Wellington County is joining the voices calling for better efforts to support Ontario Works rates.
The county’s advocacy shows income supports are meant to help those meet basic needs while they work towards stability but the current rates are not keeping up with the cost of living.
The county has backed their support for increased rates, annual indexing to inflation and raising the earnings excemption to $1000 month to better support people entering the workforce.
Locally there are 4215 in Wellington-Guelph receiving Ontario Works who are living below the poverty line and only 8 per cent of recipients report employment income, showing how current policies can trap people into poverty.