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Commissioners

The government should appoint two commissioners to lead Ontario’s Income Security Review, reporting to a committee of relevant ministries. The commissioners should be responsible for delivering a plan with recommendations for transformation of Ontario’s income security, employment and related supports based on the recommended Terms of Reference as outlined in the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council report. The commissioners should be recognized leaders in their field who are civically engaged and who are knowledgeable about social policy in Ontario.

The Advisory Council

The government should appoint an advisory council that should draw on diverse geographic, sectoral, and social perspectives from across Ontario, including representatives with lived experience drawn from groups at heightened risk of poverty. The advisory council should be convened by the commissioners to advise and validate critical aspects of the review.

The Secretariat

The review should be supported by a small secretariat. Its role should involve administration and coordination, including a Secretary of the Review who reports to the commissioners, research, outreach and consultations, and communications.

Dialogue and Consultation Strategy

The review should build a process for a public dialogue on income security, based on the following four goals:

• Engage in a dialogue with a representative group of Ontarians with lived experience of social assistance.
• Draw on the expertise of people receiving income security benefits, system stakeholders, key informants, policy experts and researchers.
• Implement mechanisms to ensure all Ontarians have an opportunity to provide suggestions, advice and opinions.
• Engage Members of Provincial Parliament and other political leaders in the review.

With these goals in mind, the review should develop the following streams of consultation:

Panel of experience: We recommend an approach modeled on, or continuing, the Peoples’ Review for this purpose. The Peoples’ Review is bringing together a representative group of persons from across Ontario who are currently or recently living on social assistance as peer researchers to generate new ideas and strategies that can increase pathways out of poverty for those currently on assistance. If The Peoples’ Review is not available, then a similar group should be established to provide ongoing advice and input.

Public consultation: A series of consultations should be convened by the co-chairs to review the directions, including the strategies recommended by the Social Assistance Review Advisory Council. Meetings should be coordinated to ensure regional coverage, including engaging remote, rural and isolated delivery sites. Members of Provincial Parliament should be engaged and provided support to lead their own consultations locally. Outreach to specific groups and populations should be coordinated with local partners to ensure a comprehensive dialogue across all social sectors.

First Nations: Separate and substantive discussions with First Nations to ensure reforms reflect their needs and priorities.

Expert panels: Consultation should include roundtables of experts and key stakeholders in various aspects pertaining to the review.

Written input: Welcome via internet and regular mail.

Connection to other Processes

In conducting their work, the commissioners should consider and build on the in-depth community consultation process already undertaken by the Ontario government regarding, for example, the Poverty Reduction Strategy and other mechanisms such as the Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy.

The commissioners should also build on related initiatives, such as the provincial-municipal work underway through the Human Services Implementation Steering Committee and the Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy. The review could also share learning with the Mowatt Centre for Policy Innovation’s Employment Insurance Task Force and the Law Commission of Ontario’s research project: The Law as it Affects Persons with Disabilities.

Timelines

The review should be conducted over a process of 12 - 18 months.