"Zero Dollar Linda"

Sadly, the rules and supports in Ontario’s welfare system are so complex and so rigid that they can make no distinction between outliers and the mainstream, the “Murrays” and the “Lindas” of this world. [...] This combined with the allowance reductions, her ongoing bills, and the money she had to pay back for the overpayments, was in excess of what she earned. [...] There is insufficient understanding on how the rules of one policy will impact the rules of another and too little good advice on what one should do when they face the many “moving parts” of the system. [...] The answer lies deep in the policy handbook of Linda’s municipal housing authority, where a little rule tells the landlord when to shift ODSP recipients over to the RGI scale. [...] Barry noted that the money would come out of his own pocket because the ticket stubs and money would not reconcile at the end of the day.