The Truth About Social Assistance
In this modern age of communications, email allows us to keep in touch. It gives us a chance to express our feelings, exchange ideas, make someone smile, even educate. However it can also be used to spread false and malicious information.
Lately there has been a particularly offensive email circulating in our community. It’s entitled Working Joe vs. Welfare Joe, and the information it contains is absolutely false.
As Chair for the Income Support Subcommittee for Pathway to Potential, I feel it’s important to address this deliberate attempt to target the recipients of Social Assistance. The claim that “Welfare Joe” receives $600.00 a week or $31,200 a year plus $600.00 a month federal rent subsidy is absurd. You would think that most people would recognize this as utter nonsense. I would too, except that I have received this from individuals I believe should know better.
For everyone’s benefit, here are the real facts as posted on the Do the Math website. The monthly income for a single person on Ontario Works is $585. The monthly income for a single person on Ontario Disability Benefits is $1,042. Even a person working for minimum wage for a 35 hour week only makes $1555.
This is only one of many attack emails. There are others which target immigrants, homosexuals, injured workers, women, persons of colour etc. The senders of these disgusting letters challenge the recipients to have the courage to forward it if they agree or delete it. Forwarding these emails takes no courage. The courageous act would be replying to the sender with the truth, and insist that they send it back to the person who sent it to them.
If you agree, reply with the real facts or delete them, we’ll all be better off.
Rolly Marentette
Chair of Pathway to Potential’s Income Support Working Group
