Ottawa residents plead for government to double ODSP
Ottawa resident Scott Ferguson is often forced to make a choice when it comes to affording food, rent and medical care, but he can't cover all the expenses.
"Every month is a struggle," he said. "I basically eat one meal a day. It helps when I get extra money so I could put it into food."
The 50-year-old gets $1,169 a month through the Ontario Disability Support Program, the annual rate falling well below the provincial poverty line.
"I rely on it for my entire income," he said. "I don’t have any other source of income."
Ferguson, who lives with spinal degeneration, says inflation rates have driven costs up so high that he’s worried he can’t keep up. Even though he lives with a roommate to offset the rent, and receives financial help from his retired mother.
"There wasn’t any future for him working because of his disability and it’s been difficult," said 75-year-old Una Ferguson. "I’ve ended up working longer to support Scott."
More than 200 advocacy groups signed an open letter from Income Security Advocacy Centre, asking the Ontario government to double ODSP payment rates to keep up with the soaring cost of living.
The recent provincial election saw Premier Doug Ford promise to raise ODSP rates by five per cent, and introduce legislation to tie annual increases to inflation.
"By raising it five per cent it does nothing to change the problem," said Kenzie McCurdy with Stop Gap Ottawa. "Online I’ve seen comments, 'Well, you need to budget better.' How do you budget $1,169 to manage rent? That is a thousand dollars and everything else you need to do. There’s no budgeting in the world that can help with that.”
Advocacy groups say the proposal, which equals an additional $58 a month, is far from enough to survive. It means people like Jessica Watters are forced to live with roommates, hoping to save enough money to cover the medical bills they know will be coming.
"It stresses me out because it feels like every year it gets harder to get by because the goal post keeps moving," said the 33-year-old, who was diagnosed with chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction.
CTV News Ottawa spoke with several people on social assistance who say they feel like they are being left behind living on a stagnant income they say is barely enough to survive.
"Doubling would put me in the poverty line," said Ferguson. "It would make a world of a difference, it would allow me to budget."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.