Sault MPP Martin launches campaign for welfare reform in wake of Rogers
inquest

The Sault Star

Thu 09 Jan 2003 - City - B1 / Front

Elaine Della-Mattia

Sault Ste. Marie's MPP Tony Martin is asking people across the province to
help transform Ontario's social assistance system.

He launched Wednesday his Campaign for Change, an electronic lobbying effort
to pressure the Ontario Conservative government to implement the
recommendations made by an inquest jury in the Kimberly Rogers case.

Rogers, eight months pregnant, died while under house arrest for welfare
fraud.

The inquest found that her death was suicide by drugs.

Martin said the 14 recommendations made by non-partisan members of society
show that Ontario's social assistance system is failing and needs to be
overhauled to ensure that a similar tragedy doesn't occur.

Martin is asking Ontarians to write, fax or e-mail Premier Ernie Eves and
the Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services to demand
immediate implementation of the recommendations.

An electronic postcard at www.ontariondp.on.ca <http://www.ontariondp.on.ca>
has been set up to make it east to send the request automatically.

"I'm appealing to people in Ontario who believe in community, who believe in
Canadian values and who value the dignity of the human person and believe
that a government has a fundamental responsibility to protect those who are
vulnerable and who are at risk," Martin said.

"While the government waits to implement these recommendations, more of our
friends and neighbours and family members in communities are put at risk,"
he said.

The five-person inquest jury's recommendations include the end of the
lifetime ban from social assistance, an increase in assistance rates to more
clearly cover the actual basic costs of living and developing a system to
ensure that individuals know what exactly they are eligible for to prevent
pushing them into the criminal justice system.

Martin, who initially had launched a campaign to insure an inquest into
Rogers's death would be held, said it's important to ensure that Ontarians
don't forget about the recommendations and push the provincial government to
implement them.

He's travelling to communities across the province to highlight the
recommendations and push for their implementation.

"I want to make sure that this doesn't get lost in the shuffle and the
anxiety and energy and anticipation of a spring election," he said.

And with that, Martin said the Ontario NDP party will commit to implementing
all of the recommendations.

"Morally and ethically, if they're going to live up to their responsibility
of government, they've got to act," Martin said, "but so far, the
indication, unfortunately, is that they're not going to act.

"They think (this case is) just an anomaly.

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