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November/December 2000
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Sacha hopes subsidies will keep her in school; she vows not to end up stuck in the all-too-familiar welfare cycle: “I want to educate myself so I’ll get better than a minimum-wage job, to provide better for both of us.”
When subsequently asked about her thoughts on the welfare system, Sacha replied, “Welfare is oppressive. They [the Harris government] complain when you’re on welfare, but don’t help you get off of it. They just push you down further.” If access to subsidies is further restricted, Sacha has two ‘choices’: “Either money will be unbelievably tight (like it is now), or I’ll have to drop out of school just to afford my rent. I’m just stuck.”
The situations of these two single mothers are by no means unique. Living is expensive and without due financial assistance, the quality of life and mere survival of single mothers and their children remains shackled by legislation such as that proposed by the Ontario government to further restrict access to necessities like subsidized housing.
This legislation was expected to be in place as of September 2000, but according to a representative of Thunder Bay District Housing, the legislation is not yet in effect, nor is it known when it might be. Hopefully, it never will. However, the grant portion of the OSAP assessment (whether it is intended to cover education fees or living expenses) is currently considered in Housing’s calculations of income. Thirty percent of that grant portion is used to determine rent and subsidy amounts, which is still significant for single mothers on OSAP fighting to make ends meet.
Editors Note: A high percentage of single parent families in subsidized housing are women and children who have left abusive relationships. One of the first things they do to rebuild their lives is to return to school. A deterrent to education for some women can mean a return to a violent partner, or a decision not to leave in the first place.
excludes same sex couples. His Bill invokes the constitutional "notwithstanding" clause, to prevent courts from even reviewing it's validity. This is the first time in Canadian history that the "notwithstanding" clause has been used to restrict the human rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals - but it may not be the last.
from: Factsheet by EGALE
(Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere)
www.egale.ca 1-888-204-7777 egale.canada@egale.ca
Poem Written on a New Apt by Susan Collins
The acrylic smell
of fresh paint:
Smells of new wood
sawdust
and a new layer of
loose earth
tracked by workmen.
The slow breeze
of a soft Aug night
through a
partially opened window
Circulates
"spring rain" deodorizer
displacing
the dusty smells
of a farmer's living room
trapped in the antique couch;
inherited
with original upholstery
