[homeles_ot-l] Special Diet Action Alert

Wed Mar 3 12:38:01 EST 2010

FYI . . . Jennefer Laidley at the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
sent in this info this morning -

This issue is very urgent and needs quick action. If your organization is
sending a letter, please fax it to the appropriate ministers. The fax
numbers are: 

Office of the Minister of Community and Social Services

Fax: 416-325-3347

Office of the Minister of Children and Youth Services

Fax: 416-212-7431

Office of the Premier

Fax: 416-325-7819

Office of the Minister of Finance

Fax: 416-325-0374

******************

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

Cell 613-513-6647

Office 613-241-7913, ext. 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/> 

  _____  

From: homeles_ot-l-bounces at list.web.net
[mailto:homeles_ot-l-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of Reuel Amdur
Sent: March 2, 2010 6:36 PM
To: Terrie; Homelessness (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [homeles_ot-l] Fwd: Special Diet Action Alert

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 <mailto:mocharebyl at gmail.com>  

To: Homelessness <mailto:homeles_ot-l at list.web.net>  (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
<http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do?locale=en&ord=Riding&
dir=ASC&list_type=all_mpps> &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
<http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/member_addresses.do?AddType=CONT&locale=
en> &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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