Latest news with #disabilitypayments
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Laws and regulations coming into effect in Ontario on July 1
Several laws, regulations, and changes in Ontario are taking effect on Canada Day, from disability payments to fuel tax. Here's a look at some of the notable new rules in force on July 1: Pedal pubs Starting July 1, so-called 'pedal pubs' will be able to sell liquor on board thanks to amendments to the Liquor Licence and Control Act. The large 'quadricycles' are designed to transport 12 or more passengers between restaurants, bars, and wineries. Disability payments Ontario is amending regulations under the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works acts to 'fully exempt Canada Disability Benefit payments from being considered as income.' This means monthly payments will not be reduced, and users of the programs will not lose access to health benefits provided through social assistance. Gas tax cuts The Ford government will remove the 4.3 cents per litre provincial tax on propane for licensed road vehicles. It will also make the temporary cuts to the provincial tax on gas and fuel permanent. Introduced in 2022, the 5.7-cent per litre cut was set to expire on June 30. Minimum wage for gig workers Starting July 1, digital platform workers who provide rideshare, delivery, or courier services will be entitled to a regular minimum wage of $17.20 per hour for active time, which is the time between accepting a trip request and completing it. In a release, Uber Canada says for each 2-week pay period, they will compare driver earnings-excluding tips-to the guaranteed minimum amount they'd earn for their active time. If they earn less than the guaranteed minimum, Uber says they will top up their pay. New workers from any industry will also see some regulation changes. The provincial government says employers with 25 or more employees will be required to provide new hires with written job information including the employee's pay rate and initial anticipated hours of work, before their first day on the job. Expanding nursing practices The province will now allow nurse practitioners to order and apply a defibrillator and a cardiac pacemaker, order and perform electrocoagulation, complete and sign Mandatory Blood Testing forms, and certify death in more circumstances. FIFA ticket sales In advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Toronto, Ontario is making amendments to the Ticket Sales Act so that FIFA and partner agencies outside of Canada can sell World Cup tickets in foreign currencies. Justice system changes Ontario is amending the Statutory Powers Procedure Act to 'allow tribunal cases to be reassigned if the original adjudicator or panel cannot reach a decision or complete a hearing within a reasonable time frame.' The province says this is being done to speed up decision-making timelines. RV licensing Anyone hoping to drive an RV will see amended regulations that will create two licensing options: drivers can get a Class G, E or F driver's licence for RVs between 11,000 and 14,000 kilograms, and a restricted Class D driver's licence for RVs over 14,000 kilograms. Horticultural grants The provincial government will provide a one-time $1,500 grant to mark the 100th anniversary of horticultural societies. The province says the grant will also be awarded retroactively to horticultural societies that have already reached their 100th anniversary.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
How the welfare bill went wrong
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how the government was forced into backtracking on its plans to cut disability payments. Will changes to the welfare bill be enough to win over rebels? And how damaging is another U-turn for Keir Starmer and his team?
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The welfare cuts rebellion
Keir Starmer is vowing to push ahead with plans to cut disability payments. But with more than 100 Labour MPs threatening to rebel, could he be forced into another U-turn? Kiran Stacey asks Labour's Rebecca Long-Bailey and the Guardian's Heather Stewart. Plus, in the age of Trump, does the UK still matter on the world stage? Labour peer and former EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton joins Kiran to discuss the conflict in the Middle East and how much influence Britain really has. -- Get tickets to the Politics Weekly live event here:
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Angela Rayner says welfare cuts vote will go ahead as Labour rebellion grows
Keir Starmer will push ahead with his plan for a vote on the government's welfare cuts next Tuesday, his deputy said on Wednesday, despite a large and growing rebellion from Labour MPs. Angela Rayner told the Commons the government would not back down on its proposals to cut nearly £5bn from the welfare bill by limiting access to disability payments. With more than 120 Labour MPs now having signed an amendment to put the cuts on hold, ministers are facing a growing possibility of defeat next Tuesday, or of relying on opposition votes to pass the measures. Labour has a majority of 165 MPs in the Commons. But during a session of prime minister's questions during which she was deputising for Starmer, Rayner told MPs the government would not delay or abandon the vote. 'We're investing £1bn into tailored employment support, a right to try to help more people back into work, and ending reassessments for the most severely disabled who will never be able to work,' she said. 'We won't walk away and stand by and abandon millions of people trapped in the failing system left behind by [the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride] and his colleagues.' Pushed by Stride to recommit to a vote on Tuesday, she added: 'I don't know if he listened to what I said … but what I can tell him, and I don't need a script, we will go ahead on Tuesday.' Rayner's message came a day after she and other senior cabinet colleagues mounted a frantic effort to save the bill, calling rebel backbenchers and urging them to vote with the government. Some MPs say they have been threatened with suspension and even de-selection in four years' time if they vote against the bill, while others say party managers have told them they see it as a vote of confidence in the government. Downing Street has denied those claims. The government's lobbying operation had borne little fruit by Wednesday morning, with the number of signatures to the amendment climbing from 108 to 123. They are being led by Meg Hillier, the respected head of the Treasury select committee. The Conservatives appear to have decided not to support the bill. Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, set preconditions for supporting it on Tuesday, none of which are likely to be met. Stride told MPs on Wednesday: 'We will help her [Rayner] to get their bill through, if they can commit to actually reducing the welfare bill and getting people off benefits and into work.' He later added: 'The bill will see the number of people on welfare rising for every single year.' Rayner's insistence that the vote would go ahead echoes the message of the prime minister on Tuesday on his way to the Nato summit in The Hague. 'There is a clear moral case, which is: the current system doesn't help those who want to get into work,' he said. 'It traps people. I think it's 1,000 people a day going on to Pip. The additions to Pip each year are the equivalent of a city the size of Leicester. That is not a system that can be left unreformed.'
The Independent
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Government plan to keep Pip payouts for 13 weeks ‘not very much', says MP
A Labour MP has described the Government's plans to avert a rebellion on welfare cuts as 'not very much really'. Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is 'going to rebel' in a vote and 'a number of colleagues are in the same situation'. The 'non-negotiable' protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Dr Opher said: 'It's a slight delay in the disability cuts – it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks – so it's something, but not very much really. 'And it doesn't change the basic fact that they're… planning to cut disability payment to quite a lot of people really. 'So not terribly impressed, but it's something at least.' The Government has faced a backlash from its own MPs over the package of measures, aimed at reducing the number of working age people on sickness benefits. Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Asked whether he would rebel if the measures came to a vote in the Commons, Dr Opher told the programme: 'I am going to rebel. 'And this comes hard to me, I've never actually voted against the Government and I know a number of colleagues in the same situation. 'So I just urge the Government really to just consider parts of this again.' A Green Paper laid out proposals for a 'transitional protection for those who are no longer eligible for Pip', but the Government's plans revealed this week clarify the 13-week length. Ms Kendall told The Guardian earlier this week: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.
