Social Justice / Advocacy
Ontario Legislature
POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN PROVIDES FRAMEWORK FOR ENDING POVERTY IN ONTARIO
There is an expectation that Ontario's Bill 152 , An Act respecting a long-term strategy to reduce poverty in the province, is framework legislation that has laid the groundwork to make Ontario poverty-free over the next decade. (See Home Page)
Catholic Charities' written submission to the Ontario's Legislature's Standing Committee on Social Policy had a positive effect on improving the thrust of the Bill along with other church and non-governmental groups. (Read Catholic Charities written submission to the Ontario Legislature's Standing Committee on Social Policy. - PDF)
SOURCES
- Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops
Social Justice Documents
Read documents... - Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Social Affairs Documents
Read documents...
Poverty Reduction Strategy / Ontario
On Dec. 4, 2008, the Ontario government announced its Poverty Reduction Strategy, "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty", that proposes to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over 5 years by boosting benefits for low-income families and enhancing publicly-funded education.
Poverty Reduction Plan:
Summary
Full Document
Resources: Articles, News, and Reports
NEW LEGISLATION WILL PROVIDE FRAMEWORK TO STEM STEADY RISE OF POVERTY IN ONTARIO
Amended legislation reflects concerns raised by Catholic Charities in its submission
Catholic Charities sent a written submission to the Ontario Legislature's Standing Committee on Social Policy in response to the provincial government's proposed poverty reduction legislation, Bill 152, An Act respecting a long-term strategy to reduce poverty in Ontario.
ISARC RELIGIOUS LEADERS' FORUM ON "POVERTY-FREE ONTARIO" COMMITMENT
The Interfaith Social Affairs Reform Coalition passed a resolution acknowledging that Bill 152 will affect all policy, programs and decisions in Ontario.
EAKIN, TOWNEND SHARE CAC PRESENTATIONS
Lynn Eakin and Angela Towned who helped make the last CAC Forum so successful have shared with Catholic Charities their presentations. Read more...
WORKSHOPS BEGUN ON ADVOCACY TRAINING
MultiFaith Alliance to End Homelessness (MFATEH) is offering workshops that teach people to do Advocacy. Read more...
ONTARIO URGED TO CREATE AFFORDABLE, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
In Building toward the Future: Social Services and Poverty Reduction (PDF), Catholic Charities calls for more housing; better conditions for the poor; and help for social services. Read more...
HARD HIT
Impace of the Economic Downturn on Nonprofit Community Social Services in Ontario - October 2009
The vital role of the non-profit community social service sector is never more apparent than today. Over the past 15 years, Ontario's non-profit community service sector has found itself under stress, stretching financial and human resources to the limit.
Hard Hit: The Impact of the Economic Downturn on Nonprofit Community Social Services in Ontario is a new research report from the Social Planning Network of Ontario.
Download the guide - PDF DOCUMENT
ONTARIO 2007 ELECTION GUIDE
Ontario Provincial Elections
Voting is one of the most fundamental rights of people in a democratic society. It's also a great responsibility.
For Ontario's 2007 provincial election, Catholic Charities has created an Election Guide 2007 - Counting on Your Vote: Raising issues with candidates in this election that affect the most vulnerable.
Catholic Social Teaching forms the bedrock of our Election Guide because it spurs us on to be in solidarity with all people but especially the poor and vulnerable. Justice is at the core of this thinking. The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops has often reminded us of our responsibility to ensure that any government we elect must work to shape our lives and livelihoods in a way that benefits everyone. No one must be left wanting; no one should benefit to the exclusion of anyone else.
As Pope Benedict XVI has written: "The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics...Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics. Politics is more than a mere mechanism for defining the rules of public life: its origin and its goal are found in justice."