The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer was the statement repeated through the microphone Friday as grassroots organization ACORN protested the latest budget outside Dalton McGuinty's office.
There were about 50 people in attendance to speak out against the social assistance freeze and the child tax benefit cuts that were announced Tuesday in the provincial budget.
Though McGuinty was in Ottawa on Friday to speak about the budget, he was not at his constituency office during the protest. Office staff locked the door and closed the window blinds during the protest.
Kathleen Fortin is a member of the board for ACORN and has been part of the organization for four years. "I'm here to speak for those who can't speak for themselves," said Fortin.
She says that she and her partner are both on disability and can barely make the rent each month. "My boyfriend has had bladder and prostate cancer and can't work because of it. His diet is restricted and expensive. Is he supposed to stop eating properly because he no longer has enough funding to do so? No. We're just going to have to find the money we don't have," she said.
ACORN says it has about 1,600 members in the Ottawa area and they say the biggest problem here is the distrust in the political process. "We feel we're being bullied and we want it to stop," said John Redins.
Redins has been part of ACORN since 2006 and is also a member of the Party for People with Special Needs. He feels that the mediation leading up to the budget was unfair and that the people he is trying to represent did not get the chance to speak or be heard.
"I tried time and time again to speak with McGuinty and left messages and no one ever got back to me. He blocked me," said Redins.
ACORN says they are not asking for a lot, they just want to end the social assistance freeze.
Tina Morris, also a member of ACORN, has been on assistance since 1998 and says that her monthly income has increased by less that $200 in that time.
She is currently living on $1,040 a month.
"I'm happy to have it and happy to live in a country that can provide such assistance, but I'm living like less than a second-class citizen and that isn't right," she says.
Morris said that she would like to challenge the premier to try to live two months in the shoes of some of the people who were out in protest Friday.
That way, she said, he could see how difficult it is to try to find a place to live, try to buy groceries and pay for all monthly expenses on her budget.
Overall, the members of ACORN say they just want what is fair and they do not think that either the social assistance freeze or the child tax benefit cuts are fair to the families of Ontario and say they fear what's ahead if this continues.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Karen Ladouceur
There were about 50 people in attendance to speak out against the social assistance freeze and the child tax benefit cuts that were announced Tuesday in the provincial budget.
Though McGuinty was in Ottawa on Friday to speak about the budget, he was not at his constituency office during the protest. Office staff locked the door and closed the window blinds during the protest.
Kathleen Fortin is a member of the board for ACORN and has been part of the organization for four years. "I'm here to speak for those who can't speak for themselves," said Fortin.
She says that she and her partner are both on disability and can barely make the rent each month. "My boyfriend has had bladder and prostate cancer and can't work because of it. His diet is restricted and expensive. Is he supposed to stop eating properly because he no longer has enough funding to do so? No. We're just going to have to find the money we don't have," she said.
ACORN says it has about 1,600 members in the Ottawa area and they say the biggest problem here is the distrust in the political process. "We feel we're being bullied and we want it to stop," said John Redins.
Redins has been part of ACORN since 2006 and is also a member of the Party for People with Special Needs. He feels that the mediation leading up to the budget was unfair and that the people he is trying to represent did not get the chance to speak or be heard.
"I tried time and time again to speak with McGuinty and left messages and no one ever got back to me. He blocked me," said Redins.
ACORN says they are not asking for a lot, they just want to end the social assistance freeze.
Tina Morris, also a member of ACORN, has been on assistance since 1998 and says that her monthly income has increased by less that $200 in that time.
She is currently living on $1,040 a month.
"I'm happy to have it and happy to live in a country that can provide such assistance, but I'm living like less than a second-class citizen and that isn't right," she says.
Morris said that she would like to challenge the premier to try to live two months in the shoes of some of the people who were out in protest Friday.
That way, she said, he could see how difficult it is to try to find a place to live, try to buy groceries and pay for all monthly expenses on her budget.
Overall, the members of ACORN say they just want what is fair and they do not think that either the social assistance freeze or the child tax benefit cuts are fair to the families of Ontario and say they fear what's ahead if this continues.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Karen Ladouceur
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