<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.19328">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV>True, the province needs to bear most of the blame. However, it
should be noted that the mayor is opposed to a municipal income tax, which would
give the cty more financial flexibility and would be fairer, basing
taxation on income rather than just property value. </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com
href="mailto:linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com">Linda Lalonde</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=homeles_ot-l@list.web.net
href="mailto:homeles_ot-l@list.web.net">homeles_ot-l@list.web.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 09, 2012 1:02
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [homeles_ot-l] Link to info
report on changes to CSUMB anddiscretionary benefits going to CPS on Nov
15th</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top>
<DIV>Hi folks,</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please make sure to read the piece marked *Important* below. It is,
well, important!</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Here's the link to the more detailled explanation of the changes
the department is proposing in the 2013 budget as a result of the
province's changes to discretionary benefits and the Community Startup
and Maintenance Benefit:</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/cpsc/2012/11-15/03%20-%20ACS2012-COS-CSS-0012%20Investment%20Report.pdf"
rel=nofollow
target=_blank>http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/cpsc/2012/11-15/03%20-%20ACS2012-COS-CSS-0012%20Investment%20Report.pdf</A></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You will see that they have shuffled a lot of $$ from other areas
of the City as well as changed the eligibility criteria and scope of
some items. So, for instances, they will still cover a basic burial or
cremation but will not pay for a funeral service or visitation. Things
like glasses and dentures will still be available but not as
often.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The main casualty of this re-jig is the one-year Community Grants
program which provided small grants (up to $20,000) to organizations to
either deal with emerging issues in their community or pilot new
programs with the intent of getting other funding once they'd
demonstrated it worked. This funding envelope is particularly important
for smaller organizations that don't have the flexibility in their
budgets to try anything without outside funding and they will be the
hardest hit by this cut.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My suggestion is that the community should be pushing for the
retention of this envelope, even if it has to be at a reduced amount. It
is currently at $575,000 per year and I will be asking CPS and Council
to retain it at $300,000 for 2013. It's important to look at this in the
broader context of funding possibilities in the community. Five years
ago, small organizations had the possibility of seeking support from the
Community Foundation, the Trillium Foundation, the United Way and this
grant envelope. The United Way has cut their project grants and, if this
goes through, the only source for short-term grants for small projects
will be the Community Foundation and the Trillium, both of which have
limited funds available.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><U><EM><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffbfff"></FONT></EM></U> </DIV>
<DIV><U><EM><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffbfff">*Important*</FONT></EM></U></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We need to make sure that we are laying the blame for these cuts on
the right shoulders. These are not cuts the City or the Department chose
to make but that have been forced on them by the province as a result of
cuts to the provincial 2012-2013 budget. That budget was passed in June
2012 and the first of the cuts took effect on July 1st, less than a
month later. Our city found ways to maintain the programs and services
until December 31st but can't absorb a cut of that magnitude on a
permanent basis. We are talking about millions of dollars, not a small
tinkering with the funding transfers from the province to the
municipality.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What has happened is that the Community Services Department and the
rest of the City have scrounged a pretty good 'save' for the majority of
the programs by redirecting money from outside the Department,
realigning Department funds and changing the criteria for some items.
There are also casualties that, under the proposed draft budget, will
not be receiving any funding or will receive greatly reduced funding.
The biggest and most regrettable of those proposals is the removal of
the one-year Community Grants program which I think should be
saved.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It is very important that we don't let this go by without taking it
to its source. Please, please, please go and talk to your MPP about the
effects these cuts will have on you, your organizations and your
community. They were slipped in among the fine print in the provincial
budget, probably with the intention of hiding them until the deed was
done. The province expects that the municipalities will manage their
budgets responsibly but then, in mid-year, dumps huge funding cuts on
them. It's very interesting that the item which costs the province $$,
the measly 1% increase to social assistance cheques, was not implemented
until the end of November/beginning of December cheques while the items
that would save the province $$ were implemented less than a month after
the budget was passed.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The other point that needs to be brought to the attention of the
MPPs is that they set up the Social Assistance Review Commission which
was to report back this summer on the best ways to do a comprehensive
reform of the social assistance system. Making adjustments moments
before the Commission reports their recommendations was, to say the
least, disrespectful of that process. The Commission has suggested that
the funds that were cut be restored.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It also concerns me that our local social service staff will be the
ones who will have to deal with the consequences of these
provincially-caused cuts. If a client happens to request something on
January 10th instead of December 10th, it will be city staff saying no
and trying to direct that person to other services which may well be
non-existant.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please consider coming to the Community & Protective Services
Committee meeting on November 15th at 9:30 in the Council Chambers at
City Hall when they will be discussing the budget. As well as hearing
the discussions and interventions from the community, you can make a
five-minute presentation to the Committee on the budget proposals. To do
that, you can book a spot by calling Marc Desjardins at 613-580-2424,
ext 28821 or by emailing him at <A
href="http://ca.mc1216.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Marc.Desjardins@ottawa.ca"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>Marc.Desjardins@ottawa.ca</A>. You can just
turn up and sign up to speak on the day but, if you call in advance, it
helps them plan and tells you roughly when you'll be speaking.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I hope lots of you will contact your councillors and come down on
the 15th to put your two cents forward. Please also talk to your MPP -
they can't be allowed to get away with this. </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #bfdfff">Note:</FONT> Bob Chiarelli,
MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, has been appointed Minister of Municipal
Affairs and Housing which means he will be overseeing the preparation of
the 2013-2014 provincial budget for housing. I know he'll want to hear
what Ottawans have to say on that topic. He's at <A
href="http://ca.mc1216.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=bchiarelli.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>bchiarelli.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org</A> or
613-721-8075 - set up a meeting and go talk to him!! </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Linda.</DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>PLEASE ADD OUR ADDRESS,<BR>homeles_ot-l@list.web.net<BR>to your email
contact list.<BR><BR>THEN email your homelessness and housing messages to that
address to reach the full list or to reply to a posting.<BR><BR>This list is
not moderated; there is no editorial review.<BR><BR>Please try to keep
messages to 200KB or less, including attachments, so that all subscribers are
able to receive them.<BR><BR>The listserv does not permit Blind copy, BCC
addresses or the use of too many Send To addresses. The best thing is to email
to this list on its own.<BR><BR>The Alliance to End Homelessness does not
verify the accuracy of submitted messages nor necessarily endorse the opinions
expressed by message authors. Message authors are solely responsible for
content of their messages.<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>