Pubdate: Tue, 17 August 1999 Source: Toronto Star (Canada) Copyright: 1999, The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Author: Caroline Mallan, Toronto Star Queen's Park Bureau WORKFARE STATS ELUDE MINISTER Rookie Reluctant To Give Numbers Ontario's new social services minister was touting the benefits of his government's mandatory workfare program yesterday - but he couldn't say how many people actually work for their monthly cheques. "The short answer is not enough," was as close as John Baird would get to estimating the number of Ontario welfare recipients participating in workfare. "It's a priority; we're going to work to expand it." In his first news conference since being appointed Minister of Community and Social Services by Premier Mike Harris in June, Baird refused to give a specific number, saying instead he will bring in expanded workfare, mandatory language and math training for welfare recipients and drug testing. But at day's end, Baird was in full damage control mode, personally calling media outlets to release the numbers he couldn't produce earlier. He said about 16,000 people performed community service in 1998, and 6,000 people earned their cheques in the first three months of 1999. Baird credited workfare for the more than 412,000 people who have left welfare since the Tories took over in 1995. About 600,000 people were on welfare in July. The Ontario Works program can include those who are job hunting, in training, or working short-term in public agencies or private companies. Baird said he has no breakdown of how many are in those job placements and the only figures he knows of are outdated. Liberal social services critic Joe Cordiano said the numbers are so low that Baird was reluctant to reveal them. He said the program has failed because of too few meaningful placements for recipients, who are being forced off welfare into poverty. But Baird said 60 per cent of those who leave welfare do so because they have found jobs, while some of the rest leave the province, go back to school full time or are young people who return to live with family. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D