Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force Submission to Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy

28 November 2025

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force contributed to the Government of Ontario’s consultation on its next Poverty Reduction Strategy. Read our submission to the Honourable Minister Michael Parsa, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. We also joined with over 200 agencies led by Maytree in an Open Letter recommending that Ontario’s next poverty reduction strategy commit to reducing the poverty rate to no more
than 7.5 per cent by 2030, representing a 50 per cent reduction over 2015 levels.

In Bruce and Grey Counties, poverty is not an abstract policy issue—it is a daily reality for thousands of residents who face rising living costs, stagnant incomes, and chronic housing shortages. As rural regions with aging infrastructure, limited transportation options, and a rapidly rising cost of living, Bruce and Grey Counties are experiencing poverty at levels far above what a prosperous province should accept. A bold, data-driven strategy is urgently needed.

Poverty in Ontario has risen significantly since 2020, and local conditions mirror—and often exceed—provincial trends. The number of residents unable to meet basic needs has accelerated sharply, particularly among groups facing systemic inequities, including Indigenous residents, lone-parent households, youth, newcomers, and people living with disabilities.

In Grey County alone, one in four children now lives in poverty, while Bruce County continues to see some of the highest child-care-cost-to-income ratios in rural Ontario, limiting parents’ ability to work or pursue training.

A new Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy offers a critical opportunity to address the structural conditions that pull people into poverty—and trap them there—while strengthening the social and economic foundations of rural communities like ours.

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force and our United Way partners stand ready to support a community-informed, evidence-based provincial strategy that ensures everyone can live with dignity, access safe and affordable housing, secure stable employment, and receive the supports necessary to thrive.

The Government of Ontario can meaningfully alleviate poverty and build the social and economic infrastructure needed for the future prosperity of the province by: 

  1. Laying the groundwork for financial security, good jobs and strong rural economies
  2. Getting people housed and keeping them housed by expanding non-market affordable housing, investing in supportive housing, and strengthening renter and tenant protections
  3. Ensuring the sustainability of Ontario’s community services infrastructure to continue delivering the critical services that meet the unique needs of communities across the province

1. Laying the groundwork for financial security, good jobs, and strong rural economies

Income inadequacy is at the heart of persistent poverty in Bruce and Grey Counties.
Despite recent adjustments to ODSP, rates remain deeply insufficient—especially in rural regions where transportation, food, and housing costs are substantially higher than the provincial average.

  • A single ODSP recipient receives $1,408/month, yet the local living wage average rate is $24.60/hour, translating to a monthly income need far above current assistance levels.
  • Ontario Works (OW) rates remain frozen, providing just $733/month, significantly below the income needed for basic survival in any Bruce–Grey community.

These inadequate rates are reflected in skyrocketing local demand for food and income supports. In 2023–2024:

  • Food bank usage increased by over 40% across Bruce–Grey, with many food banks reporting record-high first-time users.
  • The cost of the Nutritious Food Basket rose 15–22% locally, outpacing income growth.
  • Nearly 60% of food-insecure households have employment income, underscoring that low-wage, precarious work is failing to keep families out of poverty.

Precarious work is particularly widespread in Bruce and Grey Counties, driven by tourism, agriculture, and seasonal employment. Many workers lack benefits, stability, or predictable hours—conditions that make it impossible to maintain long-term housing, childcare, or financial stability.

To ensure all Ontarians—including rural residents—have the means to live with dignity and participate fully in the workforce, we urge the Government of Ontario to:

  • Raise ODSP and OW rates to livable levels and ensure annual cost-of-living indexing for both programs.
  • Increase the provincial minimum wage to match regional living wages, recognizing significant cost-of-living differences across the province.
  • Remove punitive financial barriers during transitions to employment, including temporary continuation of benefits and earned-income exemptions that prevent the “poverty trap.”
  • Invest in rural employment supports, including transportation solutions, digital access, and regionally tailored training geared toward economic diversification.
  • Build pathways to stable, well-paying jobs, especially for youth, newcomers, and individuals facing systemic barriers.

2. Getting people housed—and keeping them housed—through expanded non-market housing, supportive housing, and stronger tenant protections

Housing affordability is the most urgent and rapidly worsening crisis in Bruce and Grey Counties. Local data shows:

  • Average rents in Grey–Bruce have increased by more than 40–60% since 2019, with one-bedroom units now regularly exceeding $1,400–$1,700/month.
  • Vacancy rates remain below 1% in many communities—functionally zero.
  • More than 50% of renters are living in core housing need, unable to secure affordable, suitable housing.
  • Rural homelessness has grown dramatically, with both counties documenting sharp increases in chronic homelessness, encampments, and hidden homelessness.
  • Indigenous residents continue to face disproportionately high barriers to suitable, safe, and affordable housing.

Deeply affordable housing options are disappearing, while market rents climb far beyond what low-income households can manage. Local shelters, motels, and emergency systems are overwhelmed, and both counties continue to rely heavily on costly, short-term emergency accommodations without sustainable provincial funding.

To address rural housing need and ensure residents can both access and maintain stable housing, the Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force recommends that the Ontario government:

  • Invest substantially in non-market and supportive housing, recognizing the lack of private-sector solutions for deeply affordable units in rural communities.
  • Provide provincial surplus land to non-profit and co-operative housing providers, ensuring new developments are deeply affordable.
  • Create a provincial non-profit acquisition fund to preserve existing affordable rental housing stock before it is lost to private redevelopment.
  • Support rural municipalities with dedicated funding for housing project development, given limited in-house planning and development capacity.
  • Strengthen eviction prevention measures and ensure low-income renters have access to legal supports, arrears programs, and rent stabilization.
  • Fund Indigenous-led housing solutions, developed and delivered by Indigenous communities.
  • Expand emergency and transitional housing for women and children fleeing violence, recognizing the acute service pressures across Bruce and Grey.

3. Ensuring the sustainability of community services that rural residents depend on

Community agencies across Bruce and Grey Counties provide critical services—food access, housing stabilization, mental health supports, transportation assistance, harm reduction, settlement services, and more. Yet these organizations are under unprecedented strain.

Local realities include:

  • Historic levels of demand, particularly for food security, mental health, addictions, housing, and income navigation supports.
  • Chronic staffing shortages, worsened by low wages, job precarity, burnout, and lack of sustainable funding.
  • Rapidly increasing operating costs, with no corresponding increases in program funding.
  • Declining volunteerism and charitable giving—key pillars of rural service delivery.

The non-profit sector is a major contributor to the Bruce–Grey regional economy, but without stable provincial investment, the capacity of organizations to meet growing community needs is rapidly eroding.

We urge the Government of Ontario to:

  • Transition to long-term, stable, flexible operational funding that reflects the true cost of service delivery—including inflation and competitive wages.
  • Develop a province-wide nonprofit workforce strategy, addressing recruitment, retention, training, and wage parity.
  • Fund innovative rural service models, including mobile, outreach-based, hub-and-spoke, and co-located services.
  • Support initiatives to restore volunteerism and strengthen charitable giving, critical in rural communities.
  • Create a dedicated provincial home for the social services sector, improving coordination across ministries and systems.

In Conclusion

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force thanks the Government of Ontario for the opportunity to contribute to the development of the 2025–2030 Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Rural poverty in Bruce and Grey Counties is deepening and accelerating. A bold, measurable provincial strategy—grounded in evidence, equity, and community expertise—is urgently needed. We stand ready to work with the provincial government, municipalities, Indigenous partners, and community organizations to build a future where everyone in Bruce and Grey Counties has the resources, housing, supports, and opportunities they need to thrive.

Now is the time for coordinated action, sustained investment, and meaningful commitment to reducing poverty across all Ontario communities—including rural regions too often left behind.

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Income Security Action Group, Media

Ontario Proposing Changes to Payday Loans, Debt Collection

Province Introducing Legislation to Strengthen Consumer Financial Protection

December 9, 2015 9:35 A.M.

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

Ontario will introduce legislation to increase protections for consumers who use high-cost alternative financial services, such as payday loans, instalment loans, rent-to-own services and cheque-cashing services, and to better protect those with debts in collection.

If passed, the Alternative Financial Services Statute Law Amendment Act would make amendments to the Payday Loans Act, Consumer Protection Act and the Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act that would increase protections for consumers in several important new ways, for example:

  • Consumers cashing cheques at alternative financial service providers would have more information made available to them and would benefit from a cap on the rate of cheque-cashing services
  • Consumers using rent-to-own services would benefit from a grace period for repayment
  • Consumers using instalment loans would be certain that the costs of optional insurance would not be excessive
  • Consumers who are repeat payday loan borrowers would have the option of a longer repayment period
  • Consumers with overdue debts would benefit from expanded rules against unfair collection practices from businesses that purchase and collect overdue debts.

Protecting Ontario’s consumers is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Quick Facts

  • Alternative financial services are any financial service offered by a party other than a bank or a credit union.
  • There are over 800 licensed payday lenders and loan brokers in Ontario.
  • Ontario’s 2015 survey of 500 payday loan borrowers found that 18 per cent took out 10 or more payday loans in the last year and slightly more than half used payday loans to cover recurring expenses.
  • Approximately 1,000 Ontarians were consulted in the development of this legislation.

Background Information

Additional Resources

Quotes

“Our government is committed to protecting consumers, and that includes protecting Ontarians from a cycle of personal debt. Strengthening consumer financial protection ensures our province’s financial marketplace is fair, safe, and keeps consumers well informed.”

David Orazietti

Minister of Government and Consumer Services

jillumbach Advocacy, Media, Resources

Ontario Election_June 12th_All Candidates Events Listing

Poverty Reduction is a key election issue. Our Ontario government is legislated to develop a poverty reduction strategy every 5 years regardless of which party is in power.

So it is important that candidates can speak and act on poverty issues.  Please find below a list of dates and locations for many of our local All-Candidate events. 

Please  find attached 2 flyers with information and questions to ask your candidates regarding Income Security and Affordable Housing.  Please feel free to use these flyers, photocopy them and circulate them.

Poverty Task Force_Election flyer_Housing questions

Poverty Task Force_Election flyer_Wage questions

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force shall be attending the below meetings and we encourage all members to ask questions!

Tuesday, May 27th, 7 pm, Keady Community Centre, Keady ON  The Bruce & Grey Federations of Agriculture, is having an All-Candidates event with a focus on Agricultural issues.

Thursday, May 29th, 7pm, On Roger Cable Network. Rogers Cable is holding a live All-Candidates event on TV for Bruce Grey Owen Sound riding.

They will take questions by phone from watchers, which will be moderated by Roger’s staff. Anyone watching can use our questions or their own and phone them in.

Tuesday, June 3rd, 6pm, Bayshore Community Centre, 900 3 Ave E, Owen Sound The Owen Sound Chamber of Commerce is holding an All-Candidates event with a focus on business issues.

The Chamber of Commerce shall be posing questions to the candidates prior to the event. The responses to the questions shall be published in the Make It Your Business newspaper on June 3rd.  The public shall be selected through a lottery to ask questions at this event.

Friday, June 6th, 7pm, St. George’s Anglican Church, Owen Sound The Women’s Centre, Grey and Bruce, is having an All-Candidates event with a focus on Social Justice issues.

The Community Action Committee of the Women’s Centre Board is organizing this event.  We are still confirming the process for asking questions at this event.

jillumbach Advocacy, Media

Poverty reduction key to fairer, more prosperous Ontario

By: Sarah Blackstock Greg deGroot-Maggetti, Published on Wed Dec 04 20

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Five years ago this week, the Ontario government embarked on a bold and historic challenge to reduce child and family poverty across our province by 25 per cent by 2013. While it appears Ontario will fall short of its “25 in 5” target, the province has made some progress and laid three critical building blocks that should provide the foundation for its next five-year strategy, expected in early 2014.

The first building block was forged in understanding the connection between fairness and economic prosperity. Ontario should take a page from the response to the most recent economic downturn, where a rising consensus emerged – including World Bank economists and finance ministers of all political stripes – that fighting poverty is required to grow our economy.

Ontario’s 2008 maxim that “we need all hands on deck” to drive our province’s recovery rings as true today as it did then. In an increasingly competitive global economy, it is crucial that we maximize the potential of every Ontarian to both participate in and benefit from economic activity. In a time of fiscal challenges, governments must invest in pathways to opportunity or be saddled with rising costs in health care and social services borne of persistent poverty.

Ontario’s second building block against poverty comes from knowing that good intentions alone cannot sustain a long-term commitment to poverty. Clear goals backed up with a comprehensive strategy must be part of the roadmap to progress.

The government’s willingness to set a clear “25 in 5” target in 2008 came with political risk and took courage. While Ontario’s performance was far from perfect, it has led to tangible gains. Ontario’s child poverty rate of 13.8 per cent in 2011, the latest year for which Statistics Canada figures are available, was down from 15.2 per cent in 2008. This means 41,000 fewer children were living in poverty, a reduction of just over 9 per cent in three, economically challenging years.

Different choices would have undoubtedly led to better outcomes, especially for households without children. But substantial early investments in policies like the new Ontario Child Benefit, refundable tax credits for low income people, and minimum wage hikes show that smart social policy works. Or at least as much as you are willing to invest in it.

The next plan must raise the bar. It should seek to cut poverty among all Ontarians in half by 2018, achieving a reduction in the overall poverty rate in Ontario to below 6 per cent and the child poverty rate to below 7.5 per cent.

The third building block for Ontario’s next poverty reduction strategy is building momentum by starting strong.

Five years ago, Ontario did not flinch in the face of a recession. The government immediately accelerated investments in the Ontario Child Benefit. It increased minimum wages when workers needed them most. It moved quickly to entrench poverty reduction into legislation. It invested in community services in priority neighbourhoods. And it revised legislation on worker protections and predatory lending practices within the first year of the plan.

These down payments were critical in achieving initial gains against poverty. They also put real money in the hands of real people to spend in their communities, providing stimulus to a battered economy.

But Ontario has not always carried through with as much vigour as the challenge of poverty requires. Case in point was the 2012 decision to eliminate the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB), a modest fund intended to provide a life-line to Ontarians at risk of homelessness.

As the next five-year blueprint is set to be unveiled early in 2014, it is time for Ontario to raise the bar on poverty reduction, starting with a substantial down payment as a building block for success.

Such a down payment should increase social assistance, the Ontario Child Benefit and the minimum wage, to build on gains from the initial strategy.

Addressing the need for affordable housing is key. As municipalities struggle with the repercussions of the CSUMB cut, Ontario should shore up its commitment to the most vulnerable by making transitional housing and homelessness funding permanent. And the government should also match federal housing funding commitments.

Action to resolve the growing precariousness of jobs is another urgent step to take to achieve fairness while helping to drive the economy.

But so much more needs to be done. The 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy opened the door for substantive action. It’s now time to act boldly toward eradicating poverty in our province by investing in a prosperity agenda that benefits us all.

Sarah Blackstock of YWCA-Toronto and Greg deGroot-Maggetti of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario represent the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.