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the only figures he knows of are outdated.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.

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