Community Consultation June 9, at a Grenoble Public School in Don Valley West, co-hosted by:
Hon. David Caplan, MPP (Don Valley East); Hon. Kathleen Wynne, MPP (Don Valley West); David Zimmer, MPP (Willowdale)
Volunteers handed out the 25 in 5 Declaration as people entered the meeting and all 3 MPPs were aware of it, and aware that supporters were present at the meeting.
Both Kathleen Wynne and David Zimmer mentioned their interest in the views of people who support the Declaration, especially about how to measure poverty and how to reduce it.
Despite the fact that the meeting was held in a low-income neighbourhood, it was presumably the brief notice of the meeting that resulted in 75 people attending it. Community groups which were active were present, in particular from Kathleen Wynn’s riding, and articulate about how the people that they were helping needed the benefits of a provincial poverty reduction strategy.
Deb Matthews was able to attend the final 45 minutes of the meeting, and both she and Kathleen Wynne each affirmed that their Cabinet Committee developing the Government’s poverty reduction strategy welcomed the views of people around the province about what it should include, and so emphasized the importance of feedback and popular participation in the development of the strategy.
Will Deb Matthews comment on the massive fraud that is draining millions of dollars out of the system by Ontario Works and ODSP staff?
WHO IS REALLY COMMITTING THE FRAUD AROUND HERE
The general public has no idea what the system is really like. They think fraud is ramped in Ontario Works and ODSP. Here is something to think about and it is just the tip of the iceberg according to our research.
The provincial government says welfare fraud is around 2%.
Who is really committing the fraud around here?
The federal government says income tax fraud is 13%
Ontario Works staff charged in $1.3million Fraud
By Sarah Elizabeth Brown Tuesday March 4,2008
Chronicle Journal http://tbay.ok.bc.ca/stories.php?id=95704
Fraud Charges laid against a number of Ontario Works, Staff
http://www.toronto.ca/audit/2003/annual_report_fraud_related_matters_hotline_sep_3_03_final.pdf
Budget cuts allow more Ontario Works staff fraud.
http://www.toronto.ca/budget2005/pdf/cns_shortfallservicelost.pdf
Government ODSP worker charged in $585,000 fraud case.
By SooToday.com Staff Wednesday, November 14, 2007
SooToday
http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=28485
http://odsp.blogspot.com/2007/11/former-government-worker-charged-in.html
93.7 million dollars in corporate welfare
Linda Leatherdale March 7,2008
http://money.canoe.ca/Columnists/Leatherdale/2008/03/07/4938021-sun.html
http://theoldcraftsman.com/blog/?p=387#comment-174
Premier Dalton McGuity is handing over a 9.7 million dollar corporate welfare cheque to Kellogg. Kellogg’s profit was $1 billion. Also Ford got a $55 million cheque and is now cutting shifts, while GM got $29million and is also cutting shifts.
$150 million called corporate welfare for a profitable industry.
Rob Ferguson January 10, 2008
Queens Park Bureau http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/292631
The Ontario Government has earmarked $150 million to encourage pharmaceutical companies to do more drug research and manufacturing in the province.
Ontario government coughs up about $940 million a year on grants like this one.
Health Canada has been advised that Tic Tacs are being voluntarily recalled. Premier McGuinty should demand taxpayers get back the $5.5 million the government gave to this corporate welfare failure.
http://www.taxpayerblog.com/2008/04/health-canada-advisory-recalling-tic.html
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Hamilton’s, Ontario Works Staff Fraud
An internal audit in Hamilton, Ontario showed that Ontario Works staff were taking the city’s credit card out and enjoying a nice lunch privately.
The same audit showed that the Ontario Works workers had access to the main computer that issues their clients checks
In a different Audit city staff admit missing cheque signatures.
http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/EB0B3640-1762-4BB2-AA41-479304DB9381/0/Dec05CM07029OntarioWorksOperationsofDataCentre200707.pdf
The system allows the data center staff to renumber the cheque printing sequences. The lack of an independent review allows for an opportunity by staff to manipulate the controls and misappropriate any number of cheques.
The operating keys are left in the cheque signing machines and the password to operate the cheque signer is openly displayed in an internal policy document.
The risk arises out of unauthorized manipulation of cheques by staff, clients or others. It assumes significance in the absence of regular bank reconciliations.
http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/770B3878-9962-4880-B3C7-85D1D2706B07/0/Oct18CM06021FollowUpOWandSDMT200403.pdf
Isn’t that a recipe for disaster?
Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
E-mail welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com