The women arrived at the Hotel Marriott as Pupatello was speaking to a conference on the issue of domestic violence. It was ironic that just as the Minister was speaking on the topic of violence towards women several large and burly security guards forcibly, and using excessive violence, prevented the delegation from addressing the Minister. A half hour struggle ensured as security attempted to literally push the delegation back up the stairs and we stood our ground. Our delegation caused a major ruckus, speaking to media, chanting throughout and disrupting Pupatello’s speech continuously.

Once informed of the reasons for wanting to meet with Pupatello, conference participants were incredibly supportive and attempted to negotiate to have the Minister meet with the delegation. More and more conference delegates left Pupatello’s speech in protest and came to support us, distributing OCAP leaflets and bringing us a seemingly never-ending supply of snacks. Several delegates negotiated with Pupatello demanding that she meet with us. In true politician fashion, the Minister refused to meet. Claiming security concerns, Pupatello instead hustled out of the conference like a dog with her tail between her legs. Her feel-good B.S. speech about the Liberals’ great work on women’s issues didn’t quite leave the desired impression that day as women from the conference floor held up “Raise The Rates” signs and intervened.

Conference delegates negotiated to have OCAP address the entire conference of about 1000 delegates from across the province and explain to them the implications of policies made by Sandra Pupatello and the Liberal government. This resulted in a peculiar situation as OCAP and the Raise The Rates fight took center stage at a conference sponsored by 3 police associations and filled with a combination of extremely supportive women from Rape Crises Centers and uncharacteristically silent cop delegates.

Women spoke about how, for the first time, they were able to feed their children fresh food, buy them the things the needed and deserved, and, most importantly were able to relax a little bit about having enough money to last the whole month. Getting the special diet money had relieved some of the stress and anxiety associated with not being able to afford enough food that had been present in their lives for far too long. The conference was reminded that many women don’t leave situations of domestic violence precisely because they fear being placed in a position of extreme poverty, which they would inevitably face on welfare.

At the end of OCAP’s address, amidst a standing ovation, a challenge was issued to agency workers and supporters of marginalized and oppressed people to address, verbally and in writing, through rallies and public speaking engagements, the inadequacies of social assistance programs in Ontario and to demand that the government immediately raise welfare and ODSP rates by the 40% that has been lost since the Harris government slashed rates in 1995. Participants were encouraged to attend the Raise the Rates Town Hall Meeting being held Dec 15th at St Michael’s Hospital Auditorium at 7pm.

OCAP’s call for an escort out of the building was enthusiastically answered by a crowd of hundreds of spirited and encouraging people who recognized the urgency and legitimacy of this demand and the need to fight for an increase in welfare and ODSP rates, leaving the conference and lining the hotel corridor cheering the delegation as it left.

Later in the day, delegates collected $700 from the conference floor and donated it to the Raise The Rates campaign. They also issued a press release in support of the demands and secured a promise from Ontario Women’s Directorate representatives that Pupatello would be calling the OCAP office today. We don’t think we will be waiting by the phone. We’ll be organizing our next hit against the Liberals instead.

To join the campaign contact:

edit: it strikes me that nuclearfreezone's brief comment would make a good starting point for emails or letters to Pupatello's office on this topic. Equating domestic violence with state-economic violence...ouch, that's gonna hurt!

[ 01 December 2005: Message edited by: aRoused ]

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Violence Against Women Activists Call on Government to Reinstate Special Diet Allowance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2005

Toronto: A group of violence against women activists attending the provincial government’s “Finding Common Ground: Working Together to Reduce Domestic Violence” are calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to immediately reinstate the special diet allowance, end the child tax benefit clawback and raise social assistance rates so women do not remain in abusive family situations for reasons of economic survival.

Women from OCAP (the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) arrived at yesterday’s conference opening to speak to Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello. Minister Pupatello refused the invitation and, in fact, left the conference via a back door while the women waited, surrounded by hotel security and city police.

Violence against women activists at the conference took over the microphones on the floor to demand that the women be allowed into the room to speak to delegates. There was overwhelming support for this from those attending the conference.

Women told more than 500 conference participants that they and their children are living on less than $700/month. The special diet supplement provided them with an additional $250/month to buy food for their children. Pupatello has just announced that this special diet allowance is being rescinded.

“Without adequate social assistance, many women find themselves remaining in abusive relationships to ensure their children have a roof over their heads and food on the table,” says Cindy Cowan of OAITH, the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses. “It is unconscionable for the government to place women in this position.”

Welfare rates were slashed by the Mike Harris Conservative government more than 10 years ago, and have never been restored to the pre-Harris level. “Restoring the special diet supplement, especially as we enter the most expensive time of year, is only the first step that the government must take,” says Pamela Cross, of the Ontario Women’s Justice Network. “If this government wants to walk the talk of ending violence against women, it must begin by ending women’s poverty.”

Provincial women’s anti-violence groups including the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, the Ontario Women’s Justice Network and the Cross Sectoral Violence Against Women Strategy Group call on Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister Sandra Pupatello to reinstate the special diet allowance benefit effective December 1st.

For more information, contact:
Pamela Cross OWJN 416-392-3148
Cindy Cowan OAITH 416-461-9849

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Children who grow up in poverty have a higher risk of heart disease than other people, even if their economic status gets better later in life.

by Jenn Watt
December 2, 2005

Anti-poverty activists in Toronto say the Ontario provincial government must restore the special diet supplement for people on social assistance, or face the consequences of chronic health problems for those living in poverty.

The special diet supplement is a specific monetary portion of social assistance in Ontario, which was created by the provincial government to increase subsidies for those who had additional dietary needs that could not be covered by regular social assistance cheques.

Over the past year, anti-poverty organizations, including the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, have been organizing clinics to sign up additional people for the extra monthly sum — usually totalling $250 per month.

Last Saturday, over 300 people marched down the snowy streets of Toronto to the Sutton Place Hotel, home of Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Community and Social Services for Ontario.

Once the group arrived at the hotel, about 30 demonstrators rushed into the lush, polished lobby with police officers close behind.

“(Pupatello) said she would be the first to stand up and say single moms can't live on welfare, but she is the first to stand up and say we, who are getting the special diet, are cheating. So she took it away,” yelled one protester inside the hotel.

Fourteen police officers closed in on the chanting protesters and they left without incident to join the crowd outside.

OCAP argues that the current amount given to those on welfare without the special diet supplement is not enough to pay the rent and eat — so, nearly everyone on social assistance should qualify.

There are many nurses and doctors who agree.

“Chronic health problems are the sentence you get for the crime of being poor,” says Kathy Hardill, a member of Health Providers Against Poverty.

She says that children who grow up in poverty have a higher risk of heart disease than other people, even if their economic status gets better later in life.

Women are also at risk of bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, if they don't get a healthy diet, she says.

That's why Hardill and other health providers have been prescribing the special diet to people on social assistance who would not necessarily qualify under the government's stringent criteria.

On November 4, the Ontario government announced that it will no longer be allowing average Ontario Works and Ontario Disability recipients to claim the supplemental grant.

New application forms have been created that force those on social assistance to specify their disease or ailment to the government in order to receive additional money for food.

“Our organization is in no way...reconciled to this vicious and appalling cutback,” John Clark, an OCAP organizer told the demonstrators on Saturday.

“We didn't come out here to register a protest; we came out here to initiate a war against this government.”

The target of the protest was Pupatello's apartment, because according to OCAP, she receives a $20,000 housing allowance per year from the province.

Once a critic of the faltering provincial welfare system, Pupatello has surprised many activists by further diminishing funds available to the poor.

Ten years ago, Ontario suffered a stinging blow to social assistance when the Conservative government, led by then-Premier Mike Harris, cut welfare rates by 21.6 per cent.

Since coming to power, the Dalton McGuinty Liberals have increased that rate by three per cent.

Saturday's protesters say that isn't good enough for them.

They say that with inflation and cost of living increases, the rates should be raised to about 40 per cent.

Marguerite, a special diet recipient from El Salvador, said when she came to Canada people praised the country for its human rights, but the country hasn't lived up to its reputation.

“As a poor person, I am still a human being. I deserve respect,” she told the crowd.

“This is the last time we will send a message (to the government). When people stand up there are no police, army or government that can stop us.”

Over the past year, OCAP has helped to sign up over 8,000 people on the special diet in Toronto.

Other groups in the province have taken up the campaign as well.

The Tenant Action Group in Belleville, Ont. signed up 900 people in that city, claiming that one mother received $1,800 extra one month.

Living up to OCAP's promise to fight until the special diet was re-instated, on Tuesday, November 29, women activists arrived at a domestic violence conference where Pupatello was speaking.

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Originally posted by Sam:
New application forms have been created that force those on social assistance to specify their disease or ailment to the government in order to receive additional money for food.

“Our organization is in no way...reconciled to this vicious and appalling cutback,” John Clark, an OCAP organizer told the demonstrators on Saturday.

“We didn't come out here to register a protest; we came out here to initiate a war against this government.”

The target of the protest was Pupatello's apartment, because according to OCAP, she receives a $20,000 housing allowance per year from the province.

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In fact, a complaint has been filed by a doctor with Ontario's Privacy Commissioner - I've seen the new forms and not only do they infringe on doctor patient confidentiality, but the amounts allowed are an absolute scandal.

Yes, the war rhetoric does alienate some people. However, what we are talking about here is outrage and "outrage" rarely gets funneled into respectable proclamations or such things.

Also, in the communities where we organize the people love it and relate to it.

Yeah, some people may get hurt and in fact some have gotten hurt. This simply reflects the level of the desperation; we are ALWAYS very clear about the possibilities and I've never seen OCAP or the Ontario Front Groups ever shy away from the label "radical."

"Dishonourable, misleading and dangerous"...?

I really don't understand what you are talking about here...

We openly abuse a loophole getting millions for desperately needy poor families; OCAP got what others have been trying to do for...at least ten years...

- doctors, nurses, the Ontario Federation of Labour support us, the NDP seem to denounce the government for cutting the benefits, women who work in abuse shelters, food banks support us, health centres...

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Originally posted by Sam:
After having participated in seven "Hunger Clinics" processing well over 900 forms, and getting low income people desperately needed money, I can tell you that the forms did not force doctors to identify people's specify medical conditions.

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In fact, a complaint has been filed by a doctor with Ontario's Privacy Commissioner - I've seen the new forms and not only do they infringe on doctor patient confidentiality, but the amounts allowed are an absolute scandal.

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Yes, the war rhetoric does alienate some people. However, what we are talking about here is outrage and "outrage" rarely gets funneled into respectable proclamations or such things.

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Also, in the communities where we organize the people love it and relate to it.

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Yeah, some people may get hurt and in fact some have gotten hurt. This simply reflects the level of the desperation; we are ALWAYS very clear about the possibilities and I've never seen OCAP or the Ontario Front Groups ever shy away from the label "radical."

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We openly abuse a loophole getting millions for desperately needy poor families; OCAP got what others have been trying to do for...at least ten years...

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- doctors, nurses, the Ontario Federation of Labour support us, the NDP seem to denounce the government for cutting the benefits, women who work in abuse shelters, food banks support us, health centres...

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Obviously, there is a much bigger societal stigma attached to being HIV than being diabetic...

I really don't think that entities like the OFL are ignorant to the tactics of OCAP or the Common Front...

I'm also sure that at the first sound of hooves hitting the pavement most would shy away - to say the least, but the point is power never concedes without a demand AND other tactical means simply have only gotten poor people deeper, and deeper into the hole.

I think it would be "dishonourable" if I, for instance, organized yet another useless meeting with the Minister's staff, got nothing...again, and then cashed my paycheque.

Again, I see nothing "dishonourable" in fighting for children's dignity and fighting to win. In fact, it seems to me that those who openly engage in tactics which get us nowhere (if not make things worse) are certainly "dishonourable" because they know better or are just plain ignnorant.

As for "dangerous"...yeah, for sure.

However, on balance is it not "honourable" to fight for justice? Is it so bad if you put yourself into harms way for your kid's sake or for someone who is disabled?

...especially if those very people support us and are in the forefront of the movement and the front line?

We had a woman with an oxygen tank when we stormed the local MPP's office last month. Poor people arn't dupes, eh?

This is certainly a Class War and, I believe, ought to be treated as such.

Finally, OCAP and the Common Front is anything but misleading...

I'm looking right now at an OCAP poster on my wall with a picture of MCGuinty's head sizzling in a barbecue (last summer's Grit Barbecue action)...remember OCAP's poster with Harris and Eve's head in a guillotine?

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Originally posted by Sam:
This is certainly a Class War and, I believe, ought to be treated as such.

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