Drs. Laura Pin and Leah Levac
By Mya Kidson
The Ontario government’s policy changes during the pandemic have disproportionately impacted people living with poverty, say University of Guelph researchers.
Their study found that the provincial government’s policy changes excluded the needs of community members living with poverty. Care networks comprising neighbours, friends and service providers had to step in to support people whose existing disparities were often worsened by the pandemic.
“Social policy changes, such as income and housing support programs, as well as a change in public space use, didn’t take into account the needs of marginalized populations in our community,” said Dr. Leah Levac, Department of Political Science. “We also found that they didn’t consider the challenges of more rural contexts.”
She and political science researcher Dr. Laura Pin partnered with other university researchers and community organizations to explore how policy changes during the pandemic have impacted people living with poverty in rural and small urban communities.
The team conducted a policy analysis of all social policy changes enacted by the federal and Ontario governments during the first three months of the pandemic and interviewed 23 residents in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph who have lived experience of poverty. They also interviewed local service providers.
Demographic data indicate that people with disabilities, Indigenous people, lone parents, youth and some racialized groups are more likely to live with poverty and are often excluded from policy-making decisions.
The study found that for people facing disparities before COVID-19, these issues were magnified during the pandemic.
For example, people receiving social assistance, such as Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), were generally ineligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which provided $2,000 per month.
With monthly social assistance rates ranging between $733 and $1,170 for individuals, recipients found it difficult during the pandemic to afford more costly food, cleaning supplies and protective equipment.
Some individuals receiving social assistance were eligible for CERB, but barriers to information and worries about having to pay back the federal payments and risk losing ODSP assistance made the federal program virtually inaccessible to them.
Low-income individuals living in rural communities faced additional challenges during the pandemic.
In communities lacking public transit options, people without a vehicle had difficulty obtaining necessities such as food and medical services and had to rely on rides from neighbours or community service providers.
Pin said policy intentions do not always equal policy impact. While the changes brought in by the provincial and federal governments may have worked for some people, she said, community members living with poverty found that many of the policy changes created barriers.
She said policy changes must consider the needs of people living with poverty.
The researchers also saw instances of community members helping others.
“During the pandemic, we really saw informal care networks stepping up to provide support,” said Pin. “Interestingly, there were many instances where friends, family, neighbours and service providers went the extra mile to help each other out.”
More information about this research can be found on the University of Guelph’s Live Work Well Research Centre Site.
This research was conducted in partnership with the Guelph and Wellington Taskforce for Poverty Elimination, an anti-poverty advocacy group; Services and Housing in the Province, a supportive housing provider; and A Way Home Canada, a not-for-profit that focuses on youth homelessness.
The academic research team also included Dr. Kate Parizeau, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics; Dr. Deborah Stienstra, Department of Political Science and Jarislowsky Chair in Families and Work; and Dr. Belinda Leach, Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Research assistants involved were Erin Rodenburg, Jee-Ho Paik, Kelly Hatt and Amanda Buchnea. Steering committee members included Dominica McPherson, Mary-Jane McKitterick and Cory O’Handley.
This project was supported by the University of Guelph Research and Development Catalyst Fund.