Ontario considers easing welfare rules - Toronto Star

[Frankie3s]

"NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.–Ontario will look at relaxing welfare rules to allow more people to apply but Ottawa needs to take another look at inequities in employment insurance, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said Friday after the province posted 71,000 job losses in January."

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/583621

I couldn't believe what I was reading in today's Toronto Star. Increasing the welfare rolls is not the answer to self-sustainability. I would rather these people be given government jobs than to be sitting at home and collecting checks for nothing. Who's going to pay for this bailout? I'm sure we all know the answer to that question.

[MrBurns]

**** welfare and the bums that leech off it.

[HBP]

I know someone on welfare who just keeps buying gaming consoles for the kids + games + tv's and all that jazz.

Shame really.

[Peckerwood]

So there is an upcoming recession to which money will be tight...so some may end up unemployed...and the government's best idea is to go further into debt without having anything to show for it?

Government waste at it's finest...yet again.

[Euphoriiick]

I would think we are in the early stages of a depression. I'm a government worker and a postgraduate, but I can also say that I grew up on welfare initially, so I consider myself one of those immigrants that was aided by this system. I know there are many who abuse it, but without social supports our society would become anarchaic.

[stealth]

I'm not sure I get the connection between job losses and welfare.

If a system need to be re-vamped in light of economic hardships due to JOB LOSSES, than its the E.I. system.
People can be on welfare for decades without ever having worked a job.

But the E.I system needs to be more efficient to be able to let recently unemployed ppl collect more of what they contributed, and have more options for re-education, and career transitions.

[abu_sme]

I'm not sure I get the connection between job losses and welfare.

If a system need to be re-vamped in light of economic hardships due to JOB LOSSES, than its the E.I. system.
People can be on welfare for decades without ever having worked a job.

But the E.I system needs to be more efficient to be able to let recently unemployed ppl collect more of what they contributed, and have more options for re-education, and career transitions.

+1 Down with Welfare up with employment insurance which has up until recently been a cash cow for the government.

Increasing welfare increases unemployment by letting people who don't want to work sponge off the system. Lower welfare=more hardship for welfare recipient=incentive to find a job.

[Peckerwood]

but without social supports our society would become anarchaic.

Anarchaic...the opposite of archaic. In other words...modern

I am sure you meant to say anarchic.

In truth without welfare people would actually have to work for a living and also be forced to rely on neighbours and friends thereby increasing community cohesion rather than centralizing it into a top down maternal/paternal relationship with government.

Dependency of the worst sort...one that relies on central authority for it's leave.

[_Allan_]

**** welfare and the bums that leech off it.

**** you too ja****s. I am waiting for the stupid government to pay me my back payments of EI from part of Nov, Dec and Jan ... no one is hiring right now, what am I supposed to do? Live at a homeless shelter, or get welfare in the interim? Not everyone who is ON Welfare wants to be. I'd rather work, but due to several compounding circumstances, I can't get a job or license in my field at this point in time.

I agree, there are several thousand people who are on Welfare who abuse it, but there are several hundred like myself, who are on the verge of living on the street, who WANT TO WORK, but can't. So until you know that EVERYONE on Welfare "leeches" off it, maybe you should change your attitude and go **** yourself.

[googoo]

I know someone on welfare who just keeps buying gaming consoles for the kids + games + tv's and all that jazz.

Shame really.

Report them!

**** you too ja****s. I am waiting for the stupid government to pay me my back payments of EI from part of Nov, Dec and Jan ... no one is hiring right now, what am I supposed to do? Live at a homeless shelter, or get welfare in the interim?

No, you are one of the people that most of us have no problem with, short term because you have to survive, not like a large % of welfarers() that consider it "making a living", and will stay on it as long as they can.

Brent

[stealth]

**** you too ja****s. I am waiting for the stupid government to pay me my back payments of EI from part of Nov, Dec and Jan ... no one is hiring right now, what am I supposed to do? Live at a homeless shelter, or get welfare in the interim? Not everyone who is ON Welfare wants to be. I'd rather work, but due to several compounding circumstances, I can't get a job or license in my field at this point in time.

I agree, there are several thousand people who are on Welfare who abuse it, but there are several hundred like myself, who are on the verge of living on the street, who WANT TO WORK, but can't. So until you know that EVERYONE on Welfare "leeches" off it, maybe you should change your attitude and go **** yourself.

Take it easy...and try not to take things too personally.

Once again, it sounds like the problem is with EI not welfare. You shouldnt have to wait 3-4 months to get back whan you have contributed to EI (or at least some portion of it), and if you were receiving it, you wouldnt have to be on welfare.
The other thing that pisses me off about welfare is the way it is geared towards rewarding single moms to stay home and have more kids, thus ensuring they cant return to work.

IMO the only people that should be on welfare are those with legitimate physical and mental disabilities. All other support systems need to be more specific to the situation that has caused the financial hardship.
Maybe welfare should be under the umbrella of the healthcare system instead?

[laptop-tech]

Great news. I need to replace the tv in the basement and this extra income fits perfectly.

[stealth]

Great news. I need to replace the tv in the basement and this extra income fits perfectly.

Careful, I'll watch the beer stores in Mississauga around the 23rd of the month for a Tony the Tiger with a laptop arriving in a taxi (chronic welfare ppl always seem to take taxis to get beer) and I'll use that as my opportunity to break in and steal your new tv.

[_Allan_]

Take it easy...and try not to take things too personally.

Once again, it sounds like the problem is with EI not welfare. You shouldnt have to wait 3-4 months to get back whan you have contributed to EI (or at least some portion of it), and if you were receiving it, you wouldnt have to be on welfare.
The other thing that pisses me off about welfare is the way it is geared towards rewarding single moms to stay home and have more kids, thus ensuring they cant return to work.

IMO the only people that should be on welfare are those with legitimate physical and mental disabilities. All other support systems need to be more specific to the situation that has caused the financial hardship.
Maybe welfare should be under the umbrella of the healthcare system instead?

Sorry it just p*sses me off when people blanket EVERY OW recipient as "leachers" as he did.
I had to go and FIGHT for my benifits at the "EI Referees Panel" ... then EI paid me 1 week of my 34 weeks of benifits I get (I worked nearly double the hours required for 2008 - 1832 hours) and I've received payment for ONE week of 34 ... now I'm waiting again for them to "process" information which should ONLY take then 30 minutes to say "ah, ok, he worked, but only for 3 weeks, basically he was trained, and let go. Reinstate his claim." but for some reason it takes them 3 WEEKS to get anything done ... I'm part of a Facebook Group that says EI should be an OPTIONAL program, and if you pay into it, as soon as you lose your job - quit, fired, laid etc - you should get the amount you paid in right away, so if over 5 years, you've paid $5000, they should cut you a cheque right then. Then they can asses you and say "Ok, over the next 20 weeks, we'll give you $300/wk. After that, you should have a job."

[Nikita]

The other thing that pisses me off about welfare is the way it is geared towards rewarding single moms to stay home and have more kids, thus ensuring they cant return to work.

What pisses me off about welfare is the way the don't go after the fathers of these children and make them support their children so the moms can return to work, thereby rewarding them (the fathers) for having unprotected sex and then bolting at the words 'I'm pregnant', resulting in single moms having to go on welfare.