Bill 92 explained in plain English
Ministry of Community and Social Services Amendment Act (Social Assistance Research Commission), 2022
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 2nd 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
Bill 92 amends the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act to establish a nine-member Social Assistance Research Commission that will recommend provincial social assistance rates and related policies based on regional cost-of-living analysis.
Bill 92 creates a new Social Assistance Research Commission within Ontario's Ministry of Community and Social Services. The Commission will have nine members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, with required expertise in poverty research, cost of living, and the economic challenges faced by vulnerable groups. The Commission must include: - At least 2 members with expertise in challenges faced by people living with disabilities - At least 1 member with expertise in challenges faced by Aboriginal people in Ontario - At least 1 member who is currently or recently received Ontario Works assistance - At least 1 member who is currently or recently received Ontario Disability Support Program assistance The Commission's main job is to annually recommend provincial social assistance rates for different regions of Ontario based on the actual cost of basic necessities like food, shelter, transportation, internet, clothing, and hygiene products. It must also consider additional expenses for people with disabilities and those with long-term employment barriers. Every five years (or when the Minister directs), the Commission will recommend policies on how social assistance interacts with unstable employment, how child support payments should be treated, and how social assistance works with workplace injury benefits. The Commission's annual reports and policy recommendations must be made public within 30 days, and the Minister must respond publicly within 60 days. The Act takes effect six months after it receives Royal Assent.
- Establishes the Social Assistance Research Commission as an advisory group under the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act
- Creates a 9-member Commission appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council with specific expertise requirements in poverty, cost of living, and vulnerable populations
- Requires Commission membership to include people with lived experience of Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program assistance
- Mandates the Commission to define regional boundaries in Ontario based on economic geography and cost of living differences
- Requires the Commission to annually recommend provincial social assistance rates for each region based on detailed cost-of-living analysis
- Directs the Commission to analyze costs of basic necessities including food, shelter, transportation, internet, clothing, and personal hygiene items
- Requires the Commission to assess additional expenses for people with disabilities and those facing long-term employment barriers
- Requires the Commission to recommend periodic additional benefits at least every five years
- Mandates the Commission to recommend policies on how social assistance interacts with precarious employment, child support, and workplace injury benefits
- Requires the Commission to publish annual reports and policy recommendations publicly within 30 days
- Requires the Minister to publicly respond to Commission recommendations within 60 days
- Allows the Minister to appoint the Commission's chair from among its members
- Permits the Commission to make rules governing its own conduct and administration
- People receiving Ontario Works assistance
- People receiving Ontario Disability Support Program assistance
- People living with disabilities in Ontario
- Aboriginal individuals in Ontario
- Women living in poverty
- Youth living in poverty
- Members of racialized communities living in poverty
- Immigrants and refugees living in poverty
- Workers injured in the workplace
- People facing long-term barriers to employment
- Families receiving child support payments while on social assistance
- The Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
- People appointed to the Social Assistance Research Commission
- The general public (through access to Commission reports and Minister's responses)
- The Commission must define Ontario regions based on economic geography and cost of living differences (Section 15(7)(a))
- The Commission must annually recommend provincial social assistance rates for each region (Section 15(7)(b))
- The Commission must base rate recommendations on detailed analysis of basic necessities costs including food, shelter, transportation, internet, clothing, hygiene, and household supplies (Section 15(7)(b)(i))
- The Commission must analyze additional expenses for people with disabilities to participate fully in society (Section 15(7)(b)(ii))
- The Commission must analyze additional expenses for Ontario Works recipients facing long-term employment barriers (Section 15(7)(b)(iii))
- The Commission may recommend additional periodic benefits for recipients with long-term employment barriers (Section 15(8))
- The Commission must recommend policies on social assistance and precarious employment at least every five years (Section 15(9)(a))
- The Commission must recommend policies on treatment of child support payments within five years (Section 15(9)(b))
- The Commission must recommend policies on interaction with workplace injury benefits within five years (Section 15(9)(c))
- The Commission must provide its annual report to the Minister (Section 15(11))
- The Commission must provide additional reports when directed by the Minister (Section 15(12))
- The Minister must publish the Commission's annual report within 30 days of receiving it (Section 15(13))
- The Minister must publish any additional reports within 30 days of receiving them (Section 15(13))
- The Minister must prepare a written response to the annual report recommendations (Section 15(14))
- The Minister must publish the written response within 60 days of receiving the annual report (Section 15(14))
- Bill 92 comes into force six months after receiving Royal Assent (Section 4)
- The bill text does not specify when Royal Assent was or will be received, so the exact commencement date cannot be determined
- The bill does not specify the salaries or remuneration for Commission members, only that this will be determined by regulation
- The bill does not specify how many additional reports the Commission might produce beyond the annual report
- The bill does not specify what the Minister's response should contain or how detailed it must be
- The bill does not explain what happens if the Minister disagrees with the Commission's recommendations or chooses not to implement them
- The bill does not specify the process for appointing the nine Commission members or any timeline for their appointment
- The bill does not detail what happens if Commission recommendations are not implemented or how the public accountability mechanism works
The Act is amended to add a definition of 'provincial social assistance' covering basic financial assistance under Ontario Works Act, 1997 and income support under Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997. A new section 15 is added to establish the Social Assistance Research Commission with powers to recommend rates and policies. Section 17 is amended to allow regulations governing the Commission.
Source: Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Bill 92
The bill references Ontario Works as one of the programs covered by 'provincial social assistance' and requires Commission members to include people with recent experience receiving Ontario Works assistance.
Source: Section 1 and Section 15(4) of Bill 92
The bill references Ontario Disability Support Program as part of 'provincial social assistance' and requires Commission members to include people with recent experience receiving ODSP assistance.
Source: Section 1 and Section 15(4) of Bill 92
The bill directs the Commission to recommend policies on how provincial social assistance interacts with benefits under this Act, focusing on people who have suffered workplace injuries.
Source: Section 15(9)(c) of Bill 92
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
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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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