The ODSP diet
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ABOVE THE FOLD
What does $47.60 get you at the grocery store these days? Not much — but that’s the weekly budget some folks receiving social assistance are grappling with.
NDP MPPs got a taste of that this week.
In an attempt to push the Ford government to double Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works rates, a handful of NDPers will live off of $47.60 worth of food per week. That includes Poverty critic CHANDRA PASMA, Social Services critic MONIQUE TAYLOR, Accessibility critic LISE VAUGEOIS, Housing critic JESSICA BELL and Transit critic JOEL HARDEN.
“Inflation is at a 40-year high,” Taylor said. “The government’s five-per-cent increase to ODSP and nothing for OW recipients won’t even be close enough to cover the cost of rising basic needs.”
Taylor’s first grocery store haul didn’t turn up much.