Posted by AJ on 7/9/2009, 1:44 pm
IF YOU ARE ON WELFARE IN TORONTO - READ BELOW
If you know someone on welfare in Toronto, please forward this to them.
If you want to get involved in working on this, please call our office.
The City has closed all but 3 welfare offices that are open for "emergencies only" during the CUPE strike.
The offices that are open are:
Etobicoke North - 220 Attwell Dr - 416 392-6400
Downtown - 111 Wellesley St E - 416 392-5300
Scarborough West - 1225 Kennedy Rd - 416 392-2800
The City says that they are for emergencies only. To them, this means that cheques are frozen and people cannot get any new benefits, special diet forms or anything else.
Under the City's rules, if you move you cannot get community start-up, you cannot get your special diet forms or if they have been filled out, you won't get the money until the strike ends. If you worked last month but didn't work this month, you will not your full cheque, the money you are entitled to, even if you have no other income. The City says these aren't
emergencies.
But we know that if you are on welfare it is always an emergency. The City has a legal and moral duty to give people their money. If the City refuses to provide a mechanism for people to get their money, we will have to work together to create a mechanism for people to get their money.
If you didn't get any of your benefits, all of your money or your special diet forms, we cannot wait until the strike is over to get these things. These things could be the difference between paying your rent and becoming homeless, between eating and going hungry.
The City is blaming its poorest paid workers and people on welfare for its financial problems. It is trying to use the economic crisis to gain concessions against workers and justify reducing people on welfare's benefits. We are not going to accept concessions, especially when bankers and rich people are getting bailouts from the government. We will keep fighting to get what we need.
We have to work together to get what we need. Call us immediately if you aren't getting something you are entitled to and we will work with you to get it!
OCAP: 416-925-6939
Note, if you are on ODSP, your cheque will be unaffected by the strike except your volunteer money could be affected. If you didn't get your volunteer money, call us.
Also, please come out tomorrow to the press conference against the Seaton House beating.
Man severely beaten and dumped on sidewalk over dispute about a sandwich.
Press Conference
Dare: Thursday, July 9
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Seaton House, 339 George Street
(east of Jarvis Street, south of Gerrard Street)
OCAP to hold press conference lease come and support OCAP and condemn the assault of homeless man by City management at Seaton House.
Man severely beaten and dumped on sidewalk over dispute about a sandwich.
On June 24TH, 2009, Brian DuBourdieu went to The Seaton House men's shelter in downtown Toronto, to get something to eat and a night's sleep. Instead, he ended up spending the night in the emergency room of St. Mike's hospital.
The assault took place after Mr. DuBourdieu asked for something to eat from the city management who are staffing the shelter during the current strike. Despite his serious allergy to peanut butter, he was told by the managers that was all there was to eat, after which a sandwich was thrown at him. Upset and angry, Mr. DuBourdieu threw the sandwich back at the manager, kicked a steel door (causing no damage), turned and walked away.
"That is when the five city managers that were working, jumped me from behind, tackled me to the ground and three of them held me down while the other two kicked me repeatedly," said DuBourdieu. The managers then picked Mr. DuBourdieu up. "They carried me down three flights of stairs and outside to the sidewalk where they dropped me on the ground and left me there", says Mr. DuBourdieu. He was assisted to the hospital by a friend, where he was treated for his injuries, including torn cartilage and ligaments in his knee. There is a strong likelihood he will need surgery to repair the damage to his leg caused by the repeated kicks.
"The shelter system has been in crisis for a long time and sending in untrained managers to work in shelters does not help matters. Shelters are overcrowded, have insufficient food and are infested with mice and bedbugs" says Gaetan Heroux from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. "The shelter system desperately needs more funding and more beds, especially now when we expect an increase in homelessness."
"We call on the City of Toronto to apologize to Mr. DuBourdieu, return his missing property, make restitution towards him, lift the ban against him at Seaton House, and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. We also demand that the police lay charges against the managers involved in the assault", said Heroux.
For more information, call OCAP.
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