Write letters. To connect to a minister or MPP, write on the letter "Private and Confidential." This will prevent the general office staff from opening the letter and piling it with all the general correspondence comming into the office.
You've got to lobby, day in and day out. You've got to go to the MPPs and you've got to make yourself a headache to the MPPs. If you simply go to the MPP and say, "I really believe this particular issue is important," and the MPP says, "Oh, yeah, I agree with you," and you go back home thinking, "My job is done," don't believe that. Most MPPs are going to say, "Of course I agree with you." Generally speaking, even if they disagree with you, they'll probably say, "I agree with you," just to get you out the door.



Send interested group members to MPP offices (both their local constituency office and their Queen's Park office) over and over again until the elected members of provincial government listen to what you have to say.

You need a movement, a movement of people. If you go individually to an MPPs office and only one person in that constituency comes to say, "I want this bill or that bill," it's not enough.

Go to the constituency office, meet with the staff and say you want to meet with the minister and/or the MPP. If the MPP is too busy to see you, they don't want your vote or they don't need your vote. Every MPP is available in their constituency office on Fridays to meet with you. And if they're not available to meet with you on Fridays, they don't want to meet with you.

On September 16, 2004 I received an email that contained the following:
“Hi again Malcolm. Regarding dismally inadequate ODSP pensions: I have sent several letters to John Milloy MPP, phoned and emailed him numerous times. I always receive the same hogwash responses from him. I would therefore be very interested in visiting Mr Milloy's office with a group of other ODSP activists. ”

While I am not in a positon to set up appointments with local MPP's, I do have a few suggestions for doing it.

You don't have to be a group to request and receive a meeting in person with your MPP. You have to call your MPP's constituency office and request a meeting. It may take a few weeks to get the appointment but you must be granted one, they typically are booked for Fridays (most MPP's assign Fridays as their day in the office) and are set up sporadically. The booking receptionist for your MPP will ask you for a reason for meeting with your MPP, you do not have to give a reason and you cannot be denied the meeting for not giving one but you could tell them that you will be presenting a petition and requesting that your MPP present it to the legislature and you NEED to present it in person! The booking receptionist will try to dissuade you from an appointment but be persistent!

While you are waiting for your meeting date download the petition and have as many people sign it as possible - remember that they don't have to be on ODSP they just have to agree with the Petition. If you want to have a group attend the meeting with you ask your signers if they will join you, just remember that most offices can only accommodate 3 or 4 guests.

A printable Acrobat Reader copy of the petition is ready for downloading at:
Download Printable Copy of Petition Now
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download a copy of the program at:

or get the text of the petition by copying it from:
View ODSP Legislation Petition


Imagine if one person in every riding did this and each MPP presented the petition in the legislature how do you think the government would react? How would they justify ignoring the petition if it appeared to be supported across the entire province? This is one positive way you can become involved with making a difference!

Make yourselves heard everywhere, in every constituency office across Ontario.

    Send an Email to Minister Madeleine Meilleur NOW!   

You can copy and paste the following into your email or use use you own text.

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It is time that the Liberal Party of Ontario make good their election promise to improve the living conditions for Ontario's Disabled. Current ODSP benefit levels are socially unacceptable and they are so unrealistically below the poverty level that recipients are actually forced into debt and illegal activities in an attempt to survive.

For more information on improving ODSP and ODSP increases please join me in visiting the ODSP Activism Web Site at:

http://www.magmac.ca/ODSP/index.html

Your help is needed. As a friend of those trying to survive on ODSP assistance you can be of great help in getting ODSP improved. For more information on how to help out please visit:

http://www.magmac.ca/ODSP/odsp_increase_help.htm

Please forward this email to your friends and contacts.

Click here to email this note to a friend NOW!

The ODSP Action Coalition is made up of community clinic caseworkers, agency staff, community activists and ODSP Recipients. We undertake campaigns and activities designed to raise awareness of issues affecting persons in receipt of Ontario Disability Support Program ("ODSP") benefits.
Visit the ODSP Action Coalition Web Site

There is a new group forming that will be focusing on bringing problems with ODSP and ODSP offices into the limelight and working toward making our fellow Ontarians aware of those problems. For information on this new group please visit:
ODSP Recipient's Alliance Group

Fireside is a place where you can go to ask questions about ODSP and receive answers from other ODSP recipeints who have been there already.
Visit Google Groups ODSP Fireside
More information on ODSP Fireside Group

This is a group designed to allow ODSP recipeints a place to visit with each other, become friends, share information, provide support and comfort, and just feel like being able to belong somewhere.
Visit Time for Life ODSP Fireside Chat
More information on Time for Life ODSP Fireside Chat

Malcolm Dilts
905 - 100 Lancaster Drive
Welland, ON
L3C 6M1