basic Income Pilot Project.  The people participating in this program have made life-altering decisions based on the guarantee that this income would be available for a 3-year period.  People have gone back to school, found safe housing, started job-training programs and re-connected with the wider community.  Simple fairness demands that they be allowed to complete this pilot project.  The completion and review of the project also will enable the Ontario government to take an evidence-based approach to employment participation in Ontario.

Rolling back the increase to OW and ODSP from 3% to 1.5% means that, once again, the increase will fall below the rate of inflation.  This means recipients will fall further behind and be further marginalized from participation in the Ontario economy and society.  This decision doesn’t just hurt Ontarians who received these benefits, it hurts our economy and society.  Past research studies have shown that such marginalizing policies increase health care costs, exacerbate mental health concerns, erode a person’s capacity to participate in the labour market and tear apart the fabric of our communities.  Given that the tax cuts will offer most Ontario families only about $18 extra per year, the painful costs of these tax cuts are not worth it.

Finally, we call on the Ontario government to cease immediately the scapegoating rhetoric about fraud amongst recipients of social assistance.  When this harmful rhetoric was used in the 1990s, police investigated and found that the rate of fraud was, in fact, quite low; lower than tax fraud among the general population and lower than corporate fraud.  

We measure well-being and progress in Ontario not by increasing the wealth of the wealthiest but by ensuring that each of us has access to the resources and opportunities which are fundamental to participation in our society.  We expect all levels of government to work collaboratively to make this a reality.

A City on a Hill Cannot Be Hid

The February 22^nd Rally to End Poverty sponsored by London’s Multi-Faith Social Action Coalition was as great as any purpose-filled rally, complete with jazz band, singers, speakers and buckets of energy and good will throughout Wolf Performance Hall. The coalition was supported by the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Poverty working on the complex issue of ending poverty in London.

Musical numbers were interspersed with leaders and representatives of many faith groups in London giving short presentations outlining the complexity of the current situation of poverty and urging all the faithful to stay the course in finding ways to alleviate the harsh conditions in which the poor live out their lives.

The old English tune, “The Streets of London,” accompanied by guitar and banjo related the sights and signs of poverty and oppression right before our eyes that we fail to see. This was juxtaposed to Sonja Gustafson’s upbeat rendition, “We Can Build a Beautiful City”.

Steven Stape of Temple Israel pointed out that although London’s efforts to address poverty reach back several decades, “we must reeducate ourselves to gain momentum and move forward”. To illustrate this forward thrust, a wave of enthusiasm swept the theatre as two members of the Scallywags urged the crowd in song “to dream a little larger, walk a little further and sing a little louder if we want to change the world”. In addition, Dr. Wael Haddara of the Muslim community pointed out, “We must create societal ways that will work in order to eradicate poverty”.

Sue Wilson, a Sister of St. Joseph, built on Dr. Haddara’s statement by alluding to the systemic change that must occur “to bring about the sort of justice that is doable and will eradicate poverty”. Such justice would mean a living wage for workers and a guaranteed livable income for all so that there can be a roof overhead, food on the table and education for all.  To reach this attainable goal requires, “a strong social consensus that makes justice the criterion by which city council make its decisions”.

As if to join forces and endorse the belief and desire for strong social consensus, the audience joyfully joined Sarah Gustafson and the entire musical ensemble for a rousing rendition of “Lean on Me”. It witnessed to a resolve to go forward together and enlist our faith communities to raise our voices in a strong social consensus to remove poverty by bringing justice for all to the streets of London.  It was a powerful ending to a memorable rally.

Jean Moylan, CSJ

Still Overwhelmed

It’s been four months and I’m still overwhelmed. I remain lost for words to describe my experience in Port au Prince, Haiti. In 2012, a then nineteen-year-old Emily Hime from Chatham, Ontario accepted the responsibility to provide a home for 9 children left abandoned by the devastating earthquake of 2010. Today that number has risen to 19 children ages five months to sixteen years.

After reading a compelling article in the Windsor Star which sent me to Emily’s website, Sister Janice Jonescu and I decided to help by sponsoring a child. Over the past three years, we have watched with pride as Wendel has grown and matured into a wonderful young man. I developed a deep desire to meet him. Fortunately, the opportunity arose when I was going to visit family in the Miami area.

Upon arrival in Port au Prince, I was astounded at my surroundings. As I left the airport, my senses were brutally attacked. The poverty was so intense that I could feel it, taste it, and smell it. I still struggle to find words to describe the scenes that welcomed me. Dead bodies are left in the streets because to touch them makes you responsible for them. Naked children walk beside their mothers who carry on their heads plastic bins containing the items they hope to sell to provide some measure of food for the day. The home’s rented accommodations are located in a part of the city shockingly devoid of basic infrastructure: no plumbing, running water or electricity. All garbage is burnt in the back yard. Contrast that with the recently opened Marriott Hotel, the Neiman Marcus Department Store and numerous first class restaurants all open in the heart of downtown.

At the house, razor wire runs along the top of the surrounding wall to discourage thieves. Three bedrooms accommodate the 19 children and two overnight nannies. Furniture is minimal. Bunk beds line the walls.  Suitcases act as dressers. Few chairs and tables mean that meals are served in shifts.

In spite of the grinding poverty, the children of Maison Ke Kontan are happy, playful, grateful and so loved by Emily. She is amazing!  With the help of sponsors, Emily tries to ensure that “her” children’s basic needs are met and they have uniforms and books to allow them to attend school – a privilege, not a right. It is Emily’s desire that these children grow up to be productive Haitian citizens who will contribute to the betterment of their society.

Having been to Haiti and Maison Ke Kontan, I can no longer act as if Haiti is separate from me. I am changed. My efforts to educate others about Emily’s situation as well as raising money to address urgent needs and sponsorships has become something of a passion.

For further information, go to http://www.himeforhelp.org/

Emily Hime -- A heart without borders

Jacqueline Janisse, CSJ

The New London Poverty Research Centre

The Sisters of St. Joseph are pleased to work with the London Food Bank on this new venture, and delighted to have such an amazing Steering Committee to move this project forward.  We’re also grateful to both the London Community Foundation and King’s College for their support of this initiative. 

With our involvement in this project, the Sisters of St. Joseph are saying that:

• Poverty is human-made. And, if it has been created, it can be undone.
• But such fundamental change only happens when the community works together.  We all have our own understandings of the causes and consequences of poverty, and we tend to fall into different political camps around the issue. But we need to learn to talk about poverty in ways that make sense to people no matter where they stand in the political spectrum. We need to get beyond the polarization that generates apathy and negative stereotypes about people living in poverty. We need practical solutions.
• We want to create a context in which we’re learning from the experiences of people who live in poverty so that we’ll know what really makes a difference; a context in which funders, service providers and policy-makers can point to evidence-based solutions. Most important, we want citizens of good will to have the knowledge they need to get involved in creating change.
• Businesses often come to London to test out their products because we’re considered to be so ‘typical.’ We think London should be the testing ground for bigger things than that. Let’s ‘test out’ what it takes to shift attitudes about poverty and to address its root causes. Let’s be the place where people come to learn about what it takes to create real systemic change. And let’s do it with the next generation, some of whom are here today because they’re ready for change.

That’s the hope that the Poverty Research Centre offers. But it’s a hope that will come to full fruition only if Londoners take up the challenge.

Sue Wilson, CSJ

Poverty Research Centre to Change the Conversation in London

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 7, 2014 London, ON - A new collaborative initiative, the London Poverty Research Centre, is set to begin its work in changing the conversation regarding poverty in the London community. Details will be released at a media conference on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at King’s University College in the Andy & Helen Spriet Learning Commons, Darryl J. King Student Life Centre, 266 Epworth Ave, London.

Senior officials from the Sisters of St. Joseph, the London Food Bank, volunteer members of the Centre’s Task Force along with funders and partners including the London Community Foundation and King’s University College will provide details on the new Centre.

On December 2nd, 2013, the London Community Foundation announced funding in the amount of $250,355 to support the creation of The Poverty Research Centre. The Centre is a joint venture of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the London Food Bank and is guided by a volunteer Task Force. Its bold vision is to see an end to poverty in London.

"Of course, the Centre cannot achieve this vision on its own," says Sister Sue Wilson of the Sisters of St. Joseph. "However, we believe the centre can play a key role by providing all Londoners with an accessible pool of relevant research, analysis and promising practices that can create real change in our city."

"It will take all of us to make a collective impact on the issues associated with poverty in London," says Jane Roy, Co-Executive Director of the London Food Bank.

Also attending the media conference will be secondary school students from Social Justice Clubs along with King’s students and faculty who will engage in research for the Centre.

Parking available in lot P1 on north side of Epworth.

Media Contacts:

Poverty Research Centre Task Force
Ross Fair  rfair9@rogers.com  Cell: 519-495-9614

King’s University College
Jane Antoniak jane.antoniak@kings.uwo.ca 
ph: 519-433-3491 x4384; Cell: 519-719-9366