Schreiner: Ford should be ashamed of his abysmal record on poverty

October 2, 2023

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the release of an inaugural report from Food Banks Canada that gives Ontario a D- grade in eliminating poverty.

“The Ford government should be ashamed of their abysmal track record on ending poverty in this province.

For years, they’ve allowed this situation to spin wildly out of control. In fact, they’ve actually made it worse by cancelling the basic income pilot, freezing the minimum wage for years and eliminating rent controls on new buildings.

Now, we’re seeing nurses and teachers struggling to afford a place to live in their own communities, let alone minimum-wage workers and people locked into legislative poverty on social assistance.

And still this government refuses to provide any real solutions.

Ford’s failure to address poverty costs Ontario $33 billion per year and causes harm to people and communities.

Ontario Greens call on the Ford government to step up and deliver the bold solutions we need to end poverty in this province:

• Build 182,000 new permanently affordable community housing rental homes over the next decade;
• Mandate inclusionary zoning and require a minimum of 20 per cent affordable units in all housing projects above a certain size;
• Reinstate rent controls on all units to regulate rental increases year-to-year and implement vacancy control to limit rent increases between tenancies;
• And raise social assistance rates to lift Ontarians on ODSP and OW out of legislated poverty.

It’s time for us to get to work raising this grade – because that’s what Ontarians deserve.”

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