"Poor people are having to choose between feeding their families and paying rent," says John Clarke, an organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). As quoted in Rabble News, Clark explained why OCAP occupied and shut down the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal on February 10th, saving 30 Torontonians from being evicted from their homes.
In November 2005, the McGuinty government drastically cut the Special Diet Supplement (an allowance given to residents of Ontario receiving disability or special assistance who are deemed in need of extra money for food). According to OCAP, this cut on top of the Harris government's 22 percent cut to welfare rates in 1995 has resulted in many families having to decide between going without food and facing eviction from their homes.
The occupation of the housing tribunal was a statement to the Ontario government that poor people need to be adequately represented in the next provincial budget.
The Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.