Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
Assistant Deputy Minister Social Assistance Programs Division
2 Bloor St. W, 25th Floor Toronto ON M7A 1E9
April 6, 2022
Dear DSSAB CAO:
For the past two years, District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) staff have been at the forefront of the response to COVID-19 in Ontario. I want to acknowledge your continued leadership and ongoing work supporting critical services in Ontario during the pandemic. I sincerely thank you for the commitment, effort and feedback you continue to offer to government and the ongoing support you provide to the people who use your services.
Today I am writing to inform you of the status of emergency order O. Reg. 154/20 (Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards), which was made in early 2020 under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, and later continued under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, to help DSSABs address some of the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
The Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards Emergency Order expires on April 27, 2022.
Since April 16, 2020, O. Reg. 154/20, Work Deployment Measures for DSSABs, provided the flexibility to deploy certain staff to where they were needed most in response to COVID-19 pressures, within critical services that include the operation of homeless shelters and the provision of services to homeless persons; the provision of assistance under the Ontario Works Act, 1997; and, the administration, operation and funding of child care programs and services under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Any redeployments your DSSAB has made using the authority in the order will need to end by April 27, 2022, unless an arrangement is made with bargaining agents. If your DSSAB is relying on the order to deploy staff, it is important to work collaboratively and in good faith with your bargaining agents to develop staffing plans beyond April 27, 2022.
If you have any questions about any of the changes outlined above, we encourage you to reach out to Laurie Meher, Manager (laurie.meher@ontario.ca) with the Social Assistance Program Policy Branch.
Thank you again for your continued support in protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians while delivering the services they depend upon.
Sincerely,
Aklilu Tefera
Assistant Deputy Minister
Social Assistance Programs Division
Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services
c. DSSAB Chairs
Laura Belfie, Director, Social Assistance Program Policy