Latest Action
January 2021 – Defend Disability urges Premier Doug Ford to stop the erosion of the Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT). The SBT provides an avenue for some of Ontario’s most vulnerable to access justice. It handles a range of social assistance issues including eligibility for ODSP. Despite the need for timely resolution, current wait times for SBT hearings are 12-18 months. Still the government has not increased support. There are now only 19 members from the 34 members in 2018, with 10 less full time workers. Defend Disability demands that experienced adjudicators are reappointed to reduce wait times and that the government undertakes consultations with ODSP recipients and legal clinics that have already outlined ways to fix this broken system.
Open Letter: The Erosion of the Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal: https://defenddisability.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/dd-socialbenefitstribunal-openletter-jan2021.pdf
February 2020 – Submission to the pre-budget consultation for the 2020 Ontario budget that demonstrates evidence to the Minister of Finance that supports maintaining the current ODSP definition of disability
https://defenddisability.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/defend-disability-pre-budget-submission.pdf
