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MOSS UPDATE
February 16, 2004 Meeting
With the
The Honourable Marie Bountrogianni, Minister
of Children
Deputy Minister Sandra Lang
Deb Matthew, Parliamentary Assistant, MCSS
MPPs from Middlesex, Perth, etc.
On behalf of Anago Resources, I was invited
to attend the Minister of Children’s Round
Table Discussion. Minister Bountrogianni
said that this is the first time in 20 years
that a new Ministry has been created and
that they are taking this commitment very
seriously and that they have held the Round
Table Discussions to discover what is
working and what is not working in the
system. The overriding theme: How
can we better serve children
and their families?
Minister Bountrogianni confirmed that the
same major themes are arising at these
sessions and are greatly contributing to how
they are shaping and creating the new
ministry. She requested, and was given, a
copy of the PowerPoint Presentation by the
Alliance for Vulnerable Children which
includes a section on MOSS and the “Impact
of Spiraling WSIB Premiums” document. I
have attached both documents should you wish
to peruse them. Minister Bountrogianni is
very involved with Ontario’s Volunteer
Community and was especially interested in
the possibility that WSIB coverage may
be made mandatory for this sector and that
volunteers may also be included. She
quickly surmised that volunteers represent
$9 Billion in unpaid labour in this province
and was not surprised that this has the
potential to cost $150 Million in annual
premiums. She committed to arranging a
meeting with Minister Bentley and me to
discuss this further with her. I also took
this opportunity to provide the Minister
with the Tool Kit and posed this as a
possible way of restoring dollars to this
sector without the Government having to find
new funds.
On another topic, many may be already be
aware of this but in the event you do not
know Minister Bentley has directed that WSIB
undergo an audit to ensure that its
operations are efficient. While the review
has not been the result of a specific
incident, but instead as a result of issues
that have been raised regarding the cost of
premiums, the Board’s unfunded liability,
the cost of effectiveness of certain
programs and the level of worker benefits.
The report is due May 28.
Prepared By: Mandy Bennett, Chair of MOSS
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