[homeles_ot-l] Fwd: Special Diet Action Alert

[Reuel Amdur]

When Ottawa social workers met with Meilleur she said that any substantial increase in social assistance rates would bring people up against the poverty wall, discouraging them from seeking work.  She is not sympathetic.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Terrie 
  To: Homelessness (E-mail) 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:20 PM
  Subject: [homeles_ot-l] Fwd: Special Diet Action Alert





  ---------- Forwarded message ----------
  From: Nancy Vander Plaats (SCAR) <VanderpN at lao.on.ca>
  Date: 2 March 2010 16:13
  Subject: Special Diet Action Alert
  To: odspaction at googlegroups.com, odspaction-announce at googlegroups.com



  The Special Diet Allowance is a Crucial Part of ODSP & OW

  Contact your MPP



  The Special Diet Allowance program is a long-standing part of Ontario’s social assistance system. It is intended to relieve the disadvantage faced by people who have extra dietary costs related to their disability. 



  Yet for many years, the Special Diet Allowance program has stood on shaky ground. In 2005, the Ontario government made changes to the program that left hundreds of people unable to afford the diets they had relied on to manage the complications of their medical conditions. 



  The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal recently heard the case of three such individuals, and found that the Special Diet Allowance program did violate the Human Rights Code in the way it provided benefits to them.



  This is a huge victory for all those on ODSP, and it is something we want to celebrate. However, the ODSP Action Coalition is concerned that the program may be viewed as too expensive, and is at risk of being shut down. 



  We are currently waiting to hear how the government will react to the recent decision of the Human Rights Tribunal, which ordered the government to provide more money to people with four conditions.  Will they obey the order to pay more?  Will they try to get a higher court to overturn the decision?  Or will they remove the payment of extra money for special diets from the ODSP and OW legislation entirely?



  On March 1 in the House of Commons, MPP Michael Prue asked Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur whether she would be obeying the decision of the Tribunal, who replied only that they would be reviewing the decision. This failure to commit is one of many signs that Minister Meilleur does not support the Special Diet Allowance program, and that the program continues to be at risk. 



  Now more than ever, people on ODSP must speak up about the importance of this program. Thousands of people in Ontario have medical conditions that require specific diets, and would be seriously hurt if the Special Diet Allowance is cancelled.



  The Coalition is asking members and supporters to call, write or email your MPP about the importance of the Special Diet allowance.  For people who are on the Special Diet Allowance, it is crucial that you tell your story and explain exactly why this program is important to you. Here are some suggested points to make in your phone call or letter:



  RECIPIENTS WHO ARE ON THE SPECIAL DIET ALLOWANCE PROGRAM

  ·        The Special Diet allowance is a crucial need for many Ontarians with disabilities 

  ·        (If you are on the Special Diet Allowance, explain your situation and how the Special Diet Allowance has benefitted you)

  ·        I was pleased to hear about the recent Human Rights Tribunal decision, which found that the government was violating human rights by not properly providing benefits to three people on the Special Diet Allowance

  ·        I want to ensure that the government obeys the order of the Tribunal to boost benefits for people with certain conditions

  ·        If the Special Diet Allowance program were ever to be cancelled, my health would suffer tremendously

  ·        I am asking that you do what you can to ensure this program is kept in place



  RECIPIENTS WHO ARE NOT ON THE SPECIAL DIET ALLOWANCE PROGRAM, AND NON-RECIPIENTS

  ·        The Special Diet allowance is a crucial need for many Ontarians with disabilities. 

  ·        The Human Rights Tribunal found that the government was discriminating against people with certain disabilities by not providing a comparable amount of benefits compared to others.

  ·        Government should respond to the Human Rights decision by obeying its order and providing reasonable amounts, as suggested for the four conditions dealt with in the decision.

  ·        I am concerned that this program has been viewed as too expensive, and that government might respond to this decision by cancelling the program altogether 

  ·        I wanted to reiterate to you the value of this program

  ·        Cancellation of the special diet will have serious effects on the health of many Ontarians, such as people with diabetes, HIV/AIDs, cancer, MS and many other conditions.  This will ultimately result in even more costs for the health care system

  ·        I am asking you to do what you can to ensure that this program is kept in place



  If you don’t know who your current MPP is, click here http://fyed.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp to find your electoral district, then match up your electoral district with who your MPP is here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do?locale=en&ord=Riding&dir=ASC&list_type=all_mpps



  To look up your MPP’s contact information, click here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/member_addresses.do?AddType=CONT&locale=en. 



  Attachments:  

  ISAC press release

  ISAC backgrounder

  Hansard March 1



  Feel free to circulate this message, and encourage people to call or write to their MPP’s.

  Kyle Vose

  Nancy Vander Plaats

  ODSP Action Coalition co-chairs




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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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