We’re tracking every Ontario election promise for the social impact sector. Here’s the running list.

Voters in Ontario will head to the polls by June 2, 2022 – and none of the four main parties vying for their support can afford to ignore the social impact sector.

Ontario’s ballooning cost of living, the ongoing toll of COVID-19, and the province’s dysfunctional social safety nets are the most pressing issues facing Canada’s largest province. Social impact organizations all over Ontario address these issues every single day. If the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, or Green Party hope to control Queen’s Park, they’ll need to consider how to work with a sector that is both essential to Ontario’s well-being and in turmoil.

All four major parties’ have promised, in some form, to do so.

Future of Good pored through official election platform documents, as well as websites and past media coverage, of all four major Ontario parties to understand their visions for the province’s social impact sector. While this list will be updated regularly, it is not exhaustive:

Progressive Conservative Party

Six days before the election began, the Ontario PCs under Leader Doug Ford tabled a $198.6 billion budget – the largest in the province’s history. While Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy was initially evasive with reporters about whether the PCs’ actual election policy would differ, he did promise to table the exact same budget if the party wins Queen’s Park for a second time in June. Social impact leaders might be disappointed by its contents – zero mentions of non-profits, charities, or philanthropy. Yet the sector should carefully consider the PCs emphasis on healthcare (likely a defining issue during the upcoming campaign) and whether or not the party’s hospital and LTC investments actually reflect the needs of Ontario communities:

Expanding and enhancing 50 Ontario hospital projects

The gist: “As part of its plan to build a stronger, more resilient health care system that is better prepared to respond to crisis, the Ontario government is implementing the most ambitious plan for hospital expansion in Ontario’s history.” 

The details: The PCs plan on investing more than $40 billion over the next decade into Ontario’s hospital infrastructure. This will include a new Mississauga hospital, a redevelopment plan for Scarborough Health Network’s facilities; new healthcare facilities in Kingston, Moosonee, and Collingwood; and the transformation of an existing healthcare facility in Brampton into a fully-furnished inpatient hospital.

The impact: Scarborough and Brampton are some of the most ethnically diverse communities in Ontario and suffered greatly in the first three waves of COVID-19. Improving medical infrastructure in those areas, along with more isolated rural communities like Moosonee, could improve health equity. However, as CBC News pointed out in April 2022, the PCs have announced the same healthcare infrastructure projects several times over – it remains to be seen whether all $40 billion in planned infrastructure spending will actually amount to significant change. 

Grants for nurses to work in underserved communities

The gist: “These measures would add nurses, doctors and personal support workers, build hospital and long-term care beds, and support seniors so they can receive care and stay in the comfort of their own homes longer.” 

The details: The PCs plan to launch a $61 million Learn and Stay Grant in the spring of 2023 to pay for the education costs of up to 2,500 postsecondary students in “priority programs” (including nursing) if they promise to work in “underserved communities in the region where they studied after graduation.” The funds could be used to pay for tuition, books, and other expenses. The exact definition of ‘underserved community’ isn’t clear, but it appears to be rural and northern Ontario.

The impact: There are significant healthcare gaps in Ontario across a variety of areas, including racialized urban neighbourhoods, rural regions, and diverse suburban communities like Brampton. However, the program’s lack of specificity on what qualifies as an ‘underserved community’ is noteworthy. 

More rural broadband

The gist: “The Ontario government is introducing legislation to help bring reliable high-speed internet to underserved and unserved communities sooner.”

The details: Through the Getting Ontario Connected Act, the PCs promised $900 million for more than 180 broadband, cellular, and satellite projects across Ontario – with plans to start construction as early as summer 2022.

The impact: Terrible internet access frequently makes it difficult, if not impossible for rural non-profits and charities (especially Indigenous-led ones) to apply for grant opportunities in southern Ontario. Changing that would be a boon for these social impact organizations, as well as Indigenous governments, municipalities, and clients living in northern Ontario.

More mental health and addiction services capacity  

The gist: “COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of people of Ontario from all walks of life and underscores the need for a long-term plan to respond to the pandemic. Now more than ever, it is critical to provide mental health supports to those who need it most.” 

The details: The PCs are promising $204 million to build mental health capacity across the province, including in online cognitive behavioural therapy, child and youth mental health, addiction services, supportive housing, mental health, 

The impact: Investments in mental health care are desperately needed in Ontario, but it isn’t clear whether — or how — these proposed goals will be accomplished. The budget offers no further specifics. Unlike the healthcare infrastructure announcements, the PCs don’t even say which facilities or communities will benefit from its $204 million funding announcement.  

More long-term care homes across Ontario

The gist: “The Ontario government is making swift progress in fixing the long-term care sector and helping Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they deserve. A key pillar of this plan is to build modern, safe and comfortable homes for seniors, so that a long-term care bed is available for loved ones when it is needed.” 

The details: Through programs like the Accelerated Build Pilot, the PCs are trying to speed up construction of new long-term care homes with a goal of opening 30,000 new long-term care (LTC) beds across Ontario by 2028. They include the Algonquin Nursing Home in Mattawa, Ajax’s Lakeridge Gardens, and Welland’s Royal Rose Place. The PCs would also invest $8.3 million over three years to add 40 ‘behavioral specialized unit’ beds in Ajax and Mississauga for patients who require additional medical support. 

The impact: Ontario has suffered from a dearth of long-term care beds for years, and significant investments in LTC expansion could cut down the backlog of Ontarians waiting for a place. Both for-profit and non-profit LTC facilities are likely among the beneficiaries of the PCs funding agreements. However, the Ontario budget makes these LTC investments seem like a certainty, when in fact, they will go into limbo the moment the provincial election is officially called. If the PCs lose, all of their grand plans for long-term care will be off the table. 

Seniors home care tax credit

The gist: “Most seniors prefer to age in their own homes, surrounded by their loved ones and memories, and may require a range of supports to meet their unique needs and circumstances.”

The details: If re-elected, the PCs will launch a refundable Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit to help low income seniors’ families pay for attendant care, assistive breathing machines, and hearing aids. The PCs estimate it’ll provide about $110 million in 2022 alone to about 200,000 families on average. 

The impact: Low-income seniors in Ontario often struggle to afford basic medical devices, but the 2022 budget estimates that the average recipient of this tax credit would get just $550 a year. Tax credits are also far more helpful to those who pay higher taxes – in other words, richer recipients – than grant programs. 

Supporting hard-hit COVID communities

The gist: “COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted racially diverse, newcomer and low-income communities.” 

The details: The PCs would invest an additional $25 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year to carry on funding for 17 unspecified “high priority” communities that saw lower testing rates and higher case counts throughout the pandemic. According to the Ontario budget, this new $25 million in funding would improve access to testing, boost income and social support for residents, and increase vaccination rates. 

The impact: Many residents in Ontario communities most hard-hit by COVID simply could not find tests, stay home if they were sick, or find the time to get vaccinated. This targeted $25 million in funding may address those issues at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic remains active. The budget doesn’t give specifics on which communities will receive this targeted support.

A tiny increase to Ontario disability payments

The gist: “With the cost of living going up, we want to give vulnerable people across Ontario more support so they can pay for life’s essentials.”

The details: The Ontario PCs are promising to boost the maximum monthly amount a disabled Ontarian can earn through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) by 5 percent. Doing so would cost about $425 million, according to a PC statement. The party is also promising to increase ODSP rates every year according to inflation.

The impact: At the moment, the maximum an ODSP client can receive in Ontario is just $1,169 per month. A five percent increase would offer almost no concrete benefit whatsoever for ODSP clients, many of whom live well below several of Canada’s poverty line measures.

More tax credits for low-income Ontarians

The gist: “When prices go up, seniors, low-income families and workers are the first to feel the impact in their household budgets.”

The details: In 2018, the PCs launched the Low-income Individuals and Families Tax Credit (LIFT) to reduce income tax for low and middle-income workers. The PCs are now promising to lower the income threshold to make more workers eligible for it and boost the maximum benefit from $850 to $875 a year. According to the PCs last budget, the update to LIFT would give 1.1 million lower-income workers an additional $300 in tax relief.

The impact: LIFT was mainly designed to benefit Ontarians making less than $30,000 a year, or families with a total household income of under $60,000. While these Ontarians could undoubtedly use as much money as possible, an $875-per-year credit won’t go very far amid today’s cost-of-living increases.

Liberal Party

Under Leader Steven Del Duca, the Ontario Liberals – nearly wiped out during the last provincial election – are returning to the campaign trail with what seems like a special focus on women, racialized Ontarians, and healthcare reform. Del Duca spent the first half of April 2022 dangling the party’s priorities before dropping a lean 16-page platform, Room To Grow, that harkens back to a certain cheesy Ontario commercial featuring farmers singing off-key. Chief among them is a commitment to restore legislation that would require Ontario’s biggest companies to show exactly how bad their gender gaps are. But the Liberals also have big ideas to hand over for-profit long-term care providers to non-profits and municipalities, overhaul Ontario’s autism program, and provide millions of dollars in additional funding to community organizations that help equity-seeking communities:

 
Create $1-per-ride transit across Ontario

The gist: “Transit ridership in Ontario has yet to recover from the pandemic. Reducing fares to a “buck-a-ride” will attract both new and out-of-practice transit commuters, making their journeys to and from work quicker, less expensive, and less stressful.” 

The details: The Liberals, if elected, would require all transit systems across Ontario, from the GO system to small town bus routes, to reduce their fares to $1 per ride. The provincial government would then compensate transit systems for their lost revenue. In a news release, the Liberals estimated their plan would take 400,000 cars off the road every single day at a cost of around $710 million in 2022-2023 alone.

The impact: Cutting transit fares could be a game changer for low-income Ontarians forced to choose between paying for adequate housing or affording their commute. While this policy won’t help the millions of Ontarians with no access to transit, the Liberals are also promising to spend an additional $375 million every year to expand transit – including intercity connections – across the province. 

Develop ‘living wages’ for Ontario

The gist: “If you have a job in Ontario, you shouldn’t struggle to meet your basic needs – especially if you’re working full-time hours.”

The details: The Ontario Liberals would boost the provincial minimum wage to $16 an hour, according to the party’s platform, and then develop different living wages that factor in the local cost of living in different regions of the province. How that process will work – or even its definition of ‘living wage’ – isn’t clear at the moment.

The impact: Research shows raising the minimum wage is among the best ways to improve the food security, housing security, and educational prospects of workers – unless it falls short. A $16/hr minimum wage is woefully inadequate for much, if not all of Ontario. The long-term impact of the Liberals’ decision will depend on exactly how high these new ‘living wages’ will be.

Give all Ontario workers 10 paid sick days and benefits

The gist: “Around half of working people in Ontario don’t have access to basic workplace benefits like prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, mental health care, parental leave, and retirement savings.”

The details: The Liberals would launch a package of “high quality, affordable benefits that everyone can use” – and employers would be required to enroll workers. If elected, the Liberals would also give businesses up to $200 a day to compensate for the costs of workers taking more sick days.

The impact: Giving self-employed and contract workers health benefits, as well as mandated sick days, would be a huge boon for Ontario’s precarious workforce – many of whom are unable to take paid time off if they fall ill. That includes many social impact workers.

Ontario disability payments increases

The gist: “…we’ll immediately reverse the Conservatives’ cuts to social assistance, increase Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates by 20% and let people keep more of their employment earnings.”

The details: The Liberals would give an immediate 20 percent boost to ODSP rates, allowing a client accessing the disability program’s maximum rate to claim roughly $1400 a month, rather than the $1,169 currently allowed. At a campaign stop, Del Duca also promised to let ODSP clients keep a total of $6,000 a year – the province would claw back 50 percent of all income earned beyond that. (The current rules only allow ODSP clients to earn $200 a month without clawbacks.)

The gist: Disability rights activists have long asked for Ontario to raise the limits for earnings without clawbacks – the Liberals’ proposal would more than double the current rules. That said, the ODSP rate increase doesn’t go nearly far enough to address the appalling poverty facing disabled Ontarians on benefits.

Investments in Ontario’s autism care program

The gist: “Cuts and delays to the Ontario Autism Program by Doug Ford’s Conservatives have been disastrous for many families across Ontario, who have children stuck on long and growing waitlists. Ontario Liberals will work with families to finally get this fixed.”

The details: The Liberals would hire 5,000 more special education workers across Ontario, implement a “needs-based” Ontario Autism Program for every child, and reform special education programs to help autistic children transition into adult services as they age. The Liberals would also launch an independent review of Ontario’s autism services to investigate the province’s past failures on this front.

The impact: While autistic Ontarians, both children and adults, often suffer from a lack of support services – including housing – there is considerable debate within the autistic community about the harms of applied behavioural analysis (ABA). Some advocates are also wary of provincial government plans that don’t explicitly centre autistic people, rather than their families or caregivers.

Launch the Pay Transparency Act

The gist: “The best way to build lasting prosperity is to ensure that all Ontarians have the same opportunity, and are treated equally in the workforce.”

The details: The Liberals want to resurrect the Pay Transparency Act, a piece of 2018 legislation that required provincially regulated employers (nearly all of Ontario’s private companies) to state salary ranges in all job ads, ban employers from asking job candidates about past compensation, and prohibit reprisals against employees who openly discuss their salary. It also requires companies with over 100 employees to report pay gaps based on gender.

The impact: Women, especially women of colour, are often significantly underpaid compared to white men doing similar work. Requiring Ontario companies to disclose salary ranges and report gender pay gaps could help women workers avoid inequitable workplaces – an issue the social impact sector continues to struggle with.

A Cabinet position dedicated to fighting racism

The gist: “Doug Ford’s Conservatives have refused to do all that is needed to fight racism in Ontario. Instead, they cut funding to anti-racism programs, failed to give prosecutors the resources needed to ensure hate-crimes do not go unpunished.”

The details: Through a forthcoming Ontario Plan to Combat Racism, the Liberals would create a Cabinet position dedicated to fighting racism in the province. The exact mandate of this Cabinet Minister currently isn’t clear, nor is whether they will juggle other portfolios.

The impact: Creating a Cabinet position devoted to fighting racism would be a straightforward and relatively cheap initiative on the Liberals’ part – compared to, for example, starting an anti-racism ministry (something that requires an Order in Council and potentially millions of dollars in funding). What remains to be seen is whether said Cabinet Minister will have the power to bring about systemic change. 

Transfer existing private LTCs to not-for-profit organizations

The gist: “People were rightly horrified and disgusted when the media revealed living conditions at Ontario’s private long-term care homes during the pandemic – with our parents, mentors and friends forced to endure mistreatment and neglect for “cost savings.”

The details: Through a combination of ending for-profit LTC facility renewal licenses and transferring existing homes to non-profit entities and municipalities, the Liberals promise – by 2028 – to dismantle Ontario’s for-profit LTC industry. The estimated net interest cost (or the expected overall expenses payable on acquiring the LTC facilities), according to a Liberal press release, would be $150 million every year.

The impact: Such a move, if implemented, could be a windfall for Ontario non-profit LTC providers – and potentially improve care standards across the province. Phasing out existing licenses seems to be a good way of ending the for-profit care industry, but it remains to be seen whether for-profit LTC operators will take legal action to protect their businesses.

Give capital and operating support for non-profit long-term care

The gist: “To make sure closing for-profit homes doesn’t lead to longer wait times for seniors, we’ll build 30,000 new long-term care spaces by 2028 and redevelop 28,000 existing spaces to modern standards.”

The details: The Liberals, if elected, promise to provide capital – as well as operating and governance support – to non-profits keen on building long-term care homes. It’ll emphasize smaller homes “that reflect their communities”, according to a Liberal press release, rather than large-scale facilities. The Liberals also promise to ensure non-profit LTC facilities have enough funding to cover four hours of direct care, as well as pharmacy services and air conditioning.

The impact: Ontario is sorely in need of LTC expansion, yet any new beds added to the system also need adequate staffing, air conditioning, and medical services. The Liberals’ plan promises to do all that – and prioritize smaller non-profit LTCs – but the devil, as always, is in the financial details.

Support Indigenous clean energy projects

The gist: “We’ll…support projects with Indigenous and Northern communities that reduce reliance on diesel and drive electrification in the remote north – including by supporting competition of the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project.” 

The details: Through a long-term Ontario energy plan, the Liberals promise to reduce fossil fuel reliance across the province, especially in northern Ontario and within Indigenous communities. The party also wants to slash the costs of setting up sustainable electricity sources in the first place by eliminating set-up connection fees for rooftop solar charging panels and electric vehicle charging. 

The impact: Diesel is a heavy, polluting fuel that causes long-term lung damage in people exposed to its fumes, is unreliable, and very expensive. Unfortunately, about 300 Indigenous and remote northern communities across Canada still rely on it. Helping communities set up their own sustainable power grids could save them a lot of money while improving local climate resilience. 

Government grants of $3,000 for climate resiliency retrofits

The gist: “We need to retrofit our homes and buildings to address air pollution and climate change. For instance, heating contributes about 20% of Ontario’s total emissions – and most homes are not prepared for more frequent flooding.” 

The details: The Liberals plan to give 100,000 grants of up to $3,000 each year for Ontarians and local businesses to pay for climate retrofits. These could include heat pumps, better insulation, or flood protection. It’s implied the Liberals will also support social housing, universities, and other non-profit entities, although it isn’t clear whether they’ll be covered under a different green retrofit program. 

The impact: Climate resiliency is woefully underfunded in Canada. While many social impact organizations may want more efficient buildings, green retrofits aren’t cheap. A government grant program may help social impact organizations buy into the importance of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. 

New Democrat Party

Days before Ontario’s Lieutenant-Governor launched the month-long official campaign period, the NDP dropped a 192-page bilingual platform, making it the first major party to reveal its full hand of campaign promises. This isn’t even the first policy document the NDP have released in light of the looming provincial election. Earlier in April, the party dropped policy outlines for both housing and mental health. The NDP’s policy proposals, if enacted, will require non-profits and charities to play a big role in strengthening Ontario’s social safety nets – and invest in the province’s social impact sector:

Rebuilding Ontario’s long-term care system without private operators

The gist: “Starting in 2022, an NDP government will begin building a new, public and non-profit home and community care and long-term care system.”

The details: The federal NDP famously promised to eliminate for-profit long term care operators years ago, amid the horrifying scenes from LTC facilities in Ontario and Quebec during the early days of COVID-19. Now, in Ontario, the provincial NDP are making the same promise – with the promise of full government-owned home and community care services.

The impact: Long-term care experts have said non-profits provide, on the whole, better patient care outcomes than their private counterparts. However, if the NDP goes through with this plan, managing the transition away from private operators will be tricky. Waitlists are currently very long, and the party will need to ensure any transition to public and non-profit LTC doesn’t lengthen wait times.

Expanding non-profit childcare services

The gist: “We will put in place a province-wide strategy to guarantee

expansion of public and non-profit child care – and ensure that any government-funded expansion will exclusively be public or non-profit.”

The details: Unfortunately, the NDP’s election platform doesn’t give further details – but it seems to be modeled on a similar promise from the federal Liberals to prioritize non-profit childcare options.

The impact: While non-profit childcare could be a boon to Ontario parents unable to afford private options, the one province with a previously existing publicly funded childcare system – Quebec – still has a thriving private childcare industry thanks to underinvestment in public options.

Launching publicly funded therapy 

The gist: “We will expand access to counseling and therapy services across the province by bringing therapy services into OHIP.”

The details: The NDP promised in April 2022 to launch universal mental health care for all Ontarians if elected. It includes a minimum of six covered psychotherapy sessions, ensures medical professionals receive cognitive behavioral therapy training, and expands mental health care programs across the board.  

The impact: Bringing all therapy services into OHIP could boost mental healthcare access for millions of Ontarians dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction, and complex mental health issues like schizophrenia or psychosis. Patients may be able to address their conditions early and not need a non-profit or charity’s mental health support services. 

Helping Ontario tenants who cannot make rent 

The gist: “We will create a portable housing benefit…to assist tenants who can’t afford their rent in addition to basic necessities for themselves and their families.”

The details: Around 311,000 renters in Ontario will benefit from direct cash payments from an NDP government to help them afford homes on the private market. These benefits would be portable – in other words, tenants who receive them could carry them over to a home of their choosing.

The impact: Affordable housing projects can be invaluable to renters, but they represent a tiny proportion of Ontario’s housing stock. Helping renters stay in their own home – wherever that happens to be – could keep them off affordable housing waitlists and in the vicinity of whatever community supports they currently have. Unfortunately, the NDP haven’t said how much renters will receive from this benefit.   

Treating anti-Black racism as a public health crisis 

The gist: “Poverty, systemic racism, homophobia and transphobia, sexism, and ableism impact the quality of healthcare Ontarians receive.”

The details: The NDP are promising a “systemic review” of the fact that Black Canadians are disproportionally affected by HIV/AIDS, mental health issues, heart disease, hypertension, sickle cell anemia, and stroke. A forthcoming Improve Access to Health Care Act would specifically focus on sickle cell patients.

The impact: Sickle cell anemia most commonly affects people from Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, while Black Ontarians represent the province’s fastest-growing HIV/AIDS demographic. Tackling both conditions from a health equity lens could be invaluable for Black health outcomes.

Prevent hate groups from starting non-profits in Ontario 

The gist: “…Ontario — along with the rest of Canada — has seen a rise in organized white supremacist hate, along with a rising tide of Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, and anti-Indigenous racism.” 

The details: The NDP wants to prohibit white supremacist, alt-right, and other organized hate groups from registering as non-profits in Ontario. It also promises to limit the ability of these groups to operate in the province in other ways, although it doesn’t elaborate further. 

The impact: Having Queen’s Park take a more active role in stopping organized hate would be a welcome development, but cracking down on non-profits registered in Ontario by hate groups likely wouldn’t make much of a dent. Many hate groups operate informally. Furthermore, this proposal wouldn’t stop hate groups from simply registering a non-profit in another province while continuing their activities in Ontario. 

Covering the cost of gender affirming care 

The gist: “[The NDP will]…immediately begin work to improve access to gender-affirming procedures and surgeries and make transition drugs free.” 

The details: The NDP are promising to completely cover the cost of drugs used for transition procedures. These likely include hormones like testosterone and estrogen. Additionally, the NDP promised to work with trans advocates and healthcare providers to “reduce barriers to care” for gender affirming surgeries. 

The impact: Trans Ontarians are among the highest risk demographic for mental health issues like depression, suicide, and self-harm thanks, in part, to the difficulty many trans people face when looking for gender affirming care. Advocacy campaigns like Queer Vote Ontario point to the importance of providing easily accessible gender affirming care for the clients their organizations serve. 

Launch an action plan for LGBTQ Ontarians

The gist: “An NDP government will work with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to remove barriers to the services and programs people need, and foster safety and inclusiveness in our institutions and public spaces, so that everyone can live with pride at every age and stage of their life.”

The details: The NDP vow to launch a “2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion Action Plan” and consult broadly with members of the province’s LGBTQ community to ensure healthcare, education, and long-term care services are welcoming. More broadly, the NDP want to expand shelter spaces and services for LGBTQ Ontarians in need, ensure long-term care is fully inclusive, and launch a grant program to help LGBTQ community organizations expand their programming and services. 

The impact: LGBTQ service organizations are routinely underfunded and overstretched – the issue of funding is one of Queer Vote Ontario’s policy planks. While the NDP’s plan doesn’t include dollar figures, it seems the party is paying attention to the needs of LGBTQ Ontarians.

Boost the Ontario Disability Support Program by 20 percent — and index it to inflation

The gist: “Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program rates are impossible to live on. They are far too little to provide for shelter, food, and the bare necessities of life anywhere in the province.” 

The details: The NDP’s plan says it would “immediately” raise OW and ODSP rates by 20 percent and then tie it to inflation. According to the NDP’s platform, that move would bring disability payment rates to the levels recommended by the 2017 Income Security Roadmap, a provincial report by Indigenous leaders, non-profits, and municipalities. 

The impact: Disabled people on ODSP have some of the highest poverty rates in Ontario and frequently require community social services help. An immediate 20 percent ODSP boost would raise the maximum monthly ODSP income for a single person to $1,392.80 would help a bit, but it wouldn’t erase disability-related poverty — especially during a time of rapid inflation. 

Start a Housing First Strategy

The gist: “Implement a Housing First Strategy that guarantees all Ontarians, regardless of income or ability, have access to safe, secure, and affordable housing to build a stable life.”

The details: In its previously released housing strategy, the NDP promised to expand existing Housing First initiatives in Ontario that prioritize housing the chronically homeless as a first priority. The party doesn’t offer specific timelines or goals, but does point to the example of Finland – a country that adopted Housing First in the early 2000s and saw a dramatic decline in chronic homelessness.

The impact: Housing First strategies are remarkably successful, but the NDP offers no explanation of how fast they’ll expand the practice in Ontario – nor does it offer a cost. Housing non-profits interested in Housing First might find the NDP to be more receptive to the idea than previous governments (should it win on June 2), but the details remain hazy.  

Include non-profits and charities in Ontario’s business digitization programs

The gist: “During the pandemic, non-profits stepped up to deliver critically needed programs and services for Ontarians. However, many have not been eligible for the same supports as small businesses”

The details: Ontario non-profits and charities would be eligible for Digital Main Street, a program that provides financial support and coaching to small businesses across Ontario. It includes micro-grants of up to $2,500 to upgrade technology, a program specifically to coach Indigenous, Black, and racialized entrepreneurs, and  a Google-provided initiative to help independent businesses sell their goods online.

The impact: Many small Ontario non-profits and charities still struggle with upgrading their digital technology, especially given the dearth of grants for administrative and overhead costs – rather than just program delivery. Including Ontario social impact organizations in Digital Main Street could prove fruitful for those struggling to adapt to the online world.

The Green Party

Ontario’s Green Party is entering the provincial election campaign with just one MPP: Mike Schreiner, the party’s leader and first-ever elected official. It is highly unlikely to win Queen’s Park. While the Green platform is, of course, devoted to climate change issues, it also contains some intriguing promises for Ontario’s social impact sector. Schreiner is particularly fond of co-operatives – he sits on the all-party Co-operative Caucus – and has grand plans to improve workforce data for Ontario’s tens of thousands of non-profits:

 An 8 billion Climate Adaptation Fund

The gist: “More resilient communities will be better prepared for what’s ahead, including severe weather.”

The details: The Green Party’s Climate Adaptation Fund would help prepare municipalities across Ontario, as well as provincial infrastructure withstanding climate change. This could include ensuring highways can withstand flooding or wildfires, for example.

The impact: Ontario’s municipalities are expected to need about $6 billion over the next decade to withstand the impacts of climate change, according to an Insurance Bureau of Canada report. An $8 billion Climate Adaptation Fund would be a bold first step.

Double ODSP rates 

The gist: “[On April 30]…Statistics Canada reported the largest annual increase in cost of living in over 30 years. The cost of food, energy, shelter and transportation is all increasing.”

The details: The Greens promise to immediately double ODSP rates so the 500,000 or so Ontarians who rely on the support program “don’t have to choose between putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their head.” The party’s program doesn’t specify how its commitment would keep up with cost-of-living increases over the years, unlike commitments made by the other three major parties.

The impact: Doubling ODSP rates would boost the maximum income of a disabled Ontarian on the program to about $30,000 – still low, but far more survivable than the current rate. The Green’s ODSP plan is also miles ahead of every other major party in the election.   

Establish an Ontario social enterprise foundation

The gist: “Set up a social enterprise foundation to foster the development of triple bottom line businesses.”

The details: The Green Party platform promises to launch a fund that would provide grants and loans for young founders in universities and colleges – as well as the workplace – to “bring socially impactful products and services to market.”

The impact: Without any funding estimates, it isn’t clear how meaningful the Green Party’s proposed foundation would be. The Ontario government has offered very little funding in the past for social enterprise outside of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, according to Social Enterprise Ontario – so a Green Party fund could be better than nothing.

Create a non-profit sector workforce development strategy

The gist: “Create a non-profit sector workforce development strategy and modernized, stable funding model for the non-profit sector to make operations more efficient.”

The details: Unfortunately, the Green Party doesn’t offer any further specifics (most notably, the amount of public money it would put towards a funding model for Ontario’s non-profit sector).

The impact: The Ontario Nonprofit Network, as well as social purpose organizations unaffiliated with it, have lobbied for a provincial workforce development strategy of some kind for at least a decade. Faced with waves of senior executives retiring, difficulty finding qualified employees, and the uncertainty of surviving on grants, Ontario non-profits and charities could benefit immensely from a cohesive workforce development strategy.

Update the Co-operative Corporations Act

The gist: “Modernize the Co-operative Corporations Act to reflect current business conditions and to help co-op businesses thrive.”

The details: The Green Party doesn’t elaborate beyond the line above in their platform, although the Ontario Co-operative Association –representing 1,500 co-operative businesses across the province – has asked for several changes. Perhaps the most significant one, if enacted, would see Ontario increase the limit of shares, bonds, or other financial products members can buy from their cooperatives by 500 percent.

The impact: Increasing the legal limit of shares members can buy may significantly boost the amount of money Ontario cooperatives can raise to finance major projects or day-to-day operations.

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