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2. KIMBERLY ROGERS INQUEST RECOMMENDATIONS Recommandations découlant de l’enquête sur le décès
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Committee Recommendations
That Council
approve the following resolution:
Whereas
a number of citizens of the City of Ottawa have been banned from receiving
social assistance following a conviction of welfare fraud and;
Whereas
people on Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
suffer from threat of losing benefits or being charged with welfare fraud,
especially under the Consolidated Verification Process (CVP) and
Therefore be it resolved
that the Health Recreation and Social Services Committee
and Council
endorse the recommendations of the jury in the Kimberly Rogers Inquest and write to the various provincial Ministries
concerned, the Premier and the leader of the opposition requesting immediate
implementation of the recommendations.
2. That the
Health Recreation and Social Services Committee ask staff to set-up a
working group of relevant staff, members of Poverty Issues Advisory Committee,
Ottawa Action on Poverty (OAP.), SWAN, WeCan, other anti poverty groups who
rely on ODSP or OW as well as a representative from the legal clinics and the
Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation to produce a plain language guide
to the CVP, as well as the key rules and what could result in a charge of fraud
under the Acts.
Recommandations du Comité
Que le Conseil approuve la résolution suivante :
1. Attendu
que le ministre des Services à la collectivité, à la famille et à l’enfance de
l’Ontario a fait savoir que le gouvernement n’a pas l’intention de donner suite
aux recommandations découlant de l’enquête sur le décès de Kimberley Rogers.
Attendu
qu’un certain nombre de citoyens d’Ottawa se sont vu refuser l’accès à l’aide
sociale après avoir été reconnus coupables de fraude dans ce domaine.
Attendu
que les participants au programme Ontario au travail et au Programme ontarien
de soutien aux personnes handicapées souffrent du fait qu’elles sont menacées
de perdre leurs prestations ou d’être accusées de fraude de l’aide sociale,
spécialement aux termes du processus de la vérification consolidée (PVC).
Il est
résolu que le Comité de la santé, des loisirs et des services sociaux et le
Conseil appuient les recommandations formulées par le jury à la suite de
l’enquête sur le décès de Kimberley Rogers et écriront aux divers ministères
concernés, au premier ministre et au chef de l’Opposition afin de demander la
mise en œuvre immédiate des recommandations.
2. Que le Comité
de la santé, des loisirs et des services sociaux demande au personnel de former
un groupe de travail composé des membres du personnel concernés, de membres du
Comité consultatif sur les questions liées à la pauvreté, du Plan d’action
d’Ottawa contre la pauvreté, de SWAN, de WeCan et d’autres groupes de lutte
contre la pauvreté qui dépendent du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes
handicapées et du programme Ontario au travail ainsi que d’un représentant des
cliniques juridiques et du Centre pour l’égalité des droits au logement dans le
but de produire un guide du PVC rédigé en des termes simples, qui renferme les
principales règles du processus et indique les conséquences d’une éventuelle
accusation de fraude aux termes de la loi.
Documentation
1.
Poverty
Issues Advisory Committee, Co-Chairs report dated 14 February 2003 is
immediately attached (ACS2003-CCV-POI-0002).
Report to/Rapport au:
and
Council/et au Conseil
Submitted
by: Co-Chairs, Poverty Issues Advisory Committee
Soumis par
: Coprésidents, Comité consultatif sur les
questions liées à la pauvreté
Contact
Person/Personne-ressource : Brenda
Emond,
Advisory Committee
Coordinator, Corporate Services Department
Coordonnatrice de
Comités consultatifs, Services généraux
580-2424 x21801,
Brenda.Emond@ottawa.ca
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Ref No:
ACS2003-CCV-POI-0002 |
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SUBJECT: |
Poverty issues
advisory committee – Kimberly Rogers
Inquest Recommendations |
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OBJET: |
comitÉ consultatif sur les questions liÉes À la
pauvretÉ – recommandations
découlant de l’enquête sur le décès de kimberley rogers |
REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS
Whereas a
number of citizens of the City of Ottawa have been banned from receiving social
assistance following a conviction of welfare fraud and;
Whereas people on Ontario Works (OW)
and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) suffer from threat of losing
benefits or being charged with welfare fraud, especially under the Consolidated
Verification Process (CVP) and
Therefore
be it resolved that the Health
Recreation and Social Services Committee and Council endorse the
recommendations of the jury in the Kimberly Rogers Inquest and
write to the various provincial Ministries concerned, the Premier and
the leader of the opposition requesting immediate implementation of the
recommendations.
2 That the Health Recreation and Social Services Committee ask
staff to set-up a working group of relevant staff, members of Poverty Issues
Advisory Committee, Ottawa Action on Poverty (OAP.), SWAN, WeCan, other anti
poverty groups who rely on ODSP or OW as well as a representative from the
legal clinics, the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation to produce a
plain language guide to CVP as well as the key rules and what could result in a
charge of fraud under the Acts.
2. Attendu
que le ministre des Services à la collectivité, à la famille et à l’enfance de
l’Ontario a fait savoir que le gouvernement n’a pas l’intention de donner suite
aux recommandations découlant de l’enquête sur le décès de Kimberley Rogers.
Attendu
qu’un certain nombre de citoyens d’Ottawa se sont vu refuser l’accès à l’aide
sociale après avoir été reconnus coupables de fraude dans ce domaine.
Attendu
que les participants au programme Ontario au travail et au Programme ontarien
de soutien aux personnes handicapées souffrent du fait qu’elles sont menacées
de perdre leurs prestations ou d’être accusées de fraude de l’aide sociale,
spécialement aux termes du processus de la vérification consolidée (PVC).
Il est résolu
que le Comité de la santé, des loisirs et des services sociaux et le Conseil
appuient les recommandations formulées par le jury à la suite de l’enquête sur
le décès de Kimberley Rogers et écriront aux divers ministères concernés, au
premier ministre et au chef de l’Opposition afin de demander la mise en œuvre
immédiate des recommandations.
2. Que le Comité de la santé, des
loisirs et des services sociaux demande au personnel de former un groupe de
travail composé des membres du personnel concernés, de membres du Comité
consultatif sur les questions liées à la pauvreté, du Plan d’action d’Ottawa
contre la pauvreté, de SWAN, de WeCan et d’autres groupes de lutte contre la
pauvreté qui dépendent du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes
handicapées et du programme Ontario au travail ainsi que d’un représentant des
cliniques juridiques et du Centre pour l’égalité des droits au logement dans le
but de produire un guide du PVC rédigé en des termes simples, qui renferme les
principales règles du processus et indique les conséquences d’une éventuelle
accusation de fraude aux termes de la loi.
At the 10 February 2003 meeting of the Poverty Issues Advisory Committee the above-noted motion was unanimously carried.
There are no direct financial implications
resulting from the approval of this report.
People Services Department supports Recommendation 1.
With regard to Recommendation 2, the Department recommends that a Manager from Employment and Financial Assistance meet with the Poverty Issues Advisory Committee to identify and clarify the information needs.
Attachment 1 – Kimberly Ann Rogers Inquest
Recommendations
Secretariat Services will write to the appropriate provincial ministries to convey Council’s position on this matter.
Attachment 1
KIMBERLY ANN ROGERS INQUEST
RECOMMENDATIONS:
To: The Government of Ontario - The Minister of
Community, Family and Children's Services
1.
The
zero tolerance lifetime ineligibility for social assistance as a result of the
commission of welfare fraud, pursuant to Ontario Works Act, 1997, O. Reg.
134/98 Section 36, should be eliminated. The temporary ineligibility in the
instance of offences that have occurred prior to April 1, 2000, should also be
eliminated.
Rationale:
Evidence indicates that this would have a devastating and detrimental effect on our society. To prevent anyone of having to go without food and/or shelter, to be deemed homeless and therefore and most importantly, to prevent the death of impoverished individuals.
To: The Government of Ontario - The Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services
2. A provision should be added to the Ontario Works Act, permitting the Local Ontario Works Administrator to exercise discretion in the use of any suspension of Ontario Works benefits, in instances that could be life threatening to the client and/or dependents.
Rationale:
Evidence indicates that suspension of benefits is
detrimental to the client and the community.
To:
The Government of Ontario - The Minister of Corrections - Probation and Parole
3. When someone is serving a custodial sentence of house arrest, the government should ensure that adequate housing, food and/or medication is provided to the person.
Rationale:
An individual placed under house arrest, who is
faced with a suspension of Ontario Works benefits, and has no other financial
resources, would find it difficult to survive, and should not be dependent on
Charitable Organizations.
To: The Government of
Ontario - The Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services
4. The Ministry of Community, Family and Children Services and the Ontario Works Program should assess the adequacy of all social assistance rates. Allowances for housing and basic needs, should be based on actual costs within a particular community or region. In developing the allowance, data about the nutritional food basket prepared annually by local health units, and the average rent data prepared by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation should be considered.
Rationale:
To
ensure that social assistance rates are adequate and adjusted annually if
necessary.
To:
The Government of Ontario - The Minister of Health - The College of
Physicians and Surgeons
5.
Physicians
should be educated on the potential risks of tri-cyclic anti-depressants in the
treatment of depression, and should be encouraged to use the safer class of
anti-depressants, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) as a
first line drug therapy. Wherever appropriate, physicians should encourage
patients to access supportive counseling services in the community.
Rationale:
To encourage the
use of extreme caution in the prescribing of medications. By encouraging the
prescribing of a less dangerous or lethal drug.
To:The
Government of Ontario - The Minister of Community, Family and Children's
Services
6. Ontario Works should continue its efforts to detect ineligibility or fraud at the earliest possible time in order that corrective measures may be taken short of prosecution or criminalization.
Rationale:
To eliminate and/or reduce fraud convictions.
To:
The Government of Ontario - The Minister of Community, Family and Children's
Services
7.
A committee
should be established by the local delivery agents for Ontario Works under the
auspices of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association composed of
various stakeholders including representatives of the Ministry of Community,
Family & Children's Services, the Ontario Social Safety Network and the
Steering Committee on Social Assistance.
This
committee's mandate would be to develop a model to be used throughout the province
for the assessment of whether cases involving allegations of welfare fraud
should be referred for prosecution. Such a model could be based on an enhanced
version of the Sudbury model and would include an evaluation of the life
circumstance of the recipient and the consequences of a conviction on both the
recipient and/or dependents.
Rationale:
There
should be a full appreciation of the person's life circumstances and the impact
of the consequences of a fraud conviction. During this inquest, it was noted,
that the various Organizations, including Charitable Organizations, assisted
the deceased prior to her death, therefore they should have an active voice in
this Committee.
To: The Government of Ontario
- The Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services
8. Ontario Works benefits for drug therapy for the treatment of medical conditions that threaten life or cause serious symptoms should not be discontinued during any Ontario Works suspension.
Rationale:
Evidence showed that discontinuation of drug therapy would be life threatening.
9. Consideration should be given to the creation of a computer access Internet program such as British Columbia's PharmaNet system. For example by using a health card, that would permit pharmacies to access a patient's drug dispensing records from other pharmacies, as well as to alert other pharmacies of a patient's past attempts to utter forged prescriptions. Pharmacists should be required to notify the prescribing physician of any attempts by the patient to alter the prescription.
Rationale:
Evidence showed that several different pharmacies were used to fill prescriptions. This will give pharmacists a history of a patient's prescriptions.
10. The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
should amend the application form by highlighting the possibility of criminal
prosecution, future ineligibility and loss of loan forgiveness as a result of
providing false declarations.
Rationale:
Evidences showed that there was false declarations submitted repeatedly.
To: The Government of Ontario
- The Minister of Health - College of Physicians and Surgeons
11. Physicians should be encouraged to write out
prescriptions in both digits and longhand to prevent modification of the
quantity by patients, e.g. "40, forty tablets".
Rationale:
Evidence was introduced indicating possible quantity changes on the Physician's prescription by the patient. This will prevent a patient from changing the numerically written number.
12. Health Canada and the publishers of the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS) should ensure that the information for both brand name drugs and generic drugs reflect the same information. For example, the current descriptive entries for Elavil (brand name) and Amitriptyline (generic name), while the same pharmaceutical/medicine, are noticeably different with respect to dosage for out-patients.
Rationale:
To provide doctors with accurate information in regards to dosage and side effects.
13. When a person is subject to a conditional
sentence, as part of the prisoner's orientation, Probation and Parole should
provide them with a written list of community-based agencies which advocate on
behalf of prisoners, together with appropriate consent forms to permit
information-sharing.
Rationale:
To ensure the sharing of important information in regards to support services available in the community.
The
Government of Ontario - The Minister of Correctional Services and Probation
14. Ongoing professional training and development of materials should be provided to all of those involved in the investigation, charging, prosecution, sentencing and supervision in relation to all offences.
Rationale:
The
evidence showed that the Crown and Courts were unaware that upon conviction the
accused would be subject to a suspension of Ontario Works benefits.