Bill 27 2013

An Act to require the introduction of legislation for a consolidated program of disability support and employment and other financial assistance

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Definitions

   1.  In this Act,

"Ontario Disability Support Program" means the program established by the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997; ("Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées")

"Ontario Works Program" means the program established by the Ontario Works Act, 1997. ("Programme Ontario au travail")

Requirement for Government bill

   2.  (1)  The Minister of Community and Social Services shall prepare and introduce in the Assembly a bill no later than,

  (a)  120 days after this Act receives Royal Assent, if the Assembly is in session on that 120th day; or

  (b)  the first day on which the Assembly is in session after the 120th day described in clause (a), if the Assembly is not in session on that 120th day.

Contents of bill

   (2)  The bill shall provide as follows:

    1.  The Ontario Disability Support Program and the Ontario Works Program shall no longer exist as separate programs but shall be merged into one consolidated program.

    2.  The consolidated program shall be consistent with the purpose set out in section 1 of the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997 and the purpose set out in section 1 of the Ontario Works Act, 1997.

    3.  The same body shall be responsible for administering all aspects of the consolidated program, including determining what persons are eligible to receive assistance under the program and providing assistance under the program.

    4.  The bill shall provide that if a decision of the administrator on the eligibility of a person to receive assistance under the consolidated program is subject to an internal review or an appeal, all internal reviews shall be done by the same body that does other internal reviews with respect to the program and all appeals shall be done by the same body that hears other appeals with respect to the program.

    5.  Assistance provided under the consolidated program to a person with a disability within the meaning of subsection 4 (1) of the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997 shall take the disability into consideration and may, for that reason, be different from assistance provided under the program to a person who does not have the disability.

    6.  The bill shall provide for all transitional matters necessary for the effective implementation of the bill and for that purpose may allow the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations.

    7.  The bill shall come into force no later than six months after it receives Royal Assent.

Commencement

   3.  This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

   4.  The short title of this Act is the Social Assistance Programs Consolidation Act, 2013.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill requires the Minister of Community and Social Services to introduce a bill in the Assembly that merges the program established by the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997 and the program established by the Ontario Works Act, 1997 into one consolidated program that is administered by the same body.