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.

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 studio 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. At this rate, single recipients live 64% below the poverty line as calculated by the Market Basket Measure, which is Canada’s official measure of poverty.
• $1,700 and higher is the average asking price of a studio 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.
• The number of people on Ontario Works in 2025 has increased by 12% since 2024.
• In 2025, nearly 32% of food bank users in Ontario relied on Ontario Works as their main source of income (Feed Ontario).
• In 2024, 28% of households in Peel experienced food insecurity, with Peel food agencies reporting a 40 to 60% increase in visits year-over-year.
• In 2024, the Homelessness Point-in-Time count results showed a 93% increase in homelessness, compared to 2021, with encampments up 111%.
• Ontario Works recipients can only keep the first $200 of employment income per month before 50% of every additional dollar in earnings is clawed back.
• Increasing the Ontario Works earning exemption to $1000/month before claw backs matches the earnings exemption for Ontario Disability Support Program recipients. This would also encourage employment without immediate loss of essential benefits.