Bill 60 explained in plain English
Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission), 2019
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill proposes to establish a Social Assistance Research Commission to advise the Minister of Community and Social Services on social assistance rates and policy in Ontario.
Bill 60, also known as the Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission), 2019, proposes to establish a Social Assistance Research Commission. This commission would be an advisory group responsible for recommending social assistance rates and advising on social assistance policy. The bill details the composition of the commission, its mandate to define regions based on economic geography and cost of living, and its duty to make annual recommendations on social assistance rates. It also outlines requirements for reporting and public disclosure of these recommendations and the Minister's responses.
- Establishes the Social Assistance Research Commission as an advisory group.
- Defines the mandate of the Commission, including defining regions based on economic geography and cost of living.
- Requires the Commission to annually recommend social assistance rates for each region.
- Specifies the factors the Commission must consider when recommending rates, such as the cost of basic necessities, additional expenses for individuals with disabilities, and expenses for those facing long-term employment barriers.
- Allows the Commission to recommend additional periodic benefits.
- Requires the Commission to recommend policy on the interaction of social assistance with precarious employment, child support, and workplace injury benefits.
- Mandates the Commission to report on adequate standards of living.
- Requires the Commission to submit annual reports and any additional reports to the Minister.
- Requires the Minister to make the Commission's reports available to the public.
- Requires the Minister to prepare and make public a written response to the Commission's recommendations.
- Individuals receiving or potentially receiving provincial social assistance (basic financial assistance under Ontario Works Act, 1997 and income support under Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997).
- Individuals with disabilities.
- Aboriginal individuals in Ontario.
- Individuals facing long-term barriers to employment.
- The Minister of Community and Social Services.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- Members of the public.
- Experts in socioeconomic policy, poverty research, cost of living, and economic/financial challenges.
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council must establish the Social Assistance Research Commission.
- The Commission must be composed of nine individuals appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council with specific expertise.
- The Commission must include at least two individuals with expertise in financial challenges for people with disabilities.
- The Commission must include at least one individual with expertise in financial challenges for Aboriginal individuals.
- The Commission must include at least one individual who is or was a recipient of basic financial assistance under the Ontario Works Act, 1997.
- The Commission must include at least one individual who is or was a recipient of income support under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997.
- The Commission must annually recommend social assistance rates for defined regions.
- The Commission must report annually to the Minister and make its recommendations public.
- The Minister must respond in writing to the Commission's recommendations and make the response public.
- This Act comes into force six months after the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The bill requires recommendations on social assistance rates, which could impact the financial assistance provided to recipients.
- The bill allows for the remuneration of the Commission's members, implying potential government expenditure.
- The bill requires analysis of various costs, including basic necessities, housing, transportation, and specific costs related to disability and long-term employment barriers.
- The specific regulations governing the Commission, including appointment details, remuneration, and rules, are not fully detailed in this bill and may be set out in regulations.
- The bill does not specify the exact date of Royal Assent, so the commencement date is not fixed.
- The bill does not specify the exact monetary values for recommended social assistance rates, as these are to be determined by the Commission.
Adds a definition for 'provincial social assistance' and creates provisions for the establishment and governance of the Social Assistance Research Commission.
Source: Sections 1 and 2 of the Bill; Section 17 of the Act
The definition of 'provincial social assistance' is updated to include basic financial assistance provided under this Act.
Source: Section 1 of the Bill
The definition of 'provincial social assistance' is updated to include income support provided under this Act.
Source: Section 1 of the Bill
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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