(en) Ontario: Coalition Wins Benefits for Workfare Resister Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - Brad Waugh ________________________________________________ A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E http://www.ainfos.ca/ ________________________________________________ June 7th, Kingston, Ontario Canada Two dozen anti-poverty activists crammed into Kingston's Social Services office this afternoon and refused to leave until benefits were restored to a man who had refused to sign the Ontario Works workfare agreement. LEAD-UP Wayne Coppin was cut off welfare on June 1st for his stand against the Ontario Tories' workfare program. Coppin opposed the program on grounds that it transgressed both Canadian and international laws pertaining to human rights. Wayne and his supporters had already visited the Social Services office last Tuesday and demanded that Wayne be granted interim benefits while he awaited a decision on his case from the Social Assistance Review Board in Toronto. The local office manager assured Wayne that they would push for a quick decision from Toronto, only to admit today that the Board had not even assigned Wayne's case a worker yet! Upon hearing this fact the protesters at the office vowed to stay put until a cheque was cut for Wayne. RESULTS! Seeing our resolve the office manager contacted Toronto to expedite Wayne's request for interim assistance. It seems that the red tape couldn't stand up to the pressure and by four o'clock a cheque was ready for Wayne and the Toronto bureaucrats had agreed to give Wayne interim benefits until his appeal was heard sometime in August. NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS We must continue to work on Wayne's case, but also use similar strategies for the constant stream of people contacting LINC with stories of harassment. Contact LINC to get involved in anti-poverty work in the Kingston area. Harris may have won the election but nobody has the mandate to trample people's human rights and dignity. WHAT YOU CAN DO: -Get involved in the campaign(s) -- phone LINC at 544-7273 or respond to this e-mail at waugh@astro.queensu.ca. -LINC and Wayne need funds to continue this work. -Spread the word -- forward this e-mail to other anti-poverty activists. Brad Waugh ******** The A-Infos News Service ******** COMMANDS: majordomo@tao.ca REPLIES: a-infos-d@tao.ca HELP: a-infos-org@tao.ca WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/ INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-06.10.99-00:01:33-8758