JobsNow Part Of Province's Plan To Restore Integrity To Social Assistance Programs

TORONTO – The McGuinty government is launching an innovative pilot project that will help people move from working for welfare to working for a living, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today.

JobsNow will provide ongoing, individualized employment counselling, job placement and retention support to help people find jobs so that they can leave welfare for good.

"Social assistance recipients are not statistics – they are real people who want to work. It's time our welfare programs worked, too," said Pupatello. "Our plan will get thousands of people into the workforce, and that's good for our clients, our economy and our taxpayers."

WCG International, in cooperation with municipal Ontario Works offices, will run the JobsNow pilot in six pilot communities: Peel Region, Durham Region, Hamilton, Windsor, Ottawa and Nipissing. Through their employment partnership with the government of British Columbia, WCG has helped 30,000 social assistance clients return to the workforce by providing one-on-one support and leveraging partnerships with local businesses and employers.

"JobsNow will act as a network to help income assistance recipients connect with the hidden job market," said Ian Ferguson, president and CEO of WCG International. "We're not finding make-work jobs – we're finding sustainable, long-term employment for people who just need extra support to get back to work. We have already identified nearly 1,000 jobs and have the first people back to work."

"We are pleased that the government has created an employment support program that will make a real difference in the lives of our long-term Ontario Works clients. JobsNow will also free up existing municipal employment services so we can concentrate on supporting those who have been on Ontario Works for less than a year," said Roger Anderson, Chair, Regional Municipality of Durham and president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

The made-for-Ontario JobsNow is focussed specifically on people who have been on social assistance for 12 months or more, providing them with intensive support to get back into the labour force and into long-term employment.

This initiative is part of the provincial government's plan to restore integrity to Ontario's social assistance programs by streamlining administration, improving accountability and moving people off welfare into steady jobs. It responds to the recommendations of London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews' December 2004 report that found current social assistance programs are not doing enough to help people get back into the workforce.

"Helping people get back to work is good social policy, good economic policy and good fiscal policy," said Pupatello. "Our people are our greatest resource. When they can fulfill their potential, the entire province benefits."