Ontario Works caseload rises in region

WATERLOO REGION — The Ontario Works caseload in Waterloo Region jumped nearly five per cent in a year.

The local Ontario Works caseload in December was 8,782, up 4.8 per cent from December 2015. From November to December, there was nearly a one per cent increase.

Provincially, the caseload increase from December 2015 to 2016 was 0.6 per cent.

The influx of Syrian refugees to the region is one contributing factor in the increase, with 192 families added to the caseload. The newcomers are financially supported by the government or private sponsors in their first year here.

Some joined the caseload in December, and then in January there was a bigger uptick.

“That’s part of the reason,” said Carolyn Schoenfeldt, director of employment and income support for Waterloo Region.

There’s also been modest population growth and the labour market has changed.

“A lot of the entry level positions in the community have disappeared,” Schoenfeldt said.

“The market’s just a little bit different. It doesn’t mean there isn’t work, it’s just different work.”

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Waterloo Region went from 6.4 per cent in December 2015 to 5.0 per cent in December 2016. The provincial rate fell slightly, to 6.8 per cent from 6.4 per cent.

Regional staff are looking at the caseload increase from a labour market perspective, and working to help people find employment, perhaps switch to disability support or volunteer in the community.

“We’re working with the families,” Schoenfeldt said.

She said it’s tough to know if the caseload will continue to rise, and also why other communities in the province are lower. Perhaps they’re not a resettlement site for government-assisted refugees or maybe a big employer came into town, she said.

“Every community has their nuances,” Schoenfeldt said.

Costs related to Ontario Works programs are shared with the province. In 2017, the province covers the majority at 97.2 per cent.

The local Ontario Works caseload has gone up substantially over the last eight years. The average in 2008 was 6,292, compared to an average of 8,724 in 2016, according to the report presented to a regional committee on Tuesday.

The report included Ontario Disability Support Program numbers for the first time. In December, there were 11,698 cases, up 3.8 per cent from a year earlier.