Wait lists, poverty spark protest.
from the Canadian Union of Public Employees
“Last year’s budget left tens of thousands on wait lists for long-term care beds, for child care, for affordable housing, for developmental services, for home care, and more than a million Ontarians living in poverty because of stagnant social assistance and mimimum wage rates,” he said.
Community groups and CUPE members symbolically queued up April 22 in front of Queen's Park. The queue mirrored the frustration of more than two million Ontarians who are waiting for government action on public services and poverty reduction, said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn.
"Last year's budget left tens of thousands on wait lists for long-term care beds, for child care, for affordable housing, for developmental services, for home care, and more than a million Ontarians living in poverty because of stagnant social assistance and mimimum wage rates," he said.
"For too long, corporations have jumped the queue and received generous tax cuts while Ontarians are left behind. Premier Wynne must get people off wait lists and out of poverty if she truly wants to be the social justice premier."
Joining CUPE at the protest were members of the Canadian Federation of Students, Freedom 90, Ontario Coalition against Poverty, Put Food in the Budget, and the Workers' Action Centre.
Protesters said the symbolic queue represented:
- 23,000 families waiting for developmental services
- 32,000 seniors waiting for long-term care beds
- 10,000 seniors waiting for home care
- 21,000 children waiting for child care in Toronto alone
- 156,000 people waiting for affordable housing
- 881,000 people waiting for livable social assistance rates
- 631,000 minimum wage workers waiting for a decent increase
- 300,000 post-secondary students with the country's highest fees and largest class sizes
"Eliminating poverty is a moral imperative as well as an economic imperative," said Melissa Addison-Webster of the Put Food in the Budget campaign. "Eliminating poverty increases dignity and inclusion. It improves health and allows the inclusion of more people in the work force."
The two million Ontarians living in poverty are exposed to inadequate and unsafe living and working conditions, she said.
"We need to raise the minimum wage high enough to bring workers out of poverty," said Deena Ladd, coordinator of the Workers' Action Centre. "Many Ontarians are forced to work for less than minimum wage or are not paid all their wages, which is why the province needs to invest in enforcement of employment standards."
"We are gravely concerned that the Liberals will copy the bad British example and put thousands of lives at risk by tightening disability requirements and forcing people into sub-poverty wages and precarious jobs," said OCAP's John Schofield. "That would be a poor legacy for a premier who claims the mantle of social justice."
The organizations will be watching the upcoming provincial budget for action on these issues, said Hahn.
"More than two million Ontarians have been waiting too long," he said. "It's time to end the waiting and start the living."
About Canadian Union of Public Employees
With 618,000 members across Canada, CUPE represents workers in health care, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines.
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