Despite assurances from Minister, pleas for help going unanswered
REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Critic for Social Services Meara Conway was joined at the Legislature by single parents struggling to make ends meet on the SIS program. Together, they called on the government to address the many shortcomings of the program that have only been worsened by the affordability crisis.
“The Sask. Party was warned back in 2019 that their SIS program would result in fewer supports and more homelessness by landlords, social workers and community organizations. They chose to ignore these calls and now families are paying the price,” said Conway. “This lack of support and seeming lack of care is exactly what is keeping families, including children, in the cycle of poverty.”
Members of the Legislative Assembly were joined today by Kelly Anderson and Frank Francoeur, single parents who both saw their incomes decrease as a result of transferring to the SIS program and having to pay utilities out of benefits rather than direct payment. Despite Minister Carr’s earlier assurances that anyone at risk of homelessness due to changes to SIS should contact her office, correspondence from MLA Conway, on behalf of Mr. Francoeur, sent at the end of March went unanswered and he has now been evicted.
“Frank is a single dad with two kids living in Regina. Like so many others, when he transferred to the SIS program his income went down and he struggled to keep a roof over his family’s head and put food on the table,” said Conway. “The SIS program is pushing struggling families out of their homes and the Minister won’t so much as acknowledge their pleas. The Sask. Party’s supports for the most vulnerable are grossly inadequate.”
The Official Opposition calls on the government to scrap their failed SIS program, return to direct payments of utilities and rent and immediately commit to increasing benefits for families struggling to get back on their feet.
-30-
KEVIN WEEDMARK REFUNDS TAXPAYERS FOR JOURNALISM GRANT HIS PAPER RECEIVED The Moosomin-Montmartre MLA Continues Hiding From Media As Questions Grow
REGINA – Today, more questions about embattled MLA Kevin Weedmark have been raised following the release of an article from Grasslands News about his privately owned and operated newspaper, The World Spectator.
SASKATOON— Carla Beck's team, joined by local Brighton resident Dr. Sarah Chomicki, is calling on Scott Moe to fulfill his government's broken promises and immediately get to work on a neighborhood school for the rapidly growing community of Brighton.
Beck Commits To School Nutrition Program, Doing All She Can To End Child Poverty
REGINA – Carla Beck’s team is sounding the alarms on new data showing more children in Saskatchewan are forced to rely on the food bank than anywhere else in Canada.
More Affordable Housing, Rent Control Also Part Of Plan Being Developed By Beck’s Team
MOOSE JAW – Carla Beck’s team is in Moose Jaw today committing that, should they form the next provincial government, her team will restore direct-to-landlord rent payments for Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) clients.