Northern Indigenous group to deliver disability support for its members
North Shore Tribal Council is set to begin administering the Ontario Disability Support Program to communities in the Robinson-Huron Treaty area.
The move comes 16 years after the council informed the province that it wanted to administer social services to its members.
The council’s social services arm, Niigaaniin Services, already delivers Ontario Works to its members. Allan Moffat, CEO of the Tribal Council, said as it moves toward full devolution of services from the Crown, it will begin delivering ODSP as of Jan. 31.
“We’re going to be acting much the same way we are under our OW agreement, through the 1965 welfare agreement with the Province of Ontario, and we’re going to be expecting reimbursement,” said Moffat.
The move will eliminate the need for ODSP recipients to travel to Sault Ste. Marie or Sudbury.
Elizabeth Richer, director of Niigaaniin Services, said around 98 per cent of the more than 300 members on ODSP have opted to close their file with the province in favour of receiving services from Niigaaniin.
Serpent River First Nation Chief Brent Bissaillion, who is also the chair of the Tribal Council, said the move is a natural progression.
“This is just a continuation and movement of those services to be more comprehensive, fuller, and completing, really, the complete package of social services within our communities,” Bissaillion said.
“We are going to look after our own people,” said Batchewana Firsts Nation Chief Dean Sayers.
“And we expect Ontario and Canada to be more reflective of what they’ve inherited as far as the obligation to us.”
“It’s just natural as a service provider that we would have this ability and the capacity and the resources to deliver the program to our vulnerable citizens in our community,” said Sagamok Anishnawbek Chief Angus Toulouse.
Council leadership is not anticipating any roadblocks with the endeavour, even though there is no formal agreement between the council and the province on administration of ODSP.
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services was not immediately available for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.