Kitchener, ON – A province-wide Week of Action to stop Liberal government cuts to social assistance benefits kicks off in Kitchener this Friday, December 7, with anti-poverty activists holding an “Outdoor Open House” at the constituency office of Hon. John Milloy, Minister of Community and Social Services.
Community organizations across Ontario are escalating protests in opposition to the proposed cut to the Community Start Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB), with actions planned in mid-December in ten cities and counting.
Milloy recently “prorogued” his own holiday open house set for that day, possibly cancelling in the face of community opposition to his government’s plans. The protest will welcome several busloads of people from Toronto who will be directly affected by Milloy’s plan to cut benefits.
WHAT: Community “Outdoor Open House” against Milloy’s cuts to social assistance benefits
WHO: Poverty Makes Us Sick (PMUS), Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario
WHEN: Friday, December 7, 2012 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: John Milloy’s constituency office, 1770 King Street East, Kitchener
The free public event, complete with fiddle music and food, is hosted by Kitchener’s PMUS, OCAP and CUPE Ontario.
The decision to cut the CSUMB rests with Milloy. The benefit is one of the only ways that people on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program can cover the costs of moving, save their housing and obtain the basic items they need to maintain a home. It is a defence against homelessness and a means by which many women are able to leave situations of domestic violence.
The Liberal government’s 2012 budget brought a number of regressive cuts to social assistance, including the Community Start Up, slated for elimination in 2013.
For more information, please contact:
David Robbins
CUPE Ontario Communications
613-878-1431
david@davidrobbins.ca