‘Difficult to employ’ residents stuck on Ontario Works

CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig wants to know if the region is doing enough to help “difficult to employ” residents get off Ontario Works.

He raised the issue at a recent Region of Waterloo budget session when staff said the Ontario Works caseload remains 42 per cent higher than before the 2008 recession, with about 8,700 cases.

“If in fact it is a specific group, which the indicators would point to, then that specific group are we doing really enough for them across the board?” Craig asked. “That’s the issue, OK, because I’m concerned about this the way it looks right now.”

Craig was looking for answers as to how the region can have a low unemployment rate, but still see a high caseload.

In September, the region’s unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent, lower than the provincial rate of 6.6 per cent.

The region’s Ontario Works caseload has remained stubbornly high since it hit a new peak at the beginning of 2010. Since that time the caseload has ranged between 8,000 to 9,000 cases per month.

Chief administrative officer Mike Murray said several factors could play in, but one of the key issues is the job skills of those who are out of work.

“Part of the speculation of what’s going on is that these are difficult to employ people, so people who have lost their jobs and who may not have the skills for re-employment in the kinds of jobs that are being created,” Murray said. “So we can have a relatively low unemployment rate, but these are folks that just do not have the skills to be re-employed.”

Murray said staff have been working to help these people get jobs.

A report will be brought back to budget committee to try and further explain what’s happening with the caseload.

It will include demographic information, such as age and education level, after a request from Coun. Sean Strickland.

“I think it would be really useful for committee to have a little bit of a snapshot of who is on the caseload,” he said.

Coun. Tom Galloway agreed the region needs to get a better handle on the Ontario Works issue.

“We should be concerned about those numbers of course, because it’s an indication of a parameter of the health of the community,” he said.

Coun. Elizabeth Clarke questioned the accuracy of the numbers.

For the past year or so, staff have been concerned about the caseload numbers after the implementation of a new social services system called Social Assistance Management System.

It was riddled with problems provincewide.

“I’m wondering if we’re more confident in those numbers now,” Clarke said.

Chief financial officer Craig Dyer said staff have only started making the numbers public the past few months because they were worried about the accuracy.

“The fact that we’re now providing those numbers … suggests that at least our level of confidence is enough that we’re prepared to share the numbers,” Dyer said. “Whether it’s at 100 per cent level or not, I certainly can’t say.”

As of 2018, Ontario Works costs will be fully taken over by the province, with the exception that the region must pay 50 per cent of its administrative costs to deliver the programs.

The region also contributes to the discretionary benefits program, which helps pay for things like eye and dental care for the poor.