Comments on: Minister’s Consultation – Thunder Bay (June 16) http://www.povertywatchontario.ca/2008/06/16/minister-consulting-in-thunder-bay-june-16/ To monitor and inform on cross-Ontario activity on the poverty reduction agenda Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:38:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ron Payne http://www.povertywatchontario.ca/2008/06/16/minister-consulting-in-thunder-bay-june-16/comment-page-1/#comment-61 Ron Payne Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:56:54 +0000 http://povertywatchontario.ca/?p=97#comment-61 Did anybody including Deb Matthews comment on the huge waste of resources being spent by the legal clinic system and the Social Benefits Tribunal. Of coarse this is no fault of the tribunal itself as long as it has been screaming bloody murder to the appropriate ministries. Our research shows that if anyone applying for anything to do with ODSP and is denied, all they have to do is attend a SBT hearing with representation and the tribunal will overturn that denial 80.70% of the time. This means that when government workers make a decision they are wrong 4 out of ever 5 times. This is corruption, this is bad faith, this is willful blindness or willful deceit. I will now describe a very aggravating factor. If that same person, under the same circumstances, goes without representation, the tribunal will overturn that denial 72.68% of the time. This would suggest that the legal clinics are only of value just under 8% of the time regarding wrong decisions that are overturned. Allowing this to continue prevents Ontario Works recipients from accessing justice the vast majority of times simply because there is nowhere to go for legal help or information. If there is going to be any real attempt at reducing poverty using existing resources this matter would have to be one the top 3 items to be looked at. Ron Payne Welfare Legal Hamilton, Ontario E-mail welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com Did anybody including Deb Matthews comment on the huge waste of resources being spent by the legal clinic system and the Social Benefits Tribunal. Of coarse this is no fault of the tribunal itself as long as it has been screaming bloody murder to the appropriate ministries.

Our research shows that if anyone applying for anything to do with ODSP and is denied, all they have to do is attend a SBT hearing with representation and the tribunal will overturn that denial 80.70% of the time. This means that when government workers make a decision they are wrong 4 out of ever 5 times.

This is corruption, this is bad faith, this is willful blindness or willful deceit.

I will now describe a very aggravating factor. If that same person, under the same circumstances, goes without representation, the tribunal will overturn that denial 72.68% of the time.

This would suggest that the legal clinics are only of value just under 8% of the time regarding wrong decisions that are overturned.

Allowing this to continue prevents Ontario Works recipients from accessing justice the vast majority of times simply because there is nowhere to go for legal help or information.

If there is going to be any real attempt at reducing poverty using existing resources this matter would have to be one the top 3 items to be looked at.

Ron Payne
Welfare Legal
Hamilton, Ontario
E-mail welfarelegal2004@hotmail.com

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