[homeles_ot-l] Fwd: Ideal time to get media attention around OCB and clothing allowances

[Terrie]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) <isac at lao.on.ca>
Date: Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Subject: Ideal time to get media attention around OCB and clothing
allowances
To: mocharebyl at gmail.com


 With the Ontario Child Benefit rolling out this month, it is an ideal time
to get media attention on the impact for families on social assistance. Of
immediate concern for many families on social assistance is the fact they
will no longer be getting the back-to-school and winter clothing allowances
in August and November.

CUPE Ontario and ISAC are partnering with local communities to hold press
conferences on this in London, Sudbury and Kingston over the next two weeks.
The first was held on July 16th in London and has resulted in several news
stories.

If you would like to get media attention in your community, especially if
your municipality has not yet agreed to cover the costs of the
back-to-school and winter clothing allowances this year, please feel free
to adapt the attached press release template and send it to your local
media.

If you get questions from media that ask a lot of detail about the Ontario
Child Benefit or the clothing allowances and you are not sure how to answer
them, please contact ISAC's policy analyst, Jennefer Laidley, or refer the
reporter directly to her. Her phone number is 1-866-245-4072, x 5150 (wk) or
416-523-5228 (cell).

If you decide to organize your own press conference, ISAC could provide
speaking notes. Again, contact Jennefer.

ISAC is hoping media attention could help convince local municipalities to
cover the costs of the allowances this year or get the province to cover
100% of the costs so that no kids lose out. Attached  (in PDF only) is the
directive that local OW and ODSP Directors were sent authorizing them to use
discretionary funding for this purpose.

If your local Director is still unwilling to cover the costs, you may want
to take the issue to your local City Council. A provincial resolution on
ISAC's website could be easily adapted:
http://www.incomesecurity.org/documents/BacktoSchoolandWinterClothingAllowances-Feb2008.pdf<http://www.cleonet.ca/maillist/lt/t_go.php?i=101&e=MzI2Nw==&l=http://www.incomesecurity.org/documents/BacktoSchoolandWinterClothingAllowances-Feb2008.pdf>
.

You can also find additional information on the Ontario Child Benefit,
social assistance restructuring and the impact on back-to-school and winter
clothing allowances from ISAC's website:
www.incomesecurity.org<http://www.cleonet.ca/maillist/lt/t_go.php?i=101&e=MzI2Nw==&l=http://www.incomesecurity.org/>
.


Dana Milne
Provincial Organizer
Income Security Advocacy Centre

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-- 
Terrie ( mocharebyl at gmail.com )
"If you see an injustice being committed, you aren't an observer, you are a
participant." June Callwood
Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and
renders the present inaccessible. Maya Angelou
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