Overview

Abstract (English)

Although it has undergone many transformations, in Ontario, last-resort income assistance as a form of poverty relief has always been allotted based on the principle of categorical eligibility. This means that on the basis of a series of personal characteristics, the needy are divided into two groups: the long-term dependent and the short-term dependent. Currently, two main programs provide last-resort income assistance to the poor: Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. The former, intended for the short-term dependent, provides for those deemed ’employable’, while the latter provides for those requiring long-term assistance. The Ontario Works program requires that recipients participate in Employment Assistance activities that are intended to expedite their transition back into the workforce. Using the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services social assistance data, this research examines whether Ontario Works is truly being used for short term relief- that is, whether participants in the program are likely to exit quickly, and whether they are likely to return to the program after exiting. The hypothesis of this study is that participants in marginalized social locations, such as women, single parents, immigrants to Canada, and indigenous people, are more likely to remain in the program for long durations and to re-enter the program if they have exited. A test of this hypothesis will reveal whether there is a need for re-examination of the categories of eligibility for Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support, and indeed, whether the principle of categorical eligibility is useful in Ontario’s poverty relief system at all.

Abstract (French)

Please note that abstracts only appear in the language of the publication and might not have a translation.