FACING THE CRISIS: We Didn't Create It - We Won't Pay for It!
----------------------------------------------------------------
FREE MEAL AND RALLY: Defend the Special Diet! Raise the Rates Now!
DATE: Tuesday, March 24, 2009
TIME: 11am
LOCATION: City Hall (Bay and Queen)
----------------------------------------------------------------
SPEAKERS:
Amina Ali, OCAP Women of Etobicoke
Gary Bloch, M.D., Health Providers Against Poverty (HPAP)
Sister Susan Moran, Co-Founder of Out of the Cold
Glen Pappin, Member of Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre (PARC)
AJ Withers, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
----------------------------------------------------------------
(Friday, March 20th, 2009) Last month, the number of people receiving
social assistance in Toronto jumped 13% - an additional 10,000 people.
Only 3 in 10 workers in Toronto qualify for EI if they lose their jobs.
The other 70% of unemployed workers face turning to welfare, with which it
is not possible to pay for both food and rent. Food banks and shelters in
Toronto are bursting at the seams.
In this city, over 10,000 people depend on a monthly social assistance
benefit called the Special Diet payment. Up to $250 a month, this money
makes it easier for poor families and individuals to put food on the
table. This payment is crucial to survival and health, but still is not