In Ontario, a single person receives under $600 per month if
they are on social assistance. With that amount they are expected to pay rent,
buy groceries, travel to job interviews and take care of essential needs.
If that single person is disabled, Ontario Disability
Support Program (ODSP) pays up to $979 per month.[i]
If you qualify to receive this government assistance, it is
likely that you have been unable to find employment that will provide better
than this. Even if you work full-time at a job paying minimum wage, you will
still make an annual income that falls below the poverty line.
If you have special dietary needs because of a health
condition, food allergy or disease you may qualify for up to an additional $250
per month.
Last Monday[ii]
in Toronto, Doctor Roland Wong appeared before the College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Ontario for a disciplinary hearing to determine whether he followed
professional standards in prescribing the special food allowance to more than
14,000 patients.[iii]
He did this so that poor people could eat healthy food. He
is being investigated to see if he stretched the rules in order to provide nutrition
to people who did not qualify to eat healthy.
Dr. Wong did not come to his hearing alone. ‘His poor supporters rolled in with walkers,
combat boots and a red banner that declared “Raise Welfare and Disability
Rates.” ‘[iv]
It is well documented that poverty and poor health go
together. The more money you have, the greater the likelihood of living longer
and healthier. If you address poverty, you reduce the need for healthcare.
In one of the richest nations of the world, we do not
provide enough for our most vulnerable citizens. With the current release of
the Ontario budget, there is a freeze on social assistance and disability
allowances.
In a press release this past week, a group known as ‘Doctors
And Lawyers For Fair Taxation’ [v]appealed
to finance minister Dwight Duncan to have fair taxation practices. They are
high wage earners who are saying ‘Tax us. We can afford it.’ They recognize
that taxation most affects the poorest.
If there are doctors and lawyers who feel a responsibility
to the poor, what is to be our response to addressing poverty and equity
issues?
New Song Church identifies itself as a group of people
called by God to get involved in poverty. This is a passion for us. People who
attend this church long term tend to have compassion for the well being of
others.
The theologian Frederick Buechner said, ‘The place God calls you to is the place
where your deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet.’[vi]
I hope that you have discovered the deep gladness that comes
from God and responded to the hunger of the world.
As followers of Jesus Christ, how are we to live in response
to the world around us? The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for the poor
and bad news for the rich. Is Jesus bringing you good news or bad?
[vi] Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological
ABC, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76809.Wishful_Thinking
