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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#17365D'>FYI . . . Lynne Browne</span></b><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#17365D'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt;line-height:normal'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#17365D'>Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness </span></b><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#17365D'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#17365D'>613-241-7913 ext. 205, <a href="mailto:lbrowne@ysb.on.ca" target="_blank"><span style='color:#17365D'>lbrowne@ysb.on.ca</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#17365D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Social Assistance Review [mailto:socialassistancereview@ontario.ca] <br><b>Sent:</b> February-03-12 11:21 AM<br><b>To:</b> Colleen.Hendrick@ottawa.ca; bmcinnes@communityfoundationottawa.ca; Linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com; Moonchild53@sympatico.ca; Lynne Browne; dianneu@spcottawa.on.ca; hmohamed@ociso.org; w.macdonald@pqchc.com; gagnond@lao.on.ca<br><b>Subject:</b> Letter from Commissioners Frances Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>February 3, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Colleen Hendrick<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Co-Chair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>City of Ottawa Poverty Reduction Strategy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Barb McInnis<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Co-Chair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>City of Ottawa Poverty Reduction Strategy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Linda Lalonde<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Co-Chair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Nadia Willard<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Co-Chair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Lynne Browne<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Alliance to End Homelessness<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dianne Urquehart<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Social Planning Council of Ottawa<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hamdi Mohamed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Wanda MacDonald<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Coalition of Health and Resource Centres<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Daniel Gagnon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Community Legal Services (Ottawa-Carleton)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dear Colleague:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We are pleased to let you know that <i>Discussion Paper 2: Approaches for Reform</i> is available on our website at <a href="http://www.socialassistancereview.ca">www.socialassistancereview.ca</a>. Once again, we are asking for your help.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This paper advances the dialogue we began last June, when we asked you to provide us with an opportunity to hear the perspectives of your community on the key issues facing social assistance. The response to the community conversations, and to our first discussion paper, was tremendous and we appreciate how many people took the time to share their views. These are summarized in <i>What We Heard: A Summary of Discussions on Social Assistance</i>, also posted on our website. We encourage you to read the summary as a companion to the second discussion paper.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Based on what we have learned through these consultations and our research, it is clear to us that the system requires transformative change. Small fixes will not suffice, if we are to help more people on a path to a better life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Our purpose in this paper is to discuss different approaches to improving some of the key areas of the social assistance system. As our work unfolded, we strongly desired to engage in further dialogue and obtain feedback on specific areas of reform to help refine our thinking. This paper provides those opportunities, and we hope you will share it within your community, so that once again our work is informed by the unique perspectives of different regions and communities. We would like to receive feedback by Friday, March 16; information on how to make a submission is available on our website. The input and advice we receive in response to <i>Approaches for Reform</i> will help frame our recommendations to the government in June.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>If you would like to receive printed copies of <i>Approaches for Reform</i>, please email us at <a href="mailto:socialassistancereview@ontario.ca">socialassistancereview@ontario.ca</a> or call us toll free at 1-855-269-6250.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Thank you for the work you have done on our behalf, and for your commitment to improving social assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListBullet style='mso-list:none'>Frances Lankin Munir A. Sheikh<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListBullet style='mso-list:none'>Commissioner Commissioner<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>