Advocate for fair Ontario Works rates

The Peel Poverty Reduction Committee (PPRC) is a collaborative network that brings together individuals with lived experience, poverty reduction advocates, academia, regional and local levels of government, non-profit organizations, and public sector organizations. Co-chaired by the United Way of Greater Toronto and Peel Region, the PPRC’s key principle is that to effectively address poverty, we must all work together.

As part of our advocacy priorities, we’ve launched a campaign to raise awareness about the urgent need to increase Ontario Works (OW) rates. This campaign aims to inform residents, engage community partners, and influence provincial decision-makers to act.

How to get involved

Coming soon! Send a letter

Take part in our electronic letter-writing campaign. You’ll be directed to send a pre-written advocacy letter to elected officials in Ontario, including your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), the Premier of Ontario, and the Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services. 

Make a call

Use the letter as a phone script to contact your local MPP and share your concerns directly. 

Find your local MPP’s phone number

Spread the word

Share our campaign resources, including social cards and video stories. Tag us when sharing to help us amplify the message. 

Download our social toolkit (.zip) 

Come together

Connect with the PPRC and organizations that are also advocating for OW rate increases to strengthen our collective voice.

• Instagram:  peelpoverty
• Linkedin: Peel Poverty Reduction Committee
• X/Twitter: Peel_Poverty

Voices of residents receiving Ontario Works

Why this campaign matters

Ontario Works, sometimes known as social assistance, provides financial assistance to those needing help to pay for basic needs such as food and shelter. For many years, multiple governments have chosen to not increase the amount of money people on Ontario Works get each month. This leaves people receiving benefits well below the poverty line.

Ontario Works is meant to be a lifeline, but for many, it falls short. For example, a single person on OW receives a maximum of $733 per month, while the average asking price for a bachelor apartment in Peel is more than $1,700. That leaves little to nothing for food, transportation, or other essentials.

Because of this:

• Many rely on food banks, shelters, and emergency services to survive.
• Families are forced to choose between paying rent, feeding their children, or getting to work or school.
• Homelessness is on the rise, putting more strain on already stretched social support systems.

The numbers

• $733 a month is the maximum support for a single adult on OW.
• $1,700 and higher is the average cost of a bachelor apartment rental in Peel. This means many people receiving OW live in unsuitable shared accommodations that do not meet housing standards for affordability, adequacy, or safety.
• OW rates have remained virtually unchanged since 2018.
• Most recipients live below the deep poverty line.
• The number of people in Peel on OW in 2024 increased by 47% from the previous year.
• In 2024, nearly 30% of food bank users in Ontario relied on Ontario Works as their main source of income (Feed Ontario).