Type of Intervention: Financial and Economic, Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Health, Social Services
Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid; Stimulus packages and financial support; Aid distributed to community groups
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Premier (Doug Ford), Deputy Premier and Minister of Health (Christine Elliot), Minister of Long-Term Care (Dr. Merrilee Fullerton), Minister of Children, Community and Social Services (Todd Smith), Minister for Seniors and Accessibility (Raymond Cho), Minister of Finance (Rod Phillips)
Overview: The Ontario government is investing $11 million to help support the province’s most vulnerable citizens. This investment provides funding to help deliver meals, medications, and other essentials to those in need as well as double the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) payments. The government will work with the Ontario Community Support Association to launch a new Ontario Community Support Program to expand existing services to low-income seniors and people with disabilities across the province. The doubled GAINS payments will continue for six months, providing an additional $75 million to 194,000 vulnerable seniors who may need more support to cover essential expenses.
The province will also invest $40 million into the Residential Relief Fund, which assists developmental services, child welfare, victims shelters, and organizations delivering social services to vulnerable First Nations individuals and families with COVID-19-related costs.
Lastly, the Ontario government is also providing $148 million to municipal partners to administer social services to support the province’s most vulnerable. This is as part of the province’s $200 million investment in social services relief funding in response to COVID-19.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/04/ontario-providing-additional-relief-to-the-provinces-most-vulnerable.html
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, provincial ministries
Evidence/Justification: Multiple government ministries are involved in the development and implementation of this policy, including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Long-Term Care, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, and Ministry of Finance. Multiple ministers from these ministries provided justification for this policy as providing support for the province’s most vulnerable citizens.